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SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- The digital agenda should include the following key dimensions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- In order to maximize the involvement of children in discussions and action on violence, the Special Representative is engaging additional experts on child participation and will further develop the child-friendly space on her website.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The conference brought together an eminent group of government representatives, policymakers, experts and researchers committed to the protection of children's rights through evidence-based analysis, advocacy and public policies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Yet, without good data, national planning is compromised, effective policymaking and resource mobilization are hampered, and targeted interventions are limited in their ability to prevent and combat violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 123
- Paragraph text
- The Conference brought together an eminent group of government representatives, policymakers, experts and researchers committed to the protection of children's rights through evidence-based analysis, advocacy and public policies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Guided by the important deliberations of the XX Pan American Child Congress, significant steps were taken to consolidate regional partnerships with the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Ibero-American Community.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Securing sound support and predictable funding has been indispensable to promote progress in the present strategic agenda, and remains critical to ensure effective and independent performance of the Special Representative's mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- With this aim, and in the overall framework of the priorities of her mandate, in 2011 the Special Representative will place special emphasis on the areas described below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 109
- Paragraph text
- Child participation continues to be a core dimension of the Special Representative's mandate. Regular meetings have been held with children and young people, including within the framework of regional initiatives and field missions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 8c
- Paragraph text
- [According to General Assembly resolution 62/141, the Special Representative on violence against children will:] Assist States in their efforts to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children, particularly to promote a gender perspective and the participation of children, and ensure: - The development of a comprehensive national strategy, policy or plan of action on violence against children, integrated into the national planning process, with realistic, time-bound targets, well resourced, coordinated by an agency with the capacity to involve multiple sectors and systematically evaluated; the adoption of national legislative and other measures to prohibit and eliminate all forms of violence against children, in all settings - The development of national research and the consolidation of data collection, analysis and dissemination systems to inform effective action, mobilize adequate resources and assess progress achieved - The investment in the prevention of violence with the consideration of its underlying causes and risk factors - The promotion of non-violent values and awareness-raising activities to overcome the invisibility and social acceptance of violence against children, support the abandonment of harmful practices and promote positive forms of discipline and child development approaches - The protection of children from violence by those who work with and for children, including through the development of systematic education and training programmes, and the promotion of codes of conduct and clear standards of practice - The provision of accessible, child-sensitive and universal health and social services to ensure children's recovery and reintegration - The establishment of safe, well-publicized, confidential and accessible mechanisms to enable reporting of violence against children and the filing of complaints - The adoption of measures to fight impunity, including through the investigation and prosecution of violence against children and the imposition of appropriate penalties
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The mandate of the Special Representative builds upon developments in public health and child protection and envisages the protection of children from violence as a human rights imperative. Indeed, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights instruments provide a firm normative foundation for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. They are an indicator of genuine national commitment to respecting the human dignity of the child at all times; addressing risk factors that compromise children's development and citizenship; investing in the social inclusion of the most vulnerable; and promoting actions that build upon children's best interests, perspectives and experiences. International human rights standards also provide a sound framework for mainstreaming the protection of children from violence in the national policy agenda, helping to avoid fragmented, diluted or simply reactive solutions and influencing lasting change through national implementation informed by good practices and lessons learned.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- The 12 overarching recommendations of the study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses, in all settings where children may be at risk. In view of the particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. These areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention at all levels. For this reason, in the broad framework of the study's recommendations, the Special Representative will give priority attention to initiatives aimed at: - The development in each State of a national comprehensive strategy to prevent and respond to all forms of violence, mainstreamed in the national planning process, coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities in this area, supported by adequate human and financial resources to support implementation and effectively evaluated - The introduction of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children, in all settings - The promotion of a national system of data collection, analysis and dissemination, and a research agenda on violence against children
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The process of development of the study generated solid and strategic alliances, within and beyond the United Nations system, in favour of the protection of children from all forms of violence. To advance in this field, strengthened partnerships will be crucial. The Special Representative will therefore promote enhanced collaboration with key partners, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies, human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms, national governments, regional organizations, parliamentarians, national independent institutions on children's rights, and civil society, including children and young people.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Sound support and predictable funding are indispensable for the effective and independent performance of the Special Representative's mandate. In this regard, the General Assembly has called upon States and institutions concerned, United Nations agencies and entities, regional and civil society organizations, and the private sector to provide support, including financial. Voluntary contributions in support of the mandate and the Office of the Special Representative are channelled through a trust account which has been set up and is administered by UNICEF in order to receive, hold, administer and disburse financial contributions provided for the mandate, including payment for personnel costs.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Since the start of her mandate, the Special Representative has given very high priority to the promotion of enhanced synergies with United Nations partners in the area of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Strong cooperation has been developed with the Special Representative for children and armed conflict. Regular meetings are held to exchange information and discuss areas for a mutually supportive collaboration, including in the promotion of joint initiatives and missions, and the consideration of joint advocacy and awareness-raising activities for the protection of children's rights. In this regard, the joint participation in international conferences of relevance for both mandates was particularly valuable. Strategic opportunities will continue to be considered for enhancing further this critical collaboration around the strong human rights foundation shared by both mandates, including in the context of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 2010.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In her collaboration with United Nations organizations, the Special Representative on violence against children has built upon existing inter-agency structures and mechanisms, in particular the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, of which the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are core members. The Inter-Agency Working Group is a critical forum for consultation, promotion of policy formulation and mainstreaming of concerns related to violence against children within the United Nations system's agenda.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- In the framework of its 2008 Child Protection Strategy, UNICEF supports the follow-up to the United Nations study by strengthening child protection systems and promoting social change in attitudes and behaviours towards children. The Special Representative participated in important discussions on the implementation of the UNICEF strategy and its focus on the protection of children from violence, at headquarters and in the Middle East and North Africa and in the Latin America and Caribbean regions. She has made significant inroads into collaborating with UNICEF on child protection, having initiated discussions with the child protection unit in UNICEF and the Special Representative for children and armed conflict to enhance synergies and promote complementary work in areas falling within her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- UNICEF is engaged in a number of initiatives to strengthen the evidence base concerning the nature and scope of violence against children, and consolidate efforts for the collection of reliable data and the development of research on violence against children, including on harmful practices. UNICEF launched in October 2009 a new publication, Progress for Children: a Report Card on Child Protection, which gathers significant data on a range of areas on violence against children, helping to overcome the invisibility of children's suffering and better inform policies and actions to prevent and combat violence. The Special Representative was associated with the dissemination of this important report which addresses a priority dimension of her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence against children, and particularly against girls, has been a topic which has received increased attention. Building upon a national study on violence against children undertaken in Swaziland in 2007 and supported by the Clinton Global Initiative, UNICEF has joined WHO, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, together with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a strong partnership to promote similar research in other countries and provide support for the strengthening of an environment protecting girls against sexual violence. This is a significant initiative that the Special Representative will continue to follow closely and which is expected to lead to important results in violence prevention and protection from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- OHCHR plays a decisive role in the process of implementation of the United Nations study's recommendations and its advice and support have continued to be critical during the initial phase of the Special Representative's mandate. Since 2007, OHCHR has established a focal point on violence against children in order to provide support to the follow-up to the study. Since the appointment of the Special Representative, OHCHR has continued to provide substantive support to her mandate. The Office helps ensure that the theme of violence against children is mainstreamed across the organization and given specific attention at all levels.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- At the invitation of OHCHR, the Special Representative participated in December 2009 in the Human Rights Council's open-ended working group on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure. In her contribution, the Special Representative recalled the recommendations of the United Nations study, in particular the call it had made for the establishment of effective and independent complaints, investigation and enforcement mechanisms to deal with cases of violence and emphasized the relevance of a communications procedure for the protection of children from all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- In the discussions, which gave particular attention to the protection of children from violence, including child maltreatment and its underlying causes, special emphasis was placed on strategies aimed at developing safe, stable and nurturing relationships between children and their parents and caregivers; promoting life skills for children and adolescents; reducing the availability and harmful use of alcohol, and access to guns and knives; promoting gender equality, change of cultural and social norms that support violence and victim identification, care and support programmes. Advancing work in these areas will remain a key dimension of the Special Representative's cooperation with WHO.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative developed a fruitful collaboration with ILO, particularly with regard to the protection of children from violence in the workplace and in other labour-related activities. Important opportunities are expected for strengthening collaboration in support of the implementation of the study's recommendations, including through advocacy, the consolidation of data and research and relevant standard-setting activities. In 2010, a global conference will be held on child labour in The Hague to mark the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of ILO Convention No. 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and accelerate progress towards its global elimination target by 2016. The conference will promote universal ratification of relevant ILO standards.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In 2010, the ILO will also release new global estimates on child labour which will help to consolidate evidence to inform policies and promote progress in this area. Following a 2008 decision by its Governing Body, ILO is also currently engaged in the consideration of new standards on decent work for domestic workers, which will open up avenues for improving the protection of children from exploitation in domestic service and any form of violence associated therewith. Indeed, child domestic workers, especially girls, are highly vulnerable to violence; working in private households, in many instances away from their home, and behind closed doors, with little or no protection or social support, they are exposed to excessive hours of work, hazardous tasks, discrimination, social stigma, physical, psychological and emotional violence, sexual abuse, and lack of engagement in community and social life. These significant initiatives provide a sound framework for strengthening this important partnership further.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- The development of close collaboration with human rights bodies and mechanisms is an essential component of the Special Representative's agenda. This cooperation is critical in pursuing an integrated approach to children's protection from violence and capitalizing on synergies across mandates, in the overall framework of the implementation of children's rights standards and commitments to children, including those undertaken at the Millennium Summit, the Special Session on Children and, more recently, the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. The call for action issued as part of the Congress highlights the importance of close cooperation between mandate holders, and its agenda provides a valuable framework for mutually supportive actions and accelerated progress towards the achievement of the time-bound targets agreed upon at the Congress; these targets are also of strategic relevance to the process of follow-up to the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Against this background, the Special Representative's cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child gains crucial relevance. The United Nations study was developed at the request of the Committee and is very strongly grounded in its work and jurisprudence on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee has devoted special attention to violence against children, including in thematic debates, general comments and during the consideration of States parties' reports. At present, all concluding observations include a specific section on the follow-up to the study's recommendations and on cooperation with the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- The Committee's role is particularly valuable to the Special Representative's mandate, helping to inform advocacy initiatives, assess progress on the protection of children from all forms of violence and support countries in their efforts. For this reason, the Special Representative met the Committee soon after her appointment and has developed very fruitful collaboration with it through regular meetings, exchanges of information and through joint participation in strategic events and initiatives within and beyond the United Nations system at the global, regional and national levels. Cooperation with the Committee, and other treaty bodies, will remain high on the Special Representative's agenda.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- As a cross-cutting issue, working to eliminate violence against children opens up avenues for developing partnerships across mandates - including child-related mandates - through cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and, in particular, the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, with whom regular meetings have been held to exchange information and strengthen collaboration. Similarly, cooperation will be valuable with violence-related mandates, including on violence against women and torture; with economic, social and cultural rights-related mandates, to help address the root causes of violence; as well as with others, such as those mandates on the rights to education, freedom of opinion and expression that can help to empower children and young people, enhance prevention efforts and consolidate a culture of respect for children's rights in society. These are important partnerships that the Special Representative will continue to promote.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted in previous sections of this report, the Special Representative promotes mutually supportive collaboration with civil society. This cooperation has been facilitated by the establishment, in 2007, of the NGO Advisory Council, which was formed to support strong and effective follow-up to the study. The Council has equal representation from leading international organizations and national and regional NGOs, and its primary aim is to encourage and maintain NGO involvement at national, regional and international levels, in advocacy with Governments, United Nations agencies and other stakeholders for full implementation of the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative met with the NGO Advisory Council in early October 2009 in New York. The meeting helped to shed light on strategic areas where progress can be further achieved and identify significant opportunities for fruitful cooperation in the follow-up to the study's recommendations at the global, regional and national levels and across the various settings within which violence against children continues to take place; these areas and opportunities include the adoption of national plans of action to advance implementation of the study's recommendations, the legal prohibition of all forms of violence against children in all settings, the collection and dissemination of disaggregated data on violence against children and the establishment of effective and accessible complaint mechanisms for children. The meeting also considered ways of enhancing children's participation in the follow-up to the study, benefiting from their insights and experience, and mobilizing and empowering them to take action in their own communities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- As noted in the sections above, during the initial period of her mandate, the Special Representative has reached out to children and young people in a number of meetings and discussions held at global, regional and national levels. Across the regions, children express strong concern at the incidence of violence; they inspire a deep sense of urgency, and their views and recommendations help to refine the effectiveness of actions taken, including by helping to improve understanding of the hidden face of violence, raise awareness and promote advocacy on positive initiatives, and support the development of child-sensitive policies and mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Framed by the priority agenda identified above, during the initial months of her mandate, between early September 2009 and the submission of the present report, the Special Representative devoted particular attention to: - Global advocacy initiatives to promote the further dissemination of the study and encourage follow-up to its recommendations at the international, regional and national levels - The consolidation of strategic partnerships, including through the Special Representative's contribution to high-level meetings with key actors, and the strengthening of institutional collaboration with international and regional organizations - The adoption of measures for the establishment of her Office in support of her mandate
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- The legal prohibition of violence against children is important, as it conveys a clear message of political commitment to prevention work and the use of non-violent alternatives for conflict resolution. It constitutes a vital safeguard for child victims and witnesses, being a strong reference for capacity-building initiatives and the development of guidance and codes of conduct for professionals working with and for children. Law reform gains renewed value when used in support of public information and awareness-raising activities, and for promoting positive discipline, social mobilization and behaviour change. When harmful practices persist behind deeply entrenched traditions, legal reform has been particularly useful when promoted with the involvement of community and religious leaders, parliamentarians, professional associations, academic institutions and grass-roots organizations, and with the engagement of communities concerned. Bridging international standards, policy action and local values, and motivating change from within, legislation has been supported as the fruit of true conviction, gaining traction as a genuine deterrent with preventive effect.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- In her address to the Third Committee at the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, the Special Representative reaffirmed the human rights foundation of the protection of children from all forms of violence, recalled the framework provided by the study and its recommendations for her mandate and presented the key priority areas for her work, namely the adoption of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children, the development of a national strategy to prevent and respond to violence against children, and the consolidation of research and data systems in this area. The positive feedback received from Member States at such an early stage of the mandate was critical to shaping the work ahead and opened up avenues for a fruitful collaboration with Governments across regions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- During the General Assembly's session, the Special Representative also participated in two high-level side events devoted to the gender dimension of violence against children and the participation of children in decision-making, respectively. The first event - a ministerial breakfast meeting jointly organized by the Governments of Brazil, the Netherlands and the United States of America and in which heads of United Nations agencies and ministerial representatives from a large number of countries participated - raised the importance of combating violence against girls as part of the international agenda, promoted international cooperation in this area and supported child and youth participation in the developing policies concerning girls. At the meeting, commitment to the Special Representative's role was expressed and countries were encouraged to implement policies and programmes for the elimination of all violence against children, with a particular focus on girls.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The second event, an interactive panel on child participation, was organized by the Governments of Belize, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Uruguay, in cooperation with UNICEF, Plan International, Save the Children and War Child Holland. The meeting was informed by the active contribution of young people from Ghana, Honduras, Norway and the United States and moderated by Ishmael Beah, UNICEF Advocate for Children Affected by War. At the meeting, it was recalled that children and young people had made a critical contribution to the study and stressed that child participation continued to play an essential role in the process of follow-up and in support of the Special Representative's mandate, particularly in support of awareness-raising activities, peer education and the promotion of child-sensitive counselling and reporting mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The widely participatory regional consultations organized in support of the study and the preparations for the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children in Brazil were instrumental in generating interest in and commitment to the elimination of violence in its many forms. In some regions, a regional follow-up mechanism was set up to facilitate coordination of efforts and help to advance implementation of the study's recommendations. Building upon these significant developments, the Special Representative gave particular attention to strengthening institutional collaboration with regional forums, helping promote information-sharing and cross-fertilization of experiences, scale up positive initiatives, encourage evidence-based approaches to overcome prevailing challenges and influence progress within and across regions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- In September 2009, the Special Representative participated in the twentieth Pan-American Congress on Children and Adolescents organized by the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Children's Institute and hosted in Lima by the Government of Peru. With high-level participants from the Organization's member States, as well as from national independent institutions for children's rights, non-governmental organizations and academics from the Americas, the Congress was held in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the eighth anniversary of the Inter-American Children's Institute. Great attention was devoted to investment in public policies for the realization of children's rights, including the protection of children from violence. Violence against children was centre stage in the official sessions and the formal dialogue between ministers and high authorities, and the Special Representative and the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- The Congress was a strategic forum to promote and review progress in the Americas on follow-up to the recommendations of the study, and to launch the report on corporal punishment and human rights of children and adolescents, recently issued by the Office of the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission. This important report builds upon the United Nations study and calls on member States of the Organization of American States to place explicit and absolute legal bans on the use of corporal punishment in all settings; adopt preventive, educational, and other measures to ensure the eradication of this form of violence and promote positive and non-violent alternatives; and make the Americas a region free of child corporal punishment by 2011.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- The Congress followed an important regional meeting on the role of parliamentarians to prevent and eliminate violence against children, hosted by the National Assembly of Costa Rica and supported by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UNICEF. Representatives from national parliaments adopted strong recommendations for national follow-up to the United Nations study, including by holding parliamentarian sessions to monitor and advance follow-up to the study's recommendations, promoting law reform to introduce an explicit ban on all forms of violence against children, and ensuring adequate resource allocation for child-related public policies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Decisive steps were also taken to consolidate regional collaboration and agree on a strategic action plan on violence against children with the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the Global Movement for Children, in which UNICEF and key civil society organizations participate. In this context, the Special Representative held an important planning meeting in Panama with members of the Movement, the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and representatives of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and OHCHR. As a key outcome from the meeting, it was agreed to pursue, over the next three years, implementation of the recommendations of the study with particular emphasis on the adoption of legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against children; the development of a comprehensive, well-coordinated and well-resourced national strategy, and the consolidation of research and data systems in this area.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- As regarded violence against children, participants expressed commitment to developing productive cooperation with the Special Representative and providing her with the necessary technical and financial support. They called on OIC member States to take all appropriate legislative, social and other measures for effective follow-up to the study's recommendations; urgently review and reform legislation to ensure the prohibition of all forms of violence and the promotion of positive, non-violent forms of discipline; and, on the basis of positive national experiences, establish a high-level focal point to coordinate actions to prevent and combat violence, and develop a well-resourced national strategy on violence against children. Special attention was also given to prevention and protection from harmful practices, protection of children under occupation and in times of war and poverty alleviation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- At the end of November 2009, the Special Representative held important meetings in Addis Ababa with the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs and the Chairperson of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, with a view to exploring opportunities for collaboration in the protection of children from all forms of violence. Violence against children has been high on the policy agenda of the African region, including in the context of the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; during the drafting of the study and when the 2006 Day of the African Child was devoted to this topic; during the Second Pan-African Forum on Children, held in Cairo in 2007; and in "The Call for Accelerated Action to make Africa Fit for Children", adopted thereafter. With the follow-up to the study, renewed opportunities exist to move this agenda forward.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- Key recommendations from the meetings call for a strong partnership to be established with the Special Representative and support to be given to her Office; in the recommendations, the need to pursue active implementation of the United Nations study's recommendations is recognized, including legal reforms to prohibit all forms of violence, the promotion of research incorporating children's own experiences and perspectives; the development of independent children's rights institutions and the establishment of effective complaints mechanisms; and the use of development assistance programmes and funding mechanisms to support these efforts. The Special Representative also pursued discussions with the representatives of the European Union on the implementation of its 2007 Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child, which include a specific implementation strategy on violence against children that draws on the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Cooperation with academics and research institutions will continue to be given special attention, with a view to consolidating progress in areas covered by the study, and understanding and addressing emerging concerns.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- This initial report of the Special Representative reaffirms the human rights foundation of her mandate and the significant developments in public health and child protection which will support its implementation. The report sets out the strategic direction that the Special Representative proposes to pursue during her mandate. This approach was informed by a wide range of meetings and consultations with key stakeholders at the global, regional and national levels that the Special Representative has held over the months since she took up her position. These include Governments and intergovernmental organizations; United Nations partners, including the Special Representative on children and armed conflict; United Nations agencies, in particular the core members of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children; human rights bodies and mechanisms; civil society organizations; and children and young people.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- With this in mind, in the immediate future, the Special Representative will give attention to progress in three key areas as a priority, namely the development in each State of a comprehensive strategy on violence prevention and response; the introduction of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children; and the consolidation of national data systems and research in this field. Moreover, the Special Representative will pursue efforts to widen and further strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders, within and beyond the United Nations system, as well as secure firm support including adequate resources for her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- The mandate of the Special Representative is framed by the United Nations study on violence against children and its strategic recommendations; it builds upon public health and child protection initiatives and developments, and envisages the protection of children from violence as a human rights imperative. Indeed, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights instruments provide a firm normative foundation for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. These international standards constitute a sound reference for mainstreaming the protection of children from violence in the national policy agenda, helping to avoid fragmented, diluted or simply reactive solutions and influencing lasting change through their steady implementation. For this reason, the Special Representative promotes the universal ratification and effective implementation of core human rights treaties.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 13a
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. Those areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention. For that reason, in the broad framework of the study's recommendations, the Special Representative gives priority attention to initiatives aimed at:] The development in each State of a national comprehensive strategy to prevent and address all forms of violence against children, mainstreamed in the national planning process, coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities in this area, and supported by adequate human and financial resources to support implementation;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 13b
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. Those areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention. For that reason, in the broad framework of the study's recommendations, the Special Representative gives priority attention to initiatives aimed at:] The introduction of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children, in all settings;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 13c
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. Those areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention. For that reason, in the broad framework of the study's recommendations, the Special Representative gives priority attention to initiatives aimed at:] The consolidation of a national system of data collection, analysis and dissemination, and a research agenda on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- A national strategy helps to shape a vision and mobilize action and resources for violence prevention and response. With strategic time-bound goals, it provides a navigation chart to stimulate and monitor progress, and support a process of lasting change. To be effective, the strategy needs to be mainstreamed in the national policy and development agenda, adequately supported by sound human and financial resources, and evaluated on a regular basis; and it needs to be coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities on children's issues and with authority to articulate activities across governmental departments, in association with relevant stakeholders.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Those significant developments are welcome, but much remains to be done to ensure that violence against children gains visibility in public debate, and in the policy agenda as well as in relevant budgetary decisions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Although those are promising developments, additional vigorous efforts are needed. First, efforts to introduce a comprehensive legal ban need to be scaled up. Currently, only 107 States have laws prohibiting violence in schools, 151 countries prohibit it as a form of sentencing, and 108 as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions. Globally, only 4 per cent of children are legally protected from all forms of violence in all settings. Many governments have made commitments to adopt legislation to introduce such a comprehensive ban; when such commitments materialize, the total number of prohibiting States worldwide would reach at least 50, covering around 15 per cent of the global child population.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Secondly, in countries where a full legal ban has been adopted, further efforts are required to narrow the gap between legislation and practice. Legislation needs to permeate the work of institutions and shape the training and ethical standards of professionals working with and for children; implementation needs to be supported by awareness-raising and social mobilization initiatives, for the public at large and children in particular; and also by the development of easily accessible, child-sensitive, confidential and independent counselling and reporting mechanisms. This is an area where progress is urgent both to provide an effective remedy to child victims and to overcome the challenges presented by the reluctance of professionals working with and for children to address or refer these cases to relevant bodies and institutions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- This is an area where urgent action is required. Existing data sets on children provide a basis to build upon, but they need to be integrated beyond sectors and individual disciplines, promoting a holistic consideration of the child. Gaps in child protection areas need to be addressed and monitoring tools and indicators expanded, including to consider boys and girls of all ages and in all settings, and to address those at greatest risk. Moreover, those efforts need to incorporate children's views and perspectives, and capture their experience, and dynamic and evolving free agency. This is crucial to understand the hidden face of violence and effectively address its root causes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The development of the United Nations study generated solid and strategic alliances, within and beyond the United Nations system. To advance the implementation of the recommendations of the study, strengthened partnerships are crucial. The Special Representative will therefore promote enhanced collaboration with key partners, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict; United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies; human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms; national governments, regional organizations, parliamentarians, national independent institutions on children's rights; and civil society, including children and young people.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Long-term support and predictable funding are indispensable for the effective and independent performance of the Special Representative's mandate. The General Assembly has called upon States and institutions concerned, United Nations agencies and entities, regional and civil society organizations, and the private sector to provide necessary support, including financial contributions. Voluntary contributions in support of the mandate and the Office of the Special Representative are channelled through a trust account which has been set up and is administered by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in order to receive, hold, administer and disburse financial contributions provided for the mandate, including payment for personnel costs.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has given very high priority to the promotion of enhanced synergies with United Nations partners in the area of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Building on this foundation, the two Special Representatives organized a commemorative event to mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Protocols and launch a global campaign aiming at the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols by 2012, the year of the tenth anniversary of their entry into force. The campaign was launched on 25 May 2010 in New York, with the Secretary-General, and is promoted in close cooperation with UNICEF, OHCHR, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The goal of universal ratification has been widely endorsed by high-level international conferences, including the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents (Rio de Janeiro, 2008), and is supported by international human rights bodies and a wide network of civil society organizations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- During this two-year campaign, the Special Representative on violence against children will promote global adherence to the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. This protocol is in force in 137 countries, and more than 80 per cent of those that have not yet ratified it are parties to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, a treaty with legal obligations to fight the sexual exploitation of children. Several of those countries have also formally committed to ratify the Protocol, including in the context of the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- In the framework of its 2008 Child Protection Strategy, UNICEF supports the follow-up to the United Nations study by strengthening child protection systems and promoting social change in attitudes towards children. The Special Representative participated in important discussions on the implementation of the UNICEF Strategy and its focus on the protection of children from violence, at Headquarters and in the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and Caribbean regions. She also held strategic meetings with the Child Protection Unit in New York, to enhance synergies and promote complementary work in areas falling within her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- UNICEF is engaged in a number of initiatives to strengthen the evidence base concerning the nature and scope of violence against children, and consolidate efforts for data collection and analysis, and for the development of research on violence against children, including on harmful practices. The forthcoming 2010 UNICEF report on parental child disciplinary practices in a range of low- and middle-income countries confirms the high prevalence of violent disciplinary methods, but also recognizes that this practice coexists with non-violent discipline; close to 9 in 10 children experience physical punishment and psychological aggression, with higher rates among boys, among children between 5 and 9 years of age and in households where mothers condone corporal punishment and domestic violence; conversely, violent discipline was less prevalent when caregivers were engaged in greater levels of educational and play activities with their children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence against children, and particularly against girls, has been a topic which has received increased attention. Building upon a national study on violence against children undertaken in Swaziland in 2007 and supported by the Clinton Global Initiative, UNICEF has joined WHO, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, together with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a strategic partnership to promote similar research in other countries and provide support for the strengthening of an environment to protect girls against sexual violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- This is a significant initiative that the Special Representative will continue to follow closely and which is expected to lead to important results.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- At the invitation of OHCHR, the Special Representative participated in December 2009 in the Human Rights Council's Open-ended Working Group to explore the possibility of elaborating an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure. In her submission, the Special Representative recalled that the United Nations study had recommended the establishment of effective and independent complaints, investigation and enforcement mechanisms to deal with incidents of violence against children, and highlighted the relevance of a communications procedure for children's protection from violence. She recommended the development of a legal instrument that was duly framed by children's rights, provided for an effective and child-sensitive remedy, and established legal safeguards to protect child victims and prevent any risk of manipulation or reprisals.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- The valuable role played by safe and accessible counselling, and by complaint and reporting mechanisms for children's protection from violence was given focused attention by the Human Rights Council in its panel discussion on the protection of children from sexual violence, in which the Special Representative on violence against children also participated in March 2010. The Council adopted a resolution in which it strongly condemned all forms of sexual violence and abuse against children; and urged States to develop and establish child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms that are confidential and safe. The Council also invited the Special Representative and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography to submit a joint report on this topic to the Council at its sixteenth session.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- To inform the development of the report, the Special Representative will organize with OHCHR an expert consultation on this topic in September 2010. The meeting aims to provide a comprehensive overview of existing models of accessible and child-friendly counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms, established at governmental level, and by independent institutions and civil society organizations; to reflect on challenges and good practices in the use of such mechanisms by children and their representatives, including in relation to child participation, accessibility, confidentiality, safeguard of privacy and victims' protection; and to make recommendations for their improvement.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- National independent institutions, including those with a distinct mandate on children's rights, act as spokespersons of children's voices and concerns, develop policy advocacy and research, provide critical advice, and in some cases address individual complaints. Being accessed directly by child victims and witnesses, those institutions offer an important remedy when violence occurs; and their action is instrumental to raise awareness about violence against children, to promote gender and child-sensitive approaches, to capture children's experiences and trauma, and to give advice to those in need. Their contribution to the report will be of crucial relevance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- WHO actively supported the development of the United Nations study and remains a critical partner in the process of follow-up.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Advancing work in these areas will remain a key dimension of the Special Representative's cooperation with WHO.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- In May 2010, the Special Representative participated in the Global Conference on Child Labour held in The Hague, which marked the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, and it adopted a road map for achieving their elimination by 2016. The Conference provided a high-level forum for the Special Representative's advocacy in favour of the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and of the protection of children from violence and abuse. Those dimensions were also given strong attention in the Road map.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted by the Special Representative in her address, violence and child labour are closely interrelated. Violence in the home, in schools and in institutions, is a factor that pushes children into child labour, particularly its worst forms; violence is also a means to coerce children to work, and to keep them in exploitation and servitude. At the same time, violence and child labour can be prevented and effectively addressed, through the development of national action plans, the adoption of sound legislation and the strengthening of data and research. These actions figure prominently in the Road map, which also constitutes a key instrument in the elimination of violence against children in work-related situations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative strongly supports the development of new ILO standards to ensure decent work for domestic workers. They open avenues for improving the protection of children from exploitation in domestic service and from any form of violence associated therewith. Child domestic workers, especially girls, are highly vulnerable to violence. Working in private households, often behind closed doors and away from their own home with little or no protection or social support, they are exposed to excessive working hours, hazardous tasks, social stigma and discrimination, and physical and emotional violence, as well as sexual abuse. The Special Representative remains committed to supporting this important standard-setting process and the adoption of binding provisions for the protection of children and young domestic workers.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The development of close collaboration with human rights bodies and mechanisms is an essential component of the Special Representative's agenda. This cooperation is critical in pursuing an integrated approach to children's protection from violence and capitalizing on synergies across mandates, in the overall framework of the implementation of children's rights standards and commitments to children, including those undertaken at the Millennium Summit, the special session of the General Assembly on Children and, more recently, the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. The Call for Action adopted by the Congress highlights the importance of close cooperation between mandate holders, and its agenda provides a valuable framework for mutually supportive actions and accelerated progress in the follow-up to the study's recommendations; those include the development of national plans and the enactment of effective legislation, and the establishment of reporting mechanisms for child victims.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, the Special Representative's cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child gains crucial relevance. The United Nations study was developed at the request of the Committee and was strongly grounded in its work on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee has devoted special attention to violence against children in thematic debates, general comments and during the consideration of States Parties' reports. At present, all concluding observations include a specific section on the follow-up to the study's recommendations and on cooperation with the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child helps to inform advocacy initiatives, assess progress on the protection of children from all forms of violence and support countries in their efforts. For this reason, the Special Representative met the Committee soon after her appointment and has developed very fruitful collaboration through regular meetings and exchange of information, and through joint participation in strategic events and initiatives, at the global, regional and national levels. This strategic partnership has gained a renewed emphasis with the launch of the joint campaign for the universal ratification of the Protocols to the Convention, and the collaboration in support of the development of the report on child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- As a cross-cutting issue, working to eliminate violence against children opens up avenues for developing partnerships across mandates, including child-related mandates, in particular with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, with whom collaboration has been steadily strengthened and, as mentioned above (see para. 50), a joint report is being developed on child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms. Cooperation is also valuable with violence-related mandates, including violence against women and torture; with economic, social and cultural rights-related mandates to help address the root causes of violence; as well as with mandates on the rights to education, freedom of opinion and expression to enhance violence prevention, consolidate a culture of respect for children's rights and empower children and young people.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- The United Nations study was developed with strong support from civil society organizations and from children and young people, and they remain active partners in the process of implementation of the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative met with the NGO Advisory Council in early October 2009 in New York, and in March 2010 in Geneva. The meetings helped to shed light on strategic areas where progress can be achieved and to identify significant opportunities for cooperation in the follow-up to the study's recommendations at the global, regional and national levels, and across the various settings within which violence against children takes place. These areas and opportunities include the adoption of national plans of action to advance implementation of the study's recommendations, the legal prohibition of all forms of violence against children in all settings, the collection and dissemination of age and gender disaggregated data on violence against children, and the establishment of effective and accessible complaint mechanisms for children. The meetings also considered ways of enhancing children's participation in the follow-up to the study, benefiting from their insights and experience, and mobilizing and empowering them to take action in their own communities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has been committed to reach out to children and young people in her meetings and expert discussions at global, regional and national levels. Across regions, children identify violence as a priority concern and inspire a deep sense of urgency; as agents of change, developing child rights clubs and advocacy materials, and engaging in peer education and awareness-raising initiatives, they promote an enhanced understanding of the hidden face of violence and support the development of child-sensitive approaches that enhance the effectiveness of violence prevention and responses.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- These two United Nations meetings provided a strategic forum for the Special Representative to join hands with Member States, United Nations agencies, regional organizations and civil society and child-led organizations in arranging high-level events designed to raise awareness, promote cross-fertilization of experiences and encourage further progress in crucial areas of the Special Representative's agenda - these include the development of national strategies to prevent and address violence in all settings, the enactment of effective legislation, and the promotion of gender-sensitive and child-participatory approaches, as well as the promotion of universal ratification and effective implementation of international children's rights standards.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted by those meetings, child victims of violence are still too often criminalized and not protected as children, including as a result of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Marginalized children, including migrant and asylum-seeking children, are often subject to physical, psychological and sexual violence, denied access to legal assistance and placed in detention as a substitute for care arrangements. Thousands of children are subjected to deprivation of liberty, frequently used as a first option rather than a measure of last resort; they risk torture, abuse and humiliating treatment, including when placed in pretrial detention, and endure violence as a form of control, discipline or punishment; in some countries, sentencing can include caning, flogging, stoning or amputation, as well as capital punishment and life imprisonment without possibility of release.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The situation of those children remains hidden and surrounded by stigma, and is seldom envisaged as a priority in the policy agenda. There is scarce information on the numbers of children deprived of liberty and on the reasons that lead to their placement in justice and care institutions; independent monitoring mechanisms are rarely available to safeguard their rights and address their complaints; and sensationalistic information, combined with ill perception of growing juvenile delinquency, fuel social pressure for the criminalization of children and adolescents, and for the introduction of increasingly lower ages of criminal responsibility and longer measures of deprivation of liberty. This is a pattern that helps to create a culture of tolerance of violence against children, and which often contributes to the stigmatization of children belonging to poor and disadvantaged groups.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- These are critical concerns the Special Representative will continue to address in the context of her mandate and missions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- With that aim, the Special Representative took part in strategic, high-level regional conferences and has pursued the strengthening of partnerships with regional organizations and institutions. This is an area where significant developments have taken place, with a growing institutionalization of regional governance structures and the development of regional strategies to promote and monitor progress in the follow-up to the study's recommendations. This is meaningfully illustrated by the decisive improvements made across regions, including by the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, the League of Arab States Sub-Committee on Violence against Children, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011: Building a Europe for and with Children, the Pan American Child Congress, the Latin America and Caribbean Chapter of the Global Movement for Children, and by the African Union and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- In September 2009, the Special Representative participated in the XX Pan American Child Congress, organized by the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Children's Institute, and hosted in Lima by the Government of Peru. With high-level participation from member States, as well as from national independent institutions for children's rights, non-governmental organizations and academics from the Americas, the Congress was held in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the eighth anniversary of the Inter-American Children's Institute. Strong attention was devoted to public policies for the realization of children's rights, including the protection of children from violence. Violence against children was also centre stage in the official sessions and in the formal dialogue between ministers and high authorities, and the Special Representative and the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Professor Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- The Congress was a strategic forum to advance progress in the Americas on follow-up to the recommendations of the study, and to launch the "Report on Corporal Punishment and Human Rights of Children and Adolescents", issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. This important report builds upon the United Nations study and calls on States members of the Organization of American States to place explicit and absolute legal bans on the use of corporal punishment in all settings; adopt preventive, educational and other measures to ensure the eradication of this form of violence; and promote positive and non violent alternatives; and make the Americas a region free of child corporal punishment by 2011.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the importance of violence prevention, she called for steady investment in early childhood education to ensure the development of children's talents and abilities to their full potential, to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage for young people and to promote their social inclusion. Young children are indeed at particular risk of violence and they are also less able to resist and seek protection; fear and trauma compromise their development and threaten their sense of security and trust. Conversely, loving, secure and stimulating relationships of young children with their families and caregivers build a foundation for their physical, emotional and intellectual development and enhance their confidence and free agency.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- In the follow-up meeting held in Argentina in June 2010, it was agreed to organize three high-level subregional meetings in 2011 to promote cross-fertilization of experiences and scale up initiatives in those three areas.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- Specifically on violence against children, participants expressed commitment to developing productive cooperation with the Special Representative and providing her with the necessary technical and financial support. They called on States members of OIC to take all appropriate legislative, social and other measures for effective follow-up to the study's recommendations; urgently reform legislation to ensure the prohibition of all forms of violence and the promotion of positive, non violent forms of discipline; and, on the basis of positive national experiences, establish a high-level focal point to coordinate actions to prevent and combat violence, and develop a well-resourced national strategy on violence against children. Special attention was also given to prevention and protection from harmful practices, protection of children under occupation and in times of war, and poverty alleviation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- At the end of November 2009, the Special Representative held important meetings in Addis Ababa with the Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union and the Chairperson of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, with a view to promoting collaboration in the protection of children from all forms of violence. Violence against children has been high on the policy agenda of the African region, including in the context of the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; during the drafting of the study and when the Day of the African Child 2006 was devoted to this topic; and during the 2007 Second Pan-African Forum on Children and in "The Call for Accelerated Action to Make Africa Fit for Children", adopted by the Forum. With the follow-up to the study, renewed opportunities exist to move this agenda forward.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 114
- Paragraph text
- In the European region, significant developments have also taken place, with violence against children being given increasing attention in policymaking within the Council of Europe and the European Union. The Special Representative consolidated collaboration with those institutions and took part in strategic policy forums addressing elements of her mandate. The Special Representative participated in meetings which led to the adoption of the Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011: Building a Europe for and with Children, within which the protection of children from violence is a key priority concern. Under the Strategy, the Council acts as the regional initiator and coordinator of national and regional initiatives to combat violence against children, and as the European forum for follow-up to the recommendations of the United Nations study and cooperation with the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 116
- Paragraph text
- In November 2009, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Policy Guidelines on Integrated National Strategies for the Protection of Children from Violence to guide national efforts for the development of a comprehensive national agenda for violence prevention and response. The Special Representative participated in the process leading to the adoption of the guidelines and continues to collaborate with the Council of Europe in advancing their dissemination and implementation. In May 2010, the Government of Austria hosted a follow-up meeting, in Vienna, to share experiences among national governments, international organizations, independent institutions and civil society partners, and advance progress in the development of national strategies and law reform, and in the consolidation of information on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 118
- Paragraph text
- The meetings called for the establishment of a strong partnership with the Special Representative and support to her Office; reiterated commitment to the implementation of the United Nations study's recommendations, including legal reforms to prohibit all forms of violence; the promotion of research incorporating children's own experiences and perspectives; the development of independent children's rights institutions and the establishment of effective complaints mechanisms. The meeting also recommended the use of development assistance programmes and funding mechanisms to support those efforts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 129
- Paragraph text
- In spite of this promising trend, however, violence against children remains widespread, largely hidden and still too often condoned by society. Recognizing that no violence is justifiable and all violence can be effectively prevented, the Special Representative is strongly committed to maintaining momentum around violence prevention and responses; increasing visibility and renewed concern at the harmful effects of violence on children; addressing social norms to encourage a process of positive behaviour and social change; and mobilizing political support to combat this phenomenon and achieve steady progress.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- A national strategy is at the core of effective action to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against children. It helps to shape a vision and generate long-term and sustained commitment to build a safe society where children may grow up free from violence. With strategic, time-bound targets, and informed by sound data and research, it provides a road map to mobilize action, resources and support to stimulate and monitor progress, and promote a process of lasting change. To be effective, a strategy needs to meet critical requirements, including being mainstreamed into the national policy and development agenda, to avoid being perceived as an afterthought and ignored when key policy and budgetary decisions are made; adequately supported by human and financial resources; and evaluated on a regular basis. It also needs to be coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities in children's issues and with authority to articulate activities across governmental departments, in association with relevant stakeholders, including civil society.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- In the overall framework of follow-up to the United Nations study and cooperation with the Special Representative, recent months have been marked by significant commitments made by intergovernmental and regional organizations, and the promotion of strategic initiatives supporting the development and implementation of national strategies for the protection of children from violence. In some cases, time-bound goals have also been agreed on to move this process forward. This is well illustrated by significant regional initiatives and policy decisions, including those taken by the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Council of Europe.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- In 2009, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the policy guidelines on integrated national strategies for the protection of children from violence to protect the rights of children and prevent and combat all forms of violence against them, calling on Member States to promote the wide dissemination of the guidelines and their implementation through national legislation, policy and practice. According to the guidelines, an integrated national strategy is a multifaceted and systematic framework fully integrated into a national policy, with a specific time frame, with realistic targets, coordinated and monitored by a single agency, supported by adequate human and financial resources and based on scientific knowledge.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Around the globe, law reform for children's protection from violence is gaining momentum. When the United Nations study was finalized, only 16 countries had legislation prohibiting violence in all settings, including corporal punishment in the home. Currently, 29 countries have introduced such a comprehensive legal ban. In all regions, legislative reform initiatives are under way to achieve full prohibition, and in several other countries, new legislation is under review to prohibit violence in specific settings. In some cases, a monitoring system has been developed to advance implementation. In countries where harmful practices persist behind deeply entrenched traditions, the legislative process has provided opportunities to involve community and religious leaders, parliamentarians, professional associations, academic institutions and grass-roots organizations, and to engage communities concerned to promote change from within and consolidate prevention efforts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Secondly, in countries where a full legal ban has been adopted, further efforts are required to narrow the gap between law and practice. Legislation needs to permeate the work of institutions and shape the training and ethical standards of professionals working with and for children. Implementation needs to be supported by awareness-raising and social mobilization initiatives for the public at large, and children in particular. The development of easily accessible, child-sensitive, confidential and independent counselling and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence also need to be promoted. This is an area where progress is urgent, both to provide an effective remedy to child victims and to overcome the challenges presented by the invisibility and social acceptance of violence and the reluctance of professionals working with and for children to address or refer these cases to relevant bodies and institutions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Without reliable data, national planning is compromised, effective policymaking and resource mobilization are hampered and targeted interventions limited in their ability to prevent and combat violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- This is an area where urgent action is required and to which the Special Representative pays priority attention. Existing data sets on children provide a basis to build upon, but they need to be integrated beyond sectors and individual disciplines, to promote a holistic consideration of the child. Gaps in child protection areas need to be addressed and monitoring tools and indicators expanded to cover boys and girls of all ages and in all settings, and to identify those at greatest risk. Moreover, these efforts need to incorporate children's views and perspectives, and capture their experience, and dynamic and evolving agency. This is crucial to understand the hidden face of violence and to address its root causes effectively.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- During the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, the Special Representative hosted a panel discussion on the role of data and research in overcoming the hidden nature of violence, in raising awareness of its serious impact on children, and in supporting the development of evidence-based legislation, policies and actions for violence prevention and response, and for the protection of child victims. The panel was co-organized with OHCHR and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and supported by the Governments of Sweden and Brazil. The meeting provided an important platform to reflect on strategic lessons from national experiences and to present the preliminary findings of the UNICEF report entitled "Child Disciplinary Practices at Home: Evidence from a Range of Low and Middle-Income Countries".
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has given high priority to the promotion of enhanced forms of synergy with United Nations partners. This collaboration has been crucial to raise awareness of and broaden global support for children's protection from violence, to promote the mainstreaming of this issue in United Nations activities, and also to generate policy debate through the organization of strategic panel discussions with key partners on areas of critical concern. The side events held by the Special Representative during the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly illustrate this well, including those on the consolidation of data and research on violence against children and on the impact of violence in early childhood.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- The campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols was launched with the Secretary-General, at Headquarters, and is pursued in close cooperation with UNICEF, OHCHR and the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. In the light of her mandate, during this two-year campaign, the Special Representative places a special focus on achieving global adherence to the Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. As at 15 December 2010, the Protocol was in force in 142 countries, and more than 80 per cent of those who have not yet ratified it are parties to the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a treaty with legal obligations to fight the sale of children, trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. Several of the remaining countries have also formally committed to ratification, including in the context of the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Advancing the aims of the campaign has been a constant concern in the Special Representative's global advocacy and field missions. The campaign has received wide support from Member States, United Nations agencies and civil society organizations. The goal of universal ratification was incorporated in the policy agenda of high-level United Nations initiatives, including the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted on 11 May 2010 at The Hague Global Child Labour Conference. Moreover, the launch of the campaign has been followed by the adherence to the Protocol by an increasing number of States. Efforts to advance progress in this field will be pursued in 2011.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The protection of children from violence is a key dimension of the UNICEF mandate. In this context, firm collaboration has been pursued with the Fund at Headquarters and across regions to advance the follow-up to the United Nations study recommendations and to mainstream the protection of children from violence in national policy agendas. A critical aspect of this process is the follow-up to the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. In this connection, the Special Representative took part in the review meeting of the Organizing Committee, held in Bangkok in October 2010. The meeting, organized with the participation of UNICEF, the Governments of Brazil and Thailand, ECPAT International, other civil society organizations and young representatives from the Mekong region, highlighted the urgency of accelerating progress in the implementation of the Rio de Janeiro Call for Action, and achieving the time-bound targets agreed upon by the Congress, in the overall framework of the study follow-up and the Special Representative's mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with UNICEF has been critical in strengthening national child protection systems, preventing and addressing violence in early childhood and consolidating data and research on violence against children. With its report entitled "Child Disciplinary Practices at Home", UNICEF provided new evidence on the widespread incidence and social acceptance of psychological aggression and physical punishment. The report showed that, in most countries, non-violent disciplinary practices are more common than violent discipline, and the majority of caregivers do not think there is a need to resort to such violent methods in child-rearing; moreover, when positive parenting behaviour is promoted, there is room for more positive discipline and for violence prevention. The preliminary findings of the report were presented during a panel discussion hosted by the Special Representative during the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- OHCHR plays a decisive role in strengthening the human rights foundation of the process of implementation of the study recommendations. In partnership with the Special Representative, OHCHR hosts strategic consultations on areas of priority concern, including, in September 2010, a meeting on child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms, and an upcoming meeting in 2011 on law reform. Its role has been essential in strengthening cooperation with human rights treaty bodies, particularly the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and with the special procedures of the Human Rights Council, especially the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, and the Special Rapporteur on the right to education. OHCHR supports the Special Representative's meetings with the Working Group on Violence against Children, with national independent institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights, and with civil society partners, including the NGO Advisory Council and the NGO Group on the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- WHO remains a critical partner in the process of follow-up to the United Nations study. Violence prevention and the promotion of sound evidence, two priority recommendations of the study, are high on the WHO agenda, as illustrated by its work in the prevention of sexual violence against girls, the development of new estimates on the prevalence and health impact of child maltreatment, and the promotion of national surveys in this field. In 2011, collaboration will be pursued in these areas, with particular emphasis on data collection and analysis of violence against children in the home and the community.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative strengthened further her collaboration with ILO in the protection of children from violence in the workplace and in other labour-related activities. In May 2010, she participated in The Hague Global Child Labour Conference (see paragraph 32 above), which marked the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of ILO Convention No. 182, and adopted a road map for achieving their elimination by 2016 (see box below). The Conference provided a high-level forum for the Special Representative's advocacy in favour of the protection of children from violence and abuse and in support of the global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Another area of common concern is the development of new ILO standards to ensure decent work for domestic workers. The Special Representative continues to support this process, which opens avenues for strengthening children's protection from exploitation in domestic service and from any form of violence associated with it. Child domestic workers, especially girls, are highly vulnerable to violence. Working in private households, often far from their own homes and with little or no protection or social support, they are exposed to excessive working hours, hazardous tasks, social stigma and discrimination, physical and emotional violence, as well as sexual abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative's cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child is particularly relevant. The United Nations study was developed at the request of the Committee and is rooted in its work on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee has devoted special attention to violence against children in thematic debates, general comments and when considering States parties' reports. At present, all concluding observations include a specific section on the follow-up to the study and on cooperation with the Special Representative. This strategic collaboration has been particularly fruitful in advancing areas of shared concern, including the campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention, the promotion of advocacy and law reform to combat all forms of violence against children, and the development of child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The Committee's general comment on article 19 of the Convention is another crucial dimension of this strategic partnership.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with the special procedures of the Human Rights Council has been equally important in the promotion of useful sharing of information, the identification of good practices and cross-fertilization of experiences, allowing for the promotion of mutually supportive activities for violence prevention and elimination. In this regard, cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography has been of particular relevance, including in the development of the joint report on child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms requested by the Council.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Significant progress has been achieved in the above-mentioned area. Firstly, important regional political commitments have been made with regard to violence against children. As a result, the issue of protection of children from violence has gained centre stage, including in the 2009 Cairo Declaration (see paragraph 10 above), the Declaration of Buenos Aires adopted at the Twelfth Ibero-American Conference of Ministers and Authorities Responsible for Children, the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, the Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights, the Marrakesh Declaration adopted at the Fourth High-level Arab Conference on the Rights of the Child, the Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011 "Building a Europe for and with Children", as well as in the European Union Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child and the Implementation Strategy on Violence against Children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Secondly, there has been growing institutionalization of regional governance structures and regional initiatives to promote and monitor progress in the follow-up to the United Nations study recommendations. Leading regional institutions play a pivotal role in moving this agenda forward, including the Sub-Committee on Violence against Children of the League of Arab States (LAS), the Governing Board of the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, the Platform on Children's Rights of the Council of Europe, the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the Global Movement for Children, the African Union Commission for Social Affairs and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- The meetings held in 2009 with the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs and the Chairperson of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child opened avenues for sound institutional collaboration, including mapping positive initiatives across the region, supporting legislative reforms and consolidating national information and data systems on violence against children. This collaborative framework was further strengthened in 2010 by the thematic debate on violence against children, held by the African Committee with the association of the Special Representative. At the meeting, an agreement was reached on a strategic follow-up through enhanced advocacy to protect children from violence and promote positive alternatives to violent discipline; support for legislative and policy reforms to ban all forms of violence; the development of an African report on this issue; and the inclusion of the protection of children from all forms of violence in the agenda of a future summit of African Heads of State and Government.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- The Twelfth Ibero-American Conference of Ministers Responsible for Children and Adolescents, held in June 2010 in Buenos Aires, provided an important platform to strengthen children's protection from violence. The Conference, in which the Special Representative participated, addressed the role of education in the promotion of children's social inclusion. The Buenos Aires Declaration recommended the development of effective laws and policies to combat violence against children, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations study. Violence against children was also identified as a priority concern for future ministerial meetings.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- A strategic plan of action on violence against children for 2010-2012 was also agreed upon with the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the Global Movement for Children. This joint strategy supports the organization of three high-level subregional meetings in South America, the Caribbean and Central America, and the development of an analytical overview of national initiatives of follow-up to the United Nations study. These initiatives open avenues for strengthened collaboration with Governments in the region and will help to mobilize support for the adoption of a legal ban on all forms of violence against children, the development of a comprehensive national strategy and the consolidation of research and data in this field.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has further strengthened her cooperation with LAS and its Steering Committee on Violence against Children. The Committee was established to coordinate efforts and review progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study, promote a comprehensive regional study to capture national developments aiming at the prevention and elimination of violence against children, and identify areas where the process of national follow-up could be further enhanced. Law reform was one such area, and a technical workshop was held to advance progress in the region on the introduction of a national legal ban on all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- The LAS study provides a strong foundation to inform legal and policy reforms, and to support institutional developments on violence against children. Its preliminary findings were presented during a high-level meeting, hosted in June 2010 by the Government of Lebanon, and subsequently submitted to the Fourth High-level Arab Conference on the Rights of the Child, hosted by the Government of Morocco, in December 2010. The findings also informed the Marrakesh Declaration, adopted on that occasion, calling for the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study, in close cooperation with the Special Representative and UNICEF, and highlighting key areas of concern, including the development of national strategies to combat violence against children, the establishment of a national follow-up and reporting mechanism, the enactment of legislation to protect children from violence, neglect, ill-treatment and exploitation, the provision of services to support victims, and measures to combat impunity.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has established a firm institutional collaboration with the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, having participated in the first meeting of its Governing Board as well as in the technical workshop on law reform, both held in Kathmandu in November 2010. The meetings reflected on significant national developments and prevailing challenges and were aimed at strengthening regional cooperation in the elimination of violence against children. They also provided an opportunity to review opportunities for the introduction of a legal ban on all forms of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- The Initiative was formed in 2010 to guide the process of national implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study. Its strategic plan for 2010-2015 includes time-bound targets to help to monitor periodic progress achieved. This process is overseen by the Governing Body, comprising national coordinators representing the eight Governments in the region, and with leading coordinating responsibilities at the national level, two representatives from civil society organizations and two representatives from the Regional Child Participation Network. The process under way aiming at the institutionalization of the collaboration with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation will open avenues to further strengthen the protection of children from violence in the region.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative's cooperation with the Initiative provided a strategic occasion to strengthen cooperation with critical partners in South Asia, including the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, national governments, United Nations agencies and international and national civil society organizations, as well as with community-based organizations and children's advocates on violence against children. It also provided an important platform to review, with members of the Constituent Assembly in Nepal, ongoing efforts to include child rights and children's protection from violence in the new Constitution.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The protection of children from violence was central to the above high-level discussions. The Beijing Declaration adopted at the Meeting calls for a systematic approach to addressing child protection concerns on the basis of laws and policies that safeguard children from potential harm and ban all forms of violence against children. It also expresses the commitment to strengthen adequately-resourced national child protection and welfare systems and mechanisms, including the prevention of violence, the establishment of timely and appropriate responses and the mitigation of impact on children and their families of such protection concerns. A follow-up process has also been anticipated, and a ministerial meeting will be held in India, in 2013.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative also developed a significant platform of cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights and the recently established Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children. These institutions play a critical role in the promotion and protection of human rights in the ASEAN region, including through public awareness, the review of legislation, policies and practices, the consolidation of data and development of studies, and the sharing of experiences and good practices to foster the protection of children's rights. This partnership opens clear avenues for broadening the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study among ASEAN member countries, and for supporting developments in other regions. These are goals the Special Representative will continue to promote.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- On 17 November 2010, the Committee of Ministers of the Council adopted the Guidelines on Child-Friendly Justice, to ensure children's access to a justice system that is age-sensitive, speedy, diligent and respectful of the rights of the child, and to protect those involved from harm, intimidation and secondary victimization. The Guidelines establish important standards to inform counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms for incidents of violence. They provide a key reference for the Council's Campaign to Stop Sexual Violence of Children, launched with the Special Representative in late November 2010. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and offer knowledge and advice to families and children on the prevention and reporting of incidents of sexual violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative also held important meetings with senior officials in the Commission and the Council, as well as with members of the European Parliament, to discuss opportunities for cooperation to consolidate children's protection from violence in internal and external action by the European Union. In the framework of the partnership developed with the European Union Fundamental Rights Agency, the Special Representative participated in the conference on the theme "Ensuring justice and protection for all children", held in Brussels on 7 and 8 December 2010, and organized with the Belgian Presidency of the European Union. Attended by a vast network of Government officials, academics and child rights experts, intergovernmental and civil society, the meeting gave prominent attention to violence prevention and the promotion of ethical and child-sensitive approaches to counselling and support for child victims of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative's periodic meetings with the Advisory Council have informed her of civil society initiatives on the implementation of study recommendations, allowing her to consider strategic areas where progress can be further achieved and to identify opportunities for enhanced cooperation. Collaboration has been particularly fruitful in advancing the global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, providing support for legal reforms to ban all forms of violence against children, promoting child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms, advocating for the elimination of inhuman sentencing and strengthening child participation in violence prevention and responses.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with civil society organizations at the regional and national levels has also been significant. These organizations are indispensable supporters of awareness-raising and social mobilization in favour of children's protection from violence. With the consolidation of existing networks, often involving representatives from community-based organizations and, at times, also child-led organizations, an increasing understanding has been gained on emerging and widespread forms of violence, as well as on socially accepted practices, and on ways of promoting their effective and lasting abandonment with the involvement of communities concerned.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Significant cooperation has been strengthened with Child Helpline International, including through the Special Representative's participation in its international consultation, held in Madrid in October 2010. Present in more than 120 countries, child helplines play a critical role in children's protection from violence, allowing children to speak to someone in confidence, directly and anonymously; they are often the first point of entry into the child protection system. Violence is the main reason why children contact helplines around the world. As a result, these institutions also constitute a crucial source of information on violence-related issues.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- The West Africa Youth Forum on Violence against Children illustrates the above point well. The Forum held an important meeting in Accra, in September 2010, in which the Special Representative participated. Attended by young people from countries across the region, it provided an excellent platform for sharing experiences, reflecting on critical factors hampering progress and reaffirming a shared commitment to promote change and enhanced collaboration in the prevention and elimination of violence. Discussions with children yielded first-hand accounts of their experience and perspectives on violence, as well as information on significant initiatives conducted in the region and on opportunities for enhancing child participation in the follow-up to the United Nations study.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Reiterating its determination to "Say no to violence against children", the Forum made significant recommendations, including on the essential role of education in violence prevention and for the abandonment of cultural practices that help to perpetuate violence; on the need to secure effective legal protection from violence to fight impunity and punish perpetrators; and on the urgency of strong legislation to prohibit all forms of violence and give confidence to children to report incidents of violence whenever they occur. The participants also called on the Special Representative to urge the United Nations and all leaders and Governments to express their commitment to and support for every campaign to end all forms of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Initial contributions received by December 2010 have been crucial to relaunch and promote the process of follow-up to the United Nations study, and to secure indispensable office support. Additional funding remains, however, critical to allow the Special Representative to effectively pursue her role as a global, independent advocate for violence prevention and children's protection from all forms of violence; to advance progress in the priority areas identified in her strategic agenda, including through strategic expert meetings, outreach activities and research initiatives; and to consolidate critical alliances and the further institutionalization of regional governance structures in support of this process. Firm support from strategic partners will be indispensable to achieve these critical goals.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- The overall thrust of the Special Representative's mandate is to accelerate progress in the implementation of the United Nations study recommendations and in children's protection from violence. To advance this process steadily and achieve lasting change in the priority areas of the mandate, during the first year of the mandate attention was focused on the revitalization of networks involved with the development of the study, the promotion of new alliances and further consolidation of strategic partnerships, and particularly on the institutionalization of regional governance structures to combat violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- Across regions, violence against children is generating growing concern and attention, in many cases supported by a wide process of social mobilization in which children themselves are playing an indispensable role. At the same time, however, violence continues to affect the life of millions of children. Hidden and socially accepted, and still too often perceived as a necessary form of discipline, violence remains surrounded by passivity and indifference, and is associated with weak reporting, and fragmented and short-term interventions. As a result, it is seldom considered beyond the periphery of the policy agenda. In this ambivalent context, children find themselves overwhelmed by fear, trauma, isolation and helplessness.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- With this in mind, the Special Representative will conduct a global survey to map and assess progress in the implementation of the study recommendations. The survey will be promoted in close collaboration with partners, including Member States, United Nations agencies, regional organizations and institutions, and civil society and children's organizations, and will build upon relevant initiatives and regional and global processes, including the universal periodic review process of the Council, the reporting process to the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and the follow-up to the world conferences against the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- In many countries, initiatives to prevent and address violence against children in education are building momentum. Some key components of this significant process of change include campaigns to foster learning without fear and to address specific forms of violence, including bullying, cyber-bullying and gender violence; school audits and broad participatory debates to inform the development of ethical standards and encourage child-sensitive counselling, reporting, mediation and victim assistance; data and research to address the root causes of violence and support children at risk; and law reform to prohibit all forms of violence in education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- Schools are uniquely placed to break patterns of violence and provide skills to communicate, negotiate and support peaceful settlements of conflict. Education has a unique potential to generate a positive environment where attitudes condoning violence can be changed and non-violent behaviour can be learned. This is relevant for all ages, but particularly during early childhood. An environment free from violence in all its forms, including gender-based violence, is also instrumental in the promotion of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in ensuring universal primary education to all children and eliminating gender disparity in education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Protection of children from violence within the justice system will be another topic of special concern. As highlighted at the twelfth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, and confirmed by numerous initiatives promoted across regions, this is an area where significant steps are needed to narrow the gap between international human rights standards and the reality on the ground, and where there is great potential to capitalize on significant experiences in different parts of the world, including the development of child-friendly justice procedures and mechanisms, the promotion of child-sensitive materials, the establishment of independent monitoring mechanisms to uphold children's rights, and the consolidation of evidence to inform the development of laws, policies and programmes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- A justice system based on the respect of the rights of the child is critical when preventing and addressing incidents of violence against children. Child victims of violence, including as a result of trafficking and exploitation, are, however, still too often criminalized and deprived of the protection that they should enjoy as children. Marginalized children, including those living in poverty, migrants and asylum-seekers face risks of physical, psychological and sexual violence, are denied access to legal assistance, or placed in detention instead of benefiting from adequate care arrangements. Frequently considered the first option rather than a measure of last resort, the deprivation of liberty remains a reality for thousands of children. Violence, including torture and humiliating treatment, is used as a form of control, discipline and punishment; in some countries, sentencing can include caning, flogging, stoning or amputation, as well as capital punishment and life imprisonment.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- The situation of these children remains surrounded by stigma. There is little information on those deprived of liberty and on the reasons behind their detention; independent monitoring mechanisms are seldom available to safeguard their protection and address their complaints. Sensationalistic information and ill perception of growing juvenile delinquency build social pressure to criminalize children and adolescents, and for the introduction of an increasingly lower minimum age of criminal responsibility and harsher measures of deprivation of liberty. As a result, a culture of tolerance to violence against children persists, and the fight against impunity for acts of violence against children is confronted with renewed challenges. These are critical concerns that the Special Representative will address in the context of her mandate, missions and supported regional initiatives.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- During the first year of the Special Representative's mandate, in order to consolidate change in the aforementioned priority areas, particular attention was given to the revitalization of networks involved in the development of the study, the promotion of new alliances and further consolidation of strategic partnerships and, in particular, the institutionalization of regional governance structures related to violence against children. Those efforts have been critical in promoting the mainstreaming of the issue of the freedom of children from violence into the policy agenda at the international, regional and national levels.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The second year of the mandate was a key period in which to rally firm support for efforts to address persisting challenges and to accelerate global progress towards a world free from violence. In support of that process, the Special Representative organized, with key partners, three expert consultations on critical areas of concern, namely, child-sensitive mechanisms for addressing incidents of violence, law reform to ensure the protection of children, and strategies for preventing and addressing violence in schools. The main conclusions and recommendations resulting from those meetings are presented below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 11b
- Paragraph text
- [In 2011, the Special Representative has, within the overall framework of her priority agenda, placed a special emphasis on:] Consolidating the legal protection of children from all forms of violence;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, launched in 2010 by the Secretary-General, provides a critical agenda for consolidating the institutional partnership with strategic allies within the United Nations system, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The campaign has also become a crucial reference for collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- During the first year of the campaign, significant progress was made. The goal of universal ratification was incorporated into the United Nations policy agenda, including the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted on 11 May 2011 at the Hague Global Child Labour Conference (see section III below). Commitment to the ratification and implementation of the Protocol was also expressed by regional organizations and political groupings, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children and States from the Asia-Pacific region. The Council of Europe launched a wide-scale information campaign about sexual violence against children, of which the ratification of the Protocol is a core component.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Since the launching of the campaign, eight States have ratified the Protocol: Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Central African Republic has signed the instrument.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- At least 18 States have made formal commitments to the ratification of the Protocol, including within the framework of the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council and before the Committee on the Rights of the Child or human rights mandate-holders. Of those that are not yet parties, 40 per cent have ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and 90 per cent have ratified ILO Convention No. 182, on the Worst Forms of Child Labour; these address similar areas of concern.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- The adoption of legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against children, in all settings, together with an appropriate legal framework for preventing and responding to violence, was a critical recommendation of the study and constitutes a priority of the Special Representative's mandate. To advance progress in this crucial area, the Special Representative organized, together with OHCHR, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the international non-governmental organization Advisory Council for the follow-up to the study on violence against children, an expert consultation on law reform held in Geneva in July 2011. The main findings of the consultation are presented below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted in previous reports, law reform on violence against children is an area that is gaining momentum. When the study was finalized, 16 countries had legislation prohibiting violence in all settings. To date, 29 have introduced such a comprehensive legal ban, in some cases incorporating it into their Constitutions. In some countries, courts have also been instrumental in guaranteeing the right of the child to respect for his or her physical integrity and to freedom from violence, including within the family. Across regions, there are significant initiatives under way to achieve the full legal prohibition of violence against children, and many countries have adopted legislation on specific forms of such violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking and harmful traditional practices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Second, in countries where legislation has been enacted, further measures are required to narrow the gap between law and practice. The concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography indicate that, in more than half of the countries reviewed, the legislation on child prostitution needs to be amended, including to ensure the protection of boys. The concluding observations on the implementation of the Convention indicate that, in at least one third of countries, legislative provisions on other forms of sexual violence are inadequate, as they fail to criminalize rape or to provide an adequate definition of sexual abuse. Similarly, research conducted by the Child Rights Information Network indicates that in at least 40 countries, children are at risk of being sentenced to violent forms of punishment, including whipping, flogging, caning or amputation, and that in a number of countries the law still allows children to be sentenced to death.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- In anticipation of that report, the following four overarching conclusions deserve special attention in view of their crucial value for shaping legislative initiatives on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- First, law reform on violence against children is an essential component of a robust national child protection system. For that reason, it needs to be supported by well-coordinated and well-resourced services and institutions, and pursued through a holistic approach. This involves addressing the root causes of violence; prohibiting and deterring incidents of violence; safeguarding the rights of all children, including those at greater risk; providing redress and reintegration; and fighting impunity. The establishment by law of accessible, child-sensitive and safe counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence is a crucial dimension of this process.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Second, law reform is an ongoing process and cannot be reduced to isolated or fragmented actions. It requires consistent efforts to ensure harmonization with international standards and implement political commitments undertaken in this area; to fill gaps in implementation; and to address emerging concerns, such as those arising from the use of new technologies. Where deeply rooted social conventions condone the use of violence as a child-rearing practice or a necessary form of discipline, it is critical to promote a sustained process of advocacy, education, law enactment and enforcement, and evaluation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Legal prohibition must also be supported by detailed provisions in specific pieces of legislation, both to address distinct forms of violence, such as sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking or harmful traditional practices, and to tackle violence in specific settings, including schools, care and justice institutions and the home. It is critical that enabling laws and regulations be developed in relevant legal fields to give full meaning to the prohibition and deter incidents of violence, to protect the children concerned, to ensure appropriate support for the process of enforcement and to fight impunity.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- These two approaches, comprehensive and specific, are therefore needed and are indeed mutually supportive.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- At the request of the Human Rights Council, the Special Representative joined the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in the preparation of a report on effective and child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence, including sexual violence (A/HRC/16/56). The Council has urged States to ensure that such mechanisms are confidential, age-appropriate, gender-sensitive, disability-sensitive, safe, well publicized and accessible to all children. A similar recommendation was made in the United Nations study on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Based on the findings of an expert consultation convened in 2010 with OHCHR, and on research conducted by and information received from national Governments and other stakeholders, the joint report provides an overview of existing counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms. It acknowledges efforts made in many countries by Governments, national human rights institutions, civil society and community-based organizations to promote counselling and to facilitate complaints and reporting of incidents of violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation. But it also recognizes that those initiatives remain piecemeal and are often inadequate to address children's specific concerns. As a result, they are insufficient to ensure the protection of children from violence and are often not seen as core components of a robust child protection system.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In the case of sexual exploitation and abuse, which are often committed by people whom children know and trust within institutions, in schools and in the home, parents feel tempted to conceal such incidents in order to protect their children and safeguard the image and unity of the family. Professionals may lack the training necessary to identify early signals and address incidents of violence in an ethical and gender- and child-sensitive manner, and may have no guidance as to whether and how they are expected to report such cases or how to refer them. When they are addressed, incidents of violence continue to be considered separately, by different professionals, and through the lens of disconnected disciplines, creating the risk of revictimization.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- When used as beggars, children with disabilities are subject to violence to keep them on the streets, and often suffer physical abuse to attract attention and encourage charity. In schools that are often of low quality, they endure beatings, bullying, neglect and abuse by their peers and by ill-prepared teachers who fail to understand and attend to their special needs. For children placed in institutions with ill-trained, ill-paid and often frustrated staff, in an environment of stigmatizing attitudes in the community, there are increased risks of physical violence and of verbal and emotional abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- For the families of children with disabilities, heavy demands and high stress, lack of support and services, and a deep sense of isolation aggravate the risk of violence within the household. Some families respond with neglect rather than with active violence. Others shield the child from contact with the outside world, including to protect him or her from abuse and stigmatization, sometimes in appalling conditions (such as windowless rooms or hot courtyards). Still others arrange for a "mercy killing" to put an end to the child's perceived suffering, at times as a result of pressure from or upon the advice of other family members or influential actors in the community.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Moreover, incidents reported by children with disabilities are largely dismissed; there is a prevailing perception that such children are easily confused and are unable to provide convincing and accurate testimony.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- In the light of these concerns, the report to the Human Rights Council presents a set of guiding principles based on human rights standards, as well as practical recommendations to accelerate progress in making safe, child-sensitive and effective mechanisms available to all children. These mechanisms need to be established by law and to have well-defined mandates, guided by the best interests of the child and informed by children's experiences and perspectives. They need to be well publicized and made accessible to all children, without discrimination of any kind, and must guarantee children's safety, ensure confidentiality and allow for prompt and speedy response and follow-up.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- In many countries, initiatives to prevent and address violence against children in schools are building momentum. Some key developments of this significant process of change include campaigns aimed at ensuring learning without fear and at addressing specific forms of violence, including bullying, cyberbullying and gender-based violence. School audits and participatory debates inform the promotion of ethical standards and encourage child-sensitive counselling, reporting, mediation and victim assistance. Data and research address root causes of violence and support children at risk. Law reform initiatives seek to prohibit all forms of violence in education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Education has a unique potential to create a positive environment in which attitudes condoning violence can be changed and non-violent behaviour can be learned. Schools are well placed to break patterns of violence and to provide skills that enable people to communicate, negotiate and support peaceful solutions to conflicts. This is possible at all stages of life, especially early childhood, when initiatives can decisively improve the development of talents and abilities, reduce marginalization and associated risks of violence, and promote access to school and educational achievement. An environment free of violence in all its forms is also instrumental to promoting the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular to ensure universal primary education for all and to eliminate gender disparities in education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The consultation was guided by international and regional human rights standards and the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children. The study highlights the fact that the most effective approaches to countering violence in schools are tailored to the specific circumstances of each school. These approaches also have key elements in common, as "they are based on the recognition that all children have equal rights to education in settings that are free of violence, and that one of the functions of education is to produce adults imbued with the non-violent values and practises".
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Schools are an inherent part of the communities in which they are located; violence in the school mirrors social attitudes condoning violence and also reflects the environment surrounding the school, including social unrest, the availability of weapons and criminal gang activities. For this reason, efforts to bring an end to violence in school must not only invest in ensuring a safe and child-friendly environment in educational settings, but also seek to address the cultural acceptance of violence against children, and invest in violence prevention and positive discipline initiatives for families and the community at large.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Schools succeed in their efforts to curb violence in particular when they break away from a strictly sectoral approach in favour of holistic, participatory and child-centred strategies. Such strategies help to involve families in school life and envisage children as crucial actors and agents of change, shaping decisions with their perspectives and experiences. Furthermore, they help to overcome bureaucratic and administrative divisions and operate in a multifaceted way, through investments in teacher and school staff training, curriculum development, school administration, policy development, budgetary allocations and strong legislation to guarantee the protection of children from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58a
- Paragraph text
- [This whole-school ethos informed the significant experiences shared at the Oslo meeting, including experiences with initiatives designed to prevent bullying in schools. The success of such initiatives has been closely associated with the engagement of teachers, staff and students, as well as parents and other members of the community. Reductions in the number of incidents of bullying have also been achieved as a result of a strong commitment, a clear plan and a strategic combination of efforts, namely:] A sincere and widely shared commitment to address this phenomenon, with the formal adoption and wide dissemination of anti-bullying rules, and their launching at an official school event;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58c
- Paragraph text
- [This whole-school ethos informed the significant experiences shared at the Oslo meeting, including experiences with initiatives designed to prevent bullying in schools. The success of such initiatives has been closely associated with the engagement of teachers, staff and students, as well as parents and other members of the community. Reductions in the number of incidents of bullying have also been achieved as a result of a strong commitment, a clear plan and a strategic combination of efforts, namely:] The development of a monitoring system, with the periodic review of incidents and issues of concern;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- These important lessons learned from anti-bullying programmes provide a crucial reference for the prevention and elimination of other forms of violence against children in schools.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- Teachers and other school staff are decisive actors in preventing and responding to violence. It is therefore essential to provide them with the necessary skills, support and resources. Raising awareness and providing information about violence against children is indispensable in this process. It helps to equip staff to use constructive-discipline techniques and methods in school, to partner with students in violence prevention, to serve as positive role models, to learn about peaceful conflict mediation and resolution, and to promote school-safety mechanisms such as codes of conduct and student-friendly reporting mechanisms. Equally important is the provision of clear guidance on addressing incidents of violence, mandatory reporting and providing assistance to child victims.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Dimensions such as these are vital to enable schools to identify early warning signs of violence, to support children at special risk and to provide timely and effective support in an ethical and child-sensitive manner.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- In the absence of training in child-friendly pedagogy, and without awareness, information or guidance regarding violence against children, teachers and other school staff may believe that resorting to violent methods to maintain academic standards or impose discipline is a natural or needed response. Children in turn may internalize such values and regard violence as a valid strategy for resolving disputes and imposing their views on their peers. When violence prevention skills and training have been provided, however, there is greater openness to resorting to alternative, positive forms of discipline and advocating the abandonment of violence in school.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- In the recent past, there have been significant legislative developments in this area. In some countries, new laws have been enacted to prevent bullying, as was the case in 2011 in Peru. In others, legislation has been adopted that addresses incidents of violence more broadly. For example, in India the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 bans the physical punishment and mental harassment of children. The Act provides for disciplinary measures in the event of the violation of this ban and recognizes the responsibility of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights in monitoring its implementation and safeguarding the rights of the children concerned.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- The periodic meetings of the Inter-Agency Working Group are an important forum for consultation, policy formulation and mainstreaming within the United Nations agenda on violence against children. This strategic cooperation has led to significant initiatives, including the advancement of the campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the promotion of better data and research in order to put an end to the invisibility and social acceptance of violence and to support strategic advocacy, policy development and resource mobilization.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- In 2011, in order to further mainstream into the United Nations agenda the protection of children from violence, the Special Representative has promoted a number of high-level policy discussions. These have taken place in such forums as the Human Rights Council, in discussions on the rights of street children and on child-sensitive mechanisms for addressing incidents of violence; the Commission for Social Development, in discussions on extreme poverty and violence against children; the Commission on the Status of Women, in discussions on tackling violence, including sexual violence, against girls and on quality education and gender discrimination; and in the lead-up to the General Assembly, in discussions on the rights of children with disabilities. In addition, strategic cooperation has been promoted with United Nations partners to curb violence in communities and minimize the impacts of situations of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce the availability of and access to small arms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with regional partners is a cornerstone of the Special Representative's strategy for consolidating the implementation of the study's recommendations within and across countries. In order to advance that process and institutionalize key alliances, the Special Representative participated in strategic, high-level regional meetings. She supported significant advocacy and policy initiatives and strengthened partnerships with regional institutions and organizations and with regional mechanisms established to support the follow-up to the study. This is an area where significant progress has been achieved.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- First, important regional political commitments on violence against children have been undertaken, including in the context of the 2009 Cairo Declaration adopted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation; the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children; the Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region; the Marrakesh Declaration adopted at the Fourth High-level Arab Conference on the Rights of the Child; the road map on violence against children adopted by South American countries; the Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011, "Building a Europe for and with Children"; and the European Union Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child, including the strategy on violence against children and the recently adopted Agenda for the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- Second, there has been a growing institutionalization of regional governance structures and regional initiatives in support of the follow-up to the study's recommendations. Leading regional institutions are playing a pivotal role in moving this agenda forward. These include the Subcommittee on Violence against Children of the League of Arab States, the Governing Board of the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children, the Platform on Children's Rights of the Council of Europe, the Permanent Commission of the Niñ@Sur Initiative of MERCOSUR, the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the Global Movement for Children, the African Union Department of Social Affairs and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- Firm commitments have been made by the League of Arab States, which carried out a comprehensive regional study to collect information about national developments towards the prevention and elimination of violence against children and identified areas for strengthening the process of follow-up to the recommendations of the study. The Marrakesh Declaration adopted at the Fourth High-level Arab Conference on the Rights of the Child, held in December 2010, called on member States to pursue further efforts in collaboration with the Special Representative, including with a view to the development of national strategies to combat violence against children; the establishment of national follow-up and reporting mechanisms; the enactment of legislation to protect children from violence, neglect, ill treatment and exploitation; and the provision of services to support victims, as well as to undertake measures to combat impunity.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- The year 2011 has been marked by enhanced collaboration with the African Union Department of Social Affairs and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, building upon the framework of cooperation developed with those institutions. The Special Representative partnered with the African Union initiative to promote the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other child rights treaties. With the African Committee of Experts, important strides were made in strengthening the protection of children from violence, not least through the Burkina Faso technical consultation on legislative reform in Africa to prohibit violence against children, including corporal punishment.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative also joined in the commemoration of the 2011 Day of the African Child, devoted to the theme "All together for urgent actions in favour of street children". The meeting held by the African Committee of Experts was an important follow-up to the 2011 thematic debate in the Human Rights Council on child rights and highlighted the significant challenges faced by children living and working in the streets in the African region. The meeting underlined the fact that street children are particularly vulnerable to extreme forms of violence. Their lives are fraught with stigma, fear and invisibility, and they are at high risk for harassment, ill treatment and abuse. For these children, the challenges of reporting incidents of violence are insurmountable.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- The Day of the African Child was a strategic opportunity to join with the African Committee of Experts in calling for the establishment of widely publicized, accessible, safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms; national investment in well-resourced child protection systems, including legislation banning all forms of violence against children; and the abolishment of status offences, including the decriminalization of survival behaviour such as begging, truancy and vagrancy. These solutions need to be promoted among street children themselves, with an understanding of their perspectives, thus investing in their genuine empowerment and enabling them to make informed choices in situations where the risk of violence may be effectively prevented.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- In April 2011, this process gained renewed political impetus through the holding of the first subregional high-level meeting to follow up on the study. The South American meeting was hosted by the Government of Paraguay, in the context of its chairmanship of MERCOSUR and of the Permanent Commission of the Niñ@Sur Initiative. The meeting was co-organized with the Special Representative and the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the Global Movement for Children, and had the participation of MERCOSUR member and associated States, as well as representatives of civil society, including children's organizations, children's advocates and the media.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- Two other high-level meetings, in Central America and in the Caribbean, are expected to be held in the near future in support of the follow-up to the study in those subregions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- The conference addressed critical issues for the Central and Eastern European region, including strengthening violence prevention through the revision of national childcare standards and policies; providing family-friendly services to prevent violence and the separation of children from their families as a result of violent behaviour; promoting child-friendly counselling, reporting, complaint and referral systems and mechanisms within institutions hosting children; and developing comprehensive reintegration and rehabilitation programmes for child victims, witnesses and perpetrators of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- Participating countries reaffirmed their strong commitment to implementing the Council of Europe Policy Guidelines on integrated national strategies for the protection of children from violence, including through national action plans, policies and programmes in line with international and regional children's-rights standards. Strong commitments were made to the legal protection of children and the prohibition of all forms of violence against them; the establishment of an influential and well-resourced coordinating body to articulate all relevant actions in this area; and the development of widely available and accessible counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The Kiev agenda will be pursued to consolidate the follow-up to the recommendations of the study.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with civil society actors is critical for advancing the implementation of the recommendations of the study, through their association with regional processes, their involvement in expert discussions on critical dimensions of the agenda, and their support for the global universal ratification campaign, the scaling-up of legal reform, the participation of children and the prevention of violence in schools, institutions and the home. Collaboration has been greatly facilitated by the establishment of the non-governmental organization Advisory Council and its advocacy and social mobilization efforts with partners at the international, regional and national levels.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 112
- Paragraph text
- Ensuring sound support and predictable funding has been essential for promoting progress on this strategic agenda and for the effective and independent fulfilment of the Special Representative's mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 115
- Paragraph text
- Contributions received by July 2011 have been crucial in relaunching and promoting the process of follow-up to the study, advocating and supporting developments for violence prevention and the protection of children from violence, and ensuring office support. However, additional funding remains essential if the Special Representative is to be able to effectively play her role as a global independent advocate. Firm support remains particularly important for the advancement of progress in the priority areas identified in her strategic agenda, the organization of thematic expert consultations, the development of advocacy materials and resources, and the continued consolidation of collaboration with regional governance structures to strengthen national follow-up to the study.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 116
- Paragraph text
- The first two years of the mandate have seen significant developments. These include important legislative and policy measures undertaken by Governments to protect children from violence; strategic initiatives by United Nations agencies and mechanisms to mainstream the issue of violence against children into their agendas; and critical strides by regional organizations and groupings, as well as civil society actors, in institutionalizing the process of implementing the study's recommendations. Violence against children is giving rise to increasing concern and action, in many cases supported by wide social mobilization in which children themselves are playing a growing role.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- The mandate's second year was a key period to rally firm support to address persisting challenges, and speed up global progress towards a world free from violence. With this in mind, the Special Representative promoted regional consultations in South Asia, South America, Central and Eastern Europe, Central America and with the League of Arab States, and organized three expert consultations on critical topics, namely child-sensitive mechanisms to address incidents of violence, law reform to secure children's protection from all forms of violence, and preventing and addressing violence against children in schools. The main conclusions and recommendations of the latter two meetings are addressed below. In early 2012, an expert consultation will be held on the protection from violence of children within the justice system.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 8a
- Paragraph text
- [Within the overall framework of her priority agenda to promote progress in the development of national integrated strategies on violence against children; in the strengthening of children's legal protection from violence in all its forms; and in the consolidation of data and research on violence against children, in 2011 the Special Representative placed a particular emphasis on the promotion of the following strategic initiatives:] Moving towards the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention, particularly to ensure children's protection from sale, prostitution and pornography;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 8d
- Paragraph text
- [Within the overall framework of her priority agenda to promote progress in the development of national integrated strategies on violence against children; in the strengthening of children's legal protection from violence in all its forms; and in the consolidation of data and research on violence against children, in 2011 the Special Representative placed a particular emphasis on the promotion of the following strategic initiatives:] Consolidating the institutionalization of regional processes and governance structures in support of national efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against children
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- Within the United Nations system, the normative foundation of children's protection from violence was strengthened by the adoption by the General Assembly of the third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure, and with the new International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Other critical contributions were the debate in the Human Rights Council on the rights of children working and living on the street, and the general comment adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the right of the child to freedom from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Across regions, recommendations highlighted in particular the need for the following: - The development of a national comprehensive strategy with an integrated and holistic approach to violence prevention and elimination, bridging disciplines and actors and identifying specific goals; it should be mainstreamed across all relevant departments and national and decentralized authorities, and integrated as a key component of the national policy agenda; - Effective coordination by a high-level entity with the authority, influence and capacity to lead the design, implementation and evaluation of the national strategy, and to provide the needed guidance to all actors, including relevant officials and professionals and children themselves; - Clear definition of the roles and responsibilities of all relevant departments and institutions dealing with violence against children, indispensable to avoid overlap and poor coordination and promote synergies between them, and to train relevant professionals on prevention, identification, child-centred and child-sensitive assessment and reporting of violence against children; - Allocation of specific and adequate budgets for implementation, including through the transfer of financial resources from national to decentralized levels in line with the responsibilities assigned, as a means of securing children's effective protection in all parts of the country; - Clear identification of the timeframe of the strategy to mobilize action and monitor progress through the issuance of public periodic reports; and - Active involvement of strategic stakeholders, including academia, civil society and child-led organizations to advance the process of effective implementation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Legislation prohibiting all forms of violence is a key component of national strategies on violence against children, and an area where progress is gaining momentum. To learn from and further advance legal reform, the Special Representative organized, in July 2011 in Geneva, an expert consultation on law reform with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the NGO Advisory Council on Violence against Children, and she will issue a thematic report on this topic in the coming months. The conclusions and recommendations of the consultation are summarized below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- During the last two years, the goal of a comprehensive legal ban on all forms of violence has been embraced by the Council of Europe, the League of Arab States, the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children (SAIEVAC). The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights also actively support full prohibition of violence against children, as do Ombuds for children, parliamentarians, religious leaders and countless NGOs and professional groups around the world.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Despite these important developments, vigorous efforts are still required. Efforts to introduce an explicit comprehensive legal ban need to be scaled up, as only around 5 per cent of the world's child population benefit from legal protection from all forms of violence. Moreover, measures to narrow the gap between law and practice need to be actively pursued. Enforcement of legislation remains a challenge, especially where it prohibits practices that are deeply rooted in society. As highlighted by the expert consultation, when legislative initiatives on violence against children are pursued, the dimensions set out in the following paragraphs need to be taken into account.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- A general legal prohibition of violence must be reinforced and complemented by detailed provisions in specific pieces of legislation, both to address distinct forms of violence, such as sexual abuse and exploitation, bullying, trafficking, corporal punishment or harmful traditional practices, and to tackle violence in different settings, including schools, care and justice institutions, the community and the home. It is critical to develop laws and regulations in all relevant fields to give full meaning to the prohibition, to establish procedures for reporting, referral and investigation, to secure the protection of victims and witnesses, impose effective sanctions to those found responsible, and to fight impunity. Both these approaches, comprehensive and specific, are therefore needed and in fact mutually reinforcing.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Fourthly, law reform initiatives are not relevant for legal experts only. They have been particularly successful when promoted in a participatory process, with the involvement of key stakeholders including governmental departments, parliamentarians, independent children's rights institutions, and key actors in civil society, including professional groups, religious communities, non-governmental organizations and young people themselves. With a far-reaching approach, legislation lays the foundation for a culture of respect for children's rights, and can trigger a process of lasting change in attitudes and behaviour, in overcoming social taboos and the social acceptance of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- A growing number of initiatives promoted around the world offer new opportunities to break the invisibility of violence and mobilize action and support towards its prevention and elimination. National surveys on violence against children conducted over the recent past constitute an important reference in this regard, particularly when - as was for instance the case in the United Republic of Tanzania and in the United States of America - these surveys were based on wide-scale interviews with children and young people. In both cases, the surveys provided a comprehensive, sound and frank picture of the incidence of physical, emotional and sexual violence against children, revealing its pervasive nature and also its frequent practice by people children know and trust - in the community, in the school and within the home. In both cases there was also recognition of the exposure of children to different and cumulative forms of violence, and to the serious and long-lasting trauma and distress.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The American survey addressed a wide range of situations where children are exposed to violence, from physical assault, sexual victimization and child maltreatment, to witnessing violence in the family and in the community, and enduring bullying, Internet victimization and dating violence It also considered the cumulative effects of children's exposure over time to various forms of violence, as well as across different age groups. With this far-reaching scope and the promotion of a comprehensive approach beyond individual types of violence, and across disciplines and services, the survey findings are expected to better equip actors to prevent violence, and help child victims overcome the impact of this phenomenon.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- In a significant number of other countries there are encouraging steps towards conducting similar comprehensive national surveys on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- The global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols, launched in 2010 with the Secretary-General, provides a sound agenda for consolidating the institutional partnership with strategic allies within the United Nations system, including the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), OHCHR, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The campaign also resulted in collaboration with ILO and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- Significant progress has been made. The goal of universal ratification was incorporated in the United Nations policy agenda, including the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Roadmap adopted by The Hague Global Child Labour Conference. Commitment to ratification and implementation of the Protocol was also expressed by regional organizations and political groupings, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, MERCOSUR, the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children and States from the Asia and Pacific region. The Council of Europe launched a wide information campaign against sexual violence of children within which the ratification of the Optional Protocol is a core component.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- To accelerate progress, in May 2011 the Special Representative, in collaboration with strategic partners, hosted a treaty event in New York, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the launch of the campaign, and supported a regional event hosted by the African Union with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), UNICEF and OHCHR, in Addis Ababa. The Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Australia in October 2011 called on members to become parties to all major human rights instruments. In these and other high level meetings, the campaign received strong support from Governments, United Nations agencies, as well as parliamentarians, Ombuds for children, faith-based organizations and civil society organizations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- The year 2011 marked the middle of the Special Representative's mandate and five years since the review of the Study by the General Assembly, presenting a strategic occasion to gain perspective on progress achieved, boost efforts to overcome challenges and generate renewed energy towards children's protection from violence. For this reason, the Special Representative launched a global survey to map and assess progress in the implementation of the Study recommendations. The survey was developed in close collaboration with a wide range of partners, including governments, United Nations agencies, regional organizations and institutions, and civil society organizations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The global survey also builds upon the significant analytical reviews conducted at the regional level, including by the League of Arab States, SAIEVAC, MERCOSUR and Central American countries. It draws upon United Nations and international monitoring processes, including the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council, reporting to the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other treaty bodies, and the follow-up to the World Congresses against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents and the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted by The Hague Global Child Labour Conference in 2010.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Education has a unique potential to generate an environment where attitudes condoning violence can be changed and non-violent behaviour can be learned. Schools are well placed to break patterns of violence and provide skills to communicate, to negotiate and support peaceful solutions to conflicts. However, this potential is in marked contrast with the daily reality of millions of children. Within and around educational settings, both girls and boys continue to be exposed to violence, including verbal abuse, intimidation, physical aggression, and in some cases sexual abuse. At times they are also victims of gang violence and assault.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the crucial importance of education in safeguarding children's rights, and of violent-free schools as catalysts for non-violence in the communities that they serve, the Special Representative, in cooperation with the Government of Norway and the Council of Europe, organized in June 2011 in Oslo, an expert consultation with the participation of policy makers, education and child rights experts, civil society organizations and academics from different regions of the world, as well as United Nations agencies. The lessons and recommendations from the meeting will be addressed in the Special Representative's forthcoming publication entitled Tackling Violence in Schools: a global perspective.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- The consultation stressed the importance of preventing and responding to violence in schools through a multidimensional strategy, which should take particularly into account the priority dimensions set out below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Schools are an inherent part of the communities in which they are located; violence in the school mirrors social attitudes condoning violence, and reflects the environment surrounding the school, including social unrest, availability of weapons and criminal gang activities. Hence, efforts to bring an end to violence in school must not only invest in securing a safe and child-friendly environment inside education settings, but also seek to address the cultural acceptance of violence against children, and invest in violence prevention and positive discipline initiatives for families and the community at large.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Schools succeed better in their efforts to curb violence particularly when they break away from a strictly sectoral approach in favour of holistic, participatory and child-centred strategies. Such strategies help to involve families in school life and children as crucial actors and agents of change, shaping decisions with their perspectives and experience. Furthermore, these strategies help to operate in a multifaceted way, by investing in teacher and school staff training, curricula development, school administration, policy development, budgetary allocations and strong legislation to secure children's protection from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- This whole-school ethos was evident in the experiences shared at the Oslo meeting, including those designed to prevent bullying in schools. The success of these initiatives has been closely associated with the engagement of teachers, staff and students, as well as parents and members of the community. The reduction of incidents of bullying has equally been dependent on a strategic combination of factors, namely: - Sincere commitment to address this phenomenon, with the formal adoption and wide dissemination of anti-bullying rules, and their launch though an official school event; - The creation of a governance system in which all stakeholders participate; - The development of a monitoring system, through which incidents and issues of concern are periodically reviewed; and - The dissemination of anti-bullying messages in the community at large. The lessons learned from anti-bullying programmes provide a crucial reference to address other forms of violence in schools.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- School- and system-wide interventions encourage change in attitudes and social norms that condone violence, including its use as a form of discipline. They also help to promote a culture of tolerance, respect and non-violence and as a result, prevent violence, help to reduce school absenteeism and drop-outs, improve academic achievement, and enhance children's social skills and well-being. It is critical to partner with children: it helps to counter the invisibility of violence, understand children's perceptions, empower them to be the first line of prevention, and enhance the overall effectiveness of efforts aiming at the elimination of violence in its different forms. To support this, it is critical to promote a child-friendly school environment and relevant curricula, focusing on life skills and human rights education, and to nurture values of social equality, tolerance toward diversity and non-violent means of resolving conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- Teachers and school staff are decisive actors in violence prevention and responses. It is essential to provide them with the necessary skills, support and resources. It helps to equip staff to use constructive discipline methods in school, partner with students in violence prevention, serve as positive models, learn about peaceful conflict mediation and resolution, and promote school-safety mechanisms, such as codes of conduct and student-friendly reporting mechanisms. Equally important is the provision of clear guidance on the handling of incidents of violence, mandatory reporting and assistance to child victims. Steps such as these are vital to enable the school to identify early signals of violence, support children at special risk and provide timely and effective support in an ethical and child-sensitive manner.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- In the majority of countries, violence in schools, including the ill-treatment and beating of children, is considered unlawful and punished with disciplinary measures. When some more serious forms of violence occur, such as sexual harassment or abuse, the outcome may be the dismissal and prosecution of those found responsible. Over the recent past, the number of states introducing legislation to prevent bullying, physical punishment and mental harassment of children within the school system has continued to rise. However, the legal prohibition of violence against children in schools is not yet a reality in 80 countries around the world. And overall, the gap between legislation and the prevailing practice remains wide and challenging.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- As noted in previous reports, preventing and addressing violence against children in the administration of justice constitutes a priority concern for the Special Representative. A justice system based on respect for the rights of the child is critical for the prevention of violence against children. It is indispensable to safeguard children's right to access to justice and to participation in administrative and judicial proceedings which they understand and can effectively use, and to consolidate a child-friendly and non-intimidating justice environment within which children's protection from violence can be guaranteed at all times, including in cases of deprivation of liberty.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- The international community has developed a sound normative foundation to guide national implementation efforts in the area of the administration of juvenile justice. These include measures to prevent juvenile delinquency and ban children's arbitrary and unlawful detention; to ensure that deprivation of liberty of persons below 18 is used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest period of time possible; to establish legal safeguards to guide children's involvement with criminal proceedings; and to promote approaches which respect children's dignity and invest in their education and social reintegration.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- For many children around the world, the gap between these principles and reality remains a dramatic challenge. Deprivation of liberty affects thousands of children, often as a preferred or only option, rather than a measure of last resort. Pretrial detention can last for months or years, in some cases never leading to conviction. Children can be kept in detention for long periods of time, in overcrowded and appalling conditions, at times placed together with adults and facing risks of neglect and abuse. In many cases they are deprived of education and vocational initiatives and have limited opportunities to interact with other people of their age and to keep in contact with their families. A child can be exposed to violence since the moment of arrest, during transfers in police vehicles and while in police custody. Violence can equally affect the child during pretrial detention and after conviction, including when it is used as a form of control, discipline and punishment.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Still too often, the criminal justice system ends up being used as a substitute for weak child protection institutions, in turn further stigmatizing vulnerable groups of children, including those who are homeless and poor, or have run away from home as a result of violence. As highlighted by the work of the Human Rights Council, marginalized and socially excluded children, including those living and/or working on the street, need to be protected from violence, stigmatization and discrimination. Survival behaviours, such as begging, vagrancy, truancy or running away, need to be dealt with as protection concerns, rather than through punitive measures. Overall, it remains critical to end the criminalization of marginalized children, as well as the impunity for crimes committed against them.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- In January 2012 the Special Representative will organize with UNODC, OHCHR and the Government of Austria an expert consultation on the prevention of violence against children within the justice system. Framed by international standards on juvenile justice, the consultation offers an important platform to present and reflect on national and international initiatives which can help to identify and address risk and contributing factors to violence within the juvenile justice system, and promote strategies and measures to prevent violence and strengthening children's effective protection there from. The Expert Consultation conclusions and recommendations will feed into the thematic debate in Human Rights Council on the rights of children involved in the justice system.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- To take stock and reflect upon the significant process of change promoted by these regional initiatives and mechanisms, and strengthen cross-regional cooperation, the Special Representative hosted a High-Level Round Table in October 2011, in New York, on the occasion of the General Assembly debate on the rights of the child. The meeting was organized in collaboration with the League of Arab States, SAIEVAC, the MERCOSUR Pro-Tempore Permanent Commission of Nin@Sur, the Council of Europe, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, and UNICEF. The Special Representative launched on this occasion the publication Political Commitments by Regional Organizations and Institutions to prevent and Address Violence against Children, containing the most significant political declarations and strategies adopted across regions to protect children from all forms of violence. In some cases they establish a navigation chart for achieving progress and a monitoring mechanism to oversee implementation and galvanize efforts to overcome challenges.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- The regional process of follow up to the Study has continued to strengthen further. On the one hand, through the holding of periodic meetings to review progress achieved, as was the case in September 2011, in Nepal, by SAIEVAC, which has since been recognized as an Apex Body of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC); in October by the League of Arab States in Doha; and in December by the Permanent Commission of the Initiative Nin@Sur in Montevideo. One the other hand, through the extension and further development of existing strategies, as was the case of the Council of Europe meeting in Monaco, "Building a child-friendly Europe: turning a vision into reality", held in November 2011.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, in a number of countries, including the Plurinational State of Bolivia and Belize, national follow-up consultations were held on the implementation of the Study recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- The consultation was framed by an analytical regional mapping of national implementation measures for children's protection from violence. The discussions addressed national experiences and positive developments, critical challenges and emerging concerns, and anticipated areas where further progress is required. In view of its particular relevance for the region, special emphasis was placed on children's protection from violence in the criminal justice system, and on children's vulnerability as a result of trafficking and migration. The Santo Domingo Declaration adopted by the meeting reaffirms the commitment to pursue implementation of the Study recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Building upon the consultations held in Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, respectively for South American and Central American countries, a Caribbean regional meeting will be held in May 2012 in Jamaica.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative remains strongly committed to further strengthening strategic alliances for the protection of children from all forms of violence, within and beyond the United Nations system.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- In accordance with General Assembly resolution 62/141, the Special Representative cooperates closely with the United Nations system, including funds and programmes and specialized agencies, and human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms with responsibilities in the prevention and elimination of violence against children. Although with distinct but mutually supportive mandates, associating normative and operational agencies, all partners are united in a common human rights foundation and determined to build a world free from violence. This institutional collaboration has been crucial to raise awareness and broaden global support for children's protection from violence, to promote the mainstreaming of this topic in United Nations activities, and to inform the policy agenda through the organization of strategic panel discussions with key partners.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative hosted high-level policy discussions to promote the consideration of violence against children as a cross-cutting concern within the United Nations agenda, including on extreme poverty and violence, during the Commission on Social Development; on gender-based violence and girls' victimization on the occasion of the Commission on the Status of Women; and on violence against children with disabilities during the General Assembly and the meeting of States Parties of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Strategic cooperation was also promoted with United Nations partners to curb violence in the community and minimize the impact of situations of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce availability of and access to small arms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- At the special event convened in the lead-up to the General Assembly thematic debate on the rights of children with disabilities, the high risks of physical, emotional and sexual violence endured by these children were given special attention. The debate reaffirmed the following priorities: - All countries need to enact legislation banning all forms of violence against all children, including those with disabilities; - It is urgent to establish in all countries effective and well-resourced child and disability sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to prevent and address incidents of violence; - It is essential to invest in awareness and information to break the silence around violence against children with disabilities, and develop sound data system and research on child disability and the forms and prevalence of violence to safeguard children's enjoyment of their rights.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- The collaboration with human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms continued to feature highly on the Special Representative's agenda to capitalize on synergies across mandates and to mainstream concerns on violence against children in all relevant mandates. Periodic discussions and joint initiatives have been pursued with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, opening avenues to contribute to and build upon the Committee's concluding observations, thematic debates and general comments. Collaboration in the development of general comment No. 13 on the right to freedom from violence, and the drafting process of the new optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child are illustrations of this critical partnership.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- The participation in the annual meeting of Special Rapporteurs, Representatives, independent experts and Chairs of Working Groups of the special procedures of the Human Rights Council has been instrumental to share information and identify opportunities for joint activities to address the root causes and risk factors of violence, and to empower children and young people and support the building of a culture of non-violence. The joint report with the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography on child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms confirms the potential of this strategic cooperation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- Civil society actors play a decisive role in the implementation of the recommendations of the Study and they have been critical in regional processes and expert discussions. Collaboration with civil society partners has been instrumental to the global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention, for scaling up legal reform initiatives, for promoting the participation of children, for raising awareness about the incidence and negative impact of violence on children's rights, and for advocating in favour of initiatives designed to prevent children's exposure to violence in schools, care and justice institutions, in the community, labour settings or within the home. Cooperation has been greatly facilitated by the establishment of the NGO Advisory Council, and its advocacy and social mobilization efforts with partners at the international, regional and national levels.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- In October 2011, the Special representative joined the launch of the NGO Advisory Council's report entitled Five Years On: A global update on violence against children. The report surveyed over 100 studies conducted by academic researchers, non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies since 2006. The report recognizes progress and numerous commitments and promises made for violence prevention and elimination, but also presents evidence of how millions of children continue to be humiliated, beaten, burned, sexually abused and even killed. The report is a valuable contribution to the knowledge base about violence against and children and to the shaping of a future agenda for action.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- The year 2011 saw strengthened collaboration with faith-based organizations. Religious leaders were decisive and influential allies in the development of the Study and have remained key partners in the process of follow up, fostering dialogue, promoting change in practices that perpetuate violence against children, and encouraging the use of non-violent forms of discipline. To strengthen these efforts, the Special Representative developed a strategic partnership with the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, a global movement of religious leaders and communities of all faiths and secular organizations who are committed to the promotion of children's rights. The World Day is celebrated annually around 20 November, the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and is an opportunity for religious leaders and faith-based institutions to join hands with governments and inter-governmental organizations, civil society - including parents, teachers and young people - to promote the child's physical, social, psychological and spiritual development.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- From 2011 and over three years, the World Day is devoted to ending violence against children. In 2011, World Day partners, including UNICEF, organized 85 activities in 70 countries in commemoration of the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children. For instance, in the Dominican Republic over 70 faith-based organizations and child rights advocates gathered behind an Interreligious Declaration calling for enhanced efforts to implement the recommendations of the Study and highlighting religious leaders commitment to promote non-violence, the protection of children from violence in their communities, and non-violent discipline within the home. The Declaration was officially presented to the Special Representative in the framework of the Central American regional meeting on Violence against Children, held in Santo Domingo on 2 December 2011.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- The Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, the Churches' Network for Non-Violence and Save the Children Sweden in 2011 published a valuable handbook to help those working with and within religious communities to harness faith-based support for reform to end corporal punishment of children. The handbook, entitled "Ending corporal punishment of children: A handbook for working with and within religious communities", contains valuable examples of faith-based initiatives and resources for engaging with religious leaders and organizations and developing multi-religious support and partnership at every level.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- These developments provide much hope for progress, but it remains urgent to translate the vision of the Study into reality. 2012 is a particularly strategic time to accelerate efforts, as it marks the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and of the commitments made at the General Assembly Special Session on Children on violence against children. It is also the year during which the General Assembly will review the Special Representative's mandate and re-energize efforts to build a world free from violence. Pressed by the urgency of this cause and by the unique potential offered by this auspicious year, the Special Representative will place particular attention on the areas set out below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 104
- Paragraph text
- The wide expression of support for the global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the progress achieved are evidence of the value of this joint United Nations initiative. The year 2012 can become a milestone in the achievement of universal ratification and the Special Representative will continue to give priority attention to this goal. In view of the General Assembly's adoption of the Optional Protocol on a communications procedure, efforts will also be directed towards its swift signature and entry into force.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 105
- Paragraph text
- Violence knows no geographic, social or cultural borders; it is widespread and occurs in all contexts, including where children are expected to enjoy special protection. To gain deeper understanding of the root causes and risk factors of this phenomenon, and identify positive experiences and strategic recommendations to assist governments in their national implementation efforts, the Special Representative will pursue her series of thematic expert consultations on priority topics. These include the prevention of violence against children within the juvenile justice system, and data and research on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- The effective follow-up to the Study recommendations is largely dependent on the extent to which they are mainstreamed into the national policy and development framework, and become a central topic of concern in the public debate. Through her global advocacy, policy dialogue and field missions, the Special Representative will continue to support national implementation efforts, particularly those designed to put in place well-coordinated and resourced national agendas on violence against children; legislation prohibiting all forms of violence against children in all settings; and sound data and research on the forms, incidence and magnitude of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- In this process, special emphasis was placed on: a) Widening the human rights foundation of the protection of children from violence; b) Enhancing awareness and consolidating knowledge for the prevention and elimination of violence against children; c) Reinforcing regional processes and governance mechanisms to support implementation efforts; d) Strengthening strategic alliances, within and beyond the United Nations system, to build a world where children enjoy freedom from violence. The active and ethical participation of children in achieving progress on the mandate's goals has remained a priority, supported through the development of child-friendly resources and the promotion of national, regional and international networks and platforms for information sharing and learning.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- In collaboration with United Nations partners, in May 2010 the Special Representative launched a campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. During the campaign, the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography received 21 additional ratifications; it is currently in force in 158 States. At least 23 other States made formal commitments to ratify the latter Optional Protocol in the framework of the universal periodic review process of the Human Rights Council, the Committee on the Rights of the Child or other human rights mechanisms. Of the 35 States not yet parties to the Optional Protocol, 50 per cent have ratified the Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women, and 75 per cent International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182 on the worst forms of child labour, which address similar areas of concern.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 14c
- Paragraph text
- [At the consultation, in which governmental experts and representatives of United Nations agencies, international and regional organizations, human rights bodies, academia and civil society participated, a set of practical recommendations to assist States and other actors in the development of a violence-free justice system for children was drawn up. Those recommendations, included in a joint report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/21/25), address the following issues:] Ensuring the use of diversion and alternative non-custodial measures. Effective alternative mechanisms to formal criminal proceedings and to deprivation of liberty should be developed and used, including restorative justice, mediation, probation, community service and community-based programmes, including treatment for children with substance abuse problems.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 14d
- Paragraph text
- [At the consultation, in which governmental experts and representatives of United Nations agencies, international and regional organizations, human rights bodies, academia and civil society participated, a set of practical recommendations to assist States and other actors in the development of a violence-free justice system for children was drawn up. Those recommendations, included in a joint report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/21/25), address the following issues:] Ensuring qualified and trained personnel. A sound system of selection, recruitment and retention of competent professionals should be put in place, supported by continued education and capacity-building on children's rights and juvenile justice standards to prevent violence against children in the juvenile justice system.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Despite the call made in the Study for all harmful practices to be prohibited by law, this is not the reality in many countries around the world. In some cases, general legislation on assault and bodily injury is applicable but rarely used or enforced, because of the social acceptance of those deeply entrenched practices. In other cases, different practices are compartmentalized in distinct pieces of legislation, hampering the consideration of commonalities and shared root causes and the promotion of a common holistic strategy. In countries with plural legal systems, where national legislation interplays with customary and religious law, legal interpretation and implementation face greater complexities, tensions and challenges that may seriously compromise children's best interests.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20a
- Paragraph text
- [The outcomes of the expert consultation are set out in a thematic report, to be launched during the commemoration of the 2012 International Day of the Girl Child, and include the following overarching recommendations:] Legislation plays a crucial role in the social process of abandonment of harmful practices against girls and boys, and is a core dimension of States' accountability for the protection of children from violence; this includes the obligation to ensure harmonization of all legislation, including customary and religious laws, with international human rights standards, and to ensure the establishment of a legal definition of the child in compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20b
- Paragraph text
- [The outcomes of the expert consultation are set out in a thematic report, to be launched during the commemoration of the 2012 International Day of the Girl Child, and include the following overarching recommendations:] National legislation should include a clear and comprehensive prohibition of all harmful practices, secure the protection of children from all forms of violence and remove any justification of such practices that may compromise the safeguard of the best interests of the child, including their promotion in the name of honour or tradition; in this regard, the intent to cause harm is not a prerequisite for the definition of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20c
- Paragraph text
- [The outcomes of the expert consultation are set out in a thematic report, to be launched during the commemoration of the 2012 International Day of the Girl Child, and include the following overarching recommendations:] Law reform is a long-term and ongoing process, necessary to recognize and safeguard children's rights, to fill protection gaps and address emerging practices and manifestations of violence; it needs to be supported by prevention and implementation efforts, including birth registration, awareness-raising, education and training, and mobilization of communities, including religious and local leaders and children, to promote dialogue and positive cultural values, enhance understanding about the detrimental impact of certain practices and support commitment by those concerned to the lasting abandonment of harmful attitudes and behaviour.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20d
- Paragraph text
- [The outcomes of the expert consultation are set out in a thematic report, to be launched during the commemoration of the 2012 International Day of the Girl Child, and include the following overarching recommendations:] Sound data collection and analysis, and cross-country and cross-regional sharing of good practices in legislation and implementation are needed to gain a deeper understanding of, and help to address, the complex dimensions associated with social conventions, beliefs and practices, as well as to inform legislative, administrative, educational, social and other measures to promote the sustained abandonment of harmful practices against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Sound research and reliable, objective and disaggregated child-related data are indispensable to understand the environment within which children grow and develop, to assess the risk or impact of violence on their development and to prevent its occurrence. This is an area where there are many gaps. Although there is recognition of the need to build upon a broad definition of violence, including its various manifestations, physical, psychological and sexual, there is no standard categorization of its different forms. Owing to the absence of internationally agreed methodologies for data collection, different standards and practices have been followed, including for ensuring the protection of respondents and interviewers and follow-up support to victims.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 24a
- Paragraph text
- [To draw on this growing body of knowledge and experience, in June 2012 the Special Representative joined with the Government of Sweden in the organization of an expert consultation on strengthening data and research to protect children from violence. The consultation, held in Sweden, provided a strategic platform for learning from and building upon initiatives promoted by a wide range of partners, including Governments, United Nations agencies, academics, children's rights bodies and institutions, and civil society organizations. The expert consultation put forward the following conclusions and recommendations:] Although data and research on violence against children remain scarce and fragmented, significant recent initiatives provide a sound foundation for informing evidence-based advocacy, policies and decisions to prevent and address that phenomenon.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 24c
- Paragraph text
- [To draw on this growing body of knowledge and experience, in June 2012 the Special Representative joined with the Government of Sweden in the organization of an expert consultation on strengthening data and research to protect children from violence. The consultation, held in Sweden, provided a strategic platform for learning from and building upon initiatives promoted by a wide range of partners, including Governments, United Nations agencies, academics, children's rights bodies and institutions, and civil society organizations. The expert consultation put forward the following conclusions and recommendations:] Together with initiatives to develop robust, credible and accurate data and research, it is vital to integrate information across sectors, disciplines and data sources, keeping the human dignity and best interests of the child as central concerns in the assessment of the cumulative impact of different manifestations of violence over the child's life cycle.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 24e
- Paragraph text
- [To draw on this growing body of knowledge and experience, in June 2012 the Special Representative joined with the Government of Sweden in the organization of an expert consultation on strengthening data and research to protect children from violence. The consultation, held in Sweden, provided a strategic platform for learning from and building upon initiatives promoted by a wide range of partners, including Governments, United Nations agencies, academics, children's rights bodies and institutions, and civil society organizations. The expert consultation put forward the following conclusions and recommendations:] It is crucial to bridge the gap between the acquisition of knowledge and its translation into action. Still too often, existing data are not analysed or made public and fail to inform advocacy, policymaking and the allocation of resources, or to promote changes in attitude and behaviour for the prevention and elimination of violence. It is critical to invest in communication and better presentation of evidence in order to assist decision makers; to promote evidence-based programmes adapted to local contexts; and to widen the ownership of implementation efforts by the public at large.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Decisive progress has been made in this area, with the growing institutionalization of regional governance mechanisms and the adoption of political commitments concerning violence against children in eight regions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- In addition, the Special Representative agreed upon a regional cooperation framework with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children, for which protection of children against violence constitutes a priority of its five-year workplan; held two review meetings with the League of Arab States in October 2011 and June 2012 to advance implementation of commitments made on the protection of children from violence; and pursued her close cooperation with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, including through the co-organization of the consultation on the protection of children from harmful practices (see paras. 17-20 above). Cooperation was also pursued with the Council of Europe, which adopted its 2012-2015 Strategy for the Rights of the Child, highlighting the elimination of all forms of violence against children as a core objective; and with the European Union in the framework of its Agenda for the Rights of the Child and review of its Guidelines on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Building and strengthening partnerships within and beyond the United Nations system remains a priority of the Special Representative's mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative conducted over 70 missions and visited more than 40 countries in all regions to advance national initiatives and bring the mandate closer to national stakeholders and the public at large. During country visits and in her direct dialogue with Governments to advance implementation of the Study and provide expert advice, she raised a wide range of themes and concerns, including the universal ratification of human rights instruments, the enactment of legislation to ban all forms of violence and establish effective child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms, data and research initiatives to inform policymaking, promotion of the prevention of and responses to violence against children in their early years, as well as their protection in schools and care and justice institutions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- Governments' participation in the expert consultations organized by the Special Representative, as well as in the numerous thematic events held at the United Nations, has been particularly relevant for the sharing of national experience and good practice, and for reflecting on persisting challenges and gaps. Member States have been key players in the promotion of regional consultations and the shaping of regional and national agendas on violence against children. Currently, more than two thirds of Member States participate in regional cooperation frameworks for the protection of children from violence, a trend that it is expected to continue to grow.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Institutional collaboration within the United Nations system, including funds, programmes and specialized agencies, and human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms, has been central for raising awareness and galvanizing global support for the protection of children from violence, for promoting the mainstreaming of this topic in United Nations activities, and for informing the international policy agenda on violence against children through the organization of strategic panel discussions. With mutually supportive mandates, associating normative and operational organizations, all partners share a common human rights approach and a determination to build a world free from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with OHCHR and the human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms continued to feature high on the Special Representative's agenda. Her collaboration with the Committee on the Rights of the Child focused on the development of General Comment No. 13 on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence (CRC/C/GC/13), the new Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure, and the joint general recommendation/comment on harmful practices of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, currently under preparation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative participated in key policy discussions to promote the consideration of violence against children as a cross-cutting concern on the United Nations agenda. This included cooperation with UNODC on violence against children in the justice system, during the thematic debate held by the Human Rights Council, and with UN-Women on gender-based violence and the legal protection of girls from violence and harmful practices, during the Commission on the Status of Women and in the lead-up to the International Day of the Girl Child. Strategic cooperation was also pursued with United Nations partners to prevent and minimize the impact of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce the availability of and access to small arms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- In 2012, new strategic partnerships were developed. In the framework of her collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Special Representative joined the Violence Prevention Alliance, which brings together WHO member States, international agencies, academia and civil society organizations. The Alliance adopted a strategic plan of action for the period 2012-2020, which constitutes a valuable asset for the implementation of the priorities of the mandate on policy and legal reform, and data and research, as it is aimed at unifying global efforts in support of national goals for the prevention of violence, and the implementation of evidence-based strategies on good parenting, life skills, social norms, the risks of firearm-related deaths and injuries, and services for victims. Participation in the fifth Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention Meeting in 2011 became an important resource for the expert consultation on data and research on violence against children (see para. 24 above), in view of the new evidence presented on effective interventions to prevent interpersonal violence and promote increased collaboration across sectors and disciplines.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- With a view to strengthening partnerships and knowledge-sharing for law reform and the introduction of an explicit legal prohibition on all forms of violence against children, the Special Representative joined the Global Forum on Law, Justice and Development, promoted under the auspices of the World Bank. The Forum provides a dynamic framework for consolidating and disseminating knowledge on legal responses to development issues, connecting Governments, think tanks, regional and international organizations, international financial institutions and civil society organizations with relevant research and practice.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Civil society actors play a decisive role in the implementation of the recommendations of the Study and have been critical partners in promoting the ratification of core treaties relating to children's rights, in the consolidation of regional networks and in the promotion of expert discussions. Cooperation has been greatly facilitated by the International NGO Council on Violence against Children and its advocacy and social mobilization efforts with partners at the international, regional and national levels. The Special Representative joined the launch of the NGO Council's report entitled Five Years On: A Global Update on Violence against Children, which documents areas of progress, while presenting evidence of incidents of violence against children in different settings and regions. The report was a valuable contribution to the global survey conducted to monitor progress in the implementation of the Study recommendations. Strategic collaboration was further pursued with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Working Group on Violence against Children, as well as with Child Helpline International and its network.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative's collaboration with faith-based organizations to strengthen the protection of children from violence gained further impetus. In the context of the World Day of Prayer and Action for Children, initiated by a global movement of religious leaders and communities of all faiths and secular organizations committed to children's rights, significant initiatives were supported on the anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child to promote the ending of violence against children. Partner organizations Religions for Peace and the Centre for Interfaith Action launched an important initiative entitled "Ten promises to our children", which constitutes a valuable platform for harnessing the potential of religious communities to mobilize action to combat violence against children and to ensure that children grow up in a safe and protective environment. Similarly, the Fourth Forum of the Global Network of Religions for Children, held in June 2012 in Dar es Salaam, United Republic of Tanzania, in which the Special Representative participated, adopted an important declaration of commitment to action against all forms of violence against children and harmful practices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Children and young people contributed to the global survey, through their assessment of progress and identification of priorities for the future. Their recommendations reveal a remarkable resilience as well as a decisive determination to raise awareness, generate solidarity and support for child victims and instil confidence to report incidents and seek redress. But impatience is growing and, as they stressed at the Caribbean consultation, "we do not want the mere comfort of hearing that we will be heard; promises need to materialize into tangible action", with improved legislation, increased mobilization and accessible services of quality, monitoring and reporting mechanisms and real resource allocation for bringing violence to an end.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- In 2011, five years after the submission of the Study to the General Assembly, the Special Representative launched a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of violence against children, to gain perspective on achievements made, to reflect on good practices and factors of success, and to boost efforts to overcome persisting challenges and consolidate the prevention and elimination of violence. The survey findings are a critical reference for the mandate and for shaping a forward-looking strategy to speed up progress in achieving the protection of children from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- The survey was partly based on a questionnaire prepared in 2004 during the development of the Study, and aligned with the Study's 12 overarching recommendations. In addition to the replies received to the questionnaire, the survey findings were informed by research, regional consultations and analytical reviews of violence against children conducted in the framework of the Special Representative's mandate, and by international monitoring processes, including the universal periodic review process of the Human Rights Council, reporting to human rights treaty bodies, and the follow-up to the World Congresses against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents and to the 2010 Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Coordination remains a challenge in many countries, with only two thirds of respondents acknowledging that a lead coordinating governmental institution is in place to oversee action relating to violence against children. In a number of cases, multiple coordinating bodies have been established, but the collaboration between them is uneven and not always effective. Overall, enhanced efforts are still required to secure an institutionalized process of coordination across central departments, and between national and decentralized authorities. This concern is also highlighted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its concluding observations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The protection of children from sexual exploitation is the area where most decisive progress has been made. Over 90 per cent of respondents highlight a legal prohibition of sexual violence against children, including prostitution; a ban on the procurement or offering of children for pornography, and on the possession and dissemination of images of child abuse, including via the Internet. Information from United Nations reports, including concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, confirm an accelerated rate of legislative activity in this area, although additional serious efforts remain necessary to promote effective implementation and address gaps and emerging concerns, including the protection of children from sale, the rise in child trafficking, the low number of prosecutions, the lack of data and the limited allocation of resources.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- Child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms constitute another area lacking investment. Although some respondents mention the availability of helplines and police services, in most cases child-focused mechanisms either are not in place or are ill-resourced, lacking human and financial capacity to address children's concerns; in the majority of cases, national independent institutions are not available. Reporting on incidents of violence frequently remains a challenge, with very few States having issued guidance for professionals working for and with children, and only 25 per cent having clear provisions on mandatory reporting. The guiding principles and recommendations presented by the Special Representative in a previous report on this matter (A/HRC/16/56) remain fully relevant.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Over the past few years, law reform on violence against children has gained momentum, with important pieces of national legislation having been introduced in a large number of areas. However, this wide-ranging process has been insufficient to secure a clear and all-embracing prohibition of all forms of violence. Steady and enhanced efforts are needed in the years ahead and it remains urgent to enact such an explicit national legal ban, supplemented by detailed provisions in relevant pieces of legislation to guide effective enforcement. Legislation needs to address the root causes and risk factors of violence, lend effective protection to children in situations of vulnerability, and be supported by well-resourced child protection services, well-trained professionals and a wide participatory process of public awareness-raising and social mobilization.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- Good data and research are the bedrock of national planning, effective policymaking and adequate resource allocation to prevent violence and secure the protection of children. Despite incremental initiatives to break the invisibility of violence and mobilize action to address it, the global survey confirms that information on violence against children remains scarce and fragmented, with limited data available on the extent and impact of violence against children, the risk factors involved and the underlying attitudes and social norms that perpetuate such violence. As a result, there is a costly impact on child victims and witnesses, on their families, and on society as a whole.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- In most cases, information is obtained from broad categories, such as domestic violence, or limited to a few areas, such as crime, with limited disaggregation on the basis of gender, age, social origin or disability.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- The coordination of data sources remains challenging, with multiple institutions gathering and handling dispersed information, based on different definitions and indicators. When a central institution is in place, the information is often collected from limited sources, or only addresses some manifestations of violence or settings within which it occurs. Moreover, there is seldom regular periodicity of data-gathering efforts. Likewise, there is often a lack of coordination between statistical bodies and institutions responsible for the design and implementation of policies to protect children from violence. As a result, it is difficult to gain a holistic view of the incidence and cumulative impact of violence on children, to address neglected areas or to enable the prevention of violence to have a genuine chance of succeeding.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Second, the work conducted over the past three years has also helped to gain a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of violence and of the need to maintain a holistic view of the child when initiatives for the prevention and elimination of violence are pursued. It is critical to address the cumulative exposure of girls and boys to various manifestations of violence in different contexts, and throughout the child's life cycle. Indeed, for children at risk, violence in the home, in the school and in the community is a continuum, spilling over from one setting to another, and at times persisting across generations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- Children with disabilities are also at heightened risk of abuse, neglect, stigma and exploitation. In their lives, disability, poverty, poor health care and nutrition, and social exclusion often go hand in hand. The incidence of disability is higher among children belonging to poorer households, where they lack access to basic social services of quality, thus compromising opportunities for early detection, treatment and recovery, and for meaningful participation in social life. As families of children with disabilities face extra medical, housing and transport costs, they miss employment opportunities and face marginalization and aggravated vulnerability to violence. When placed in institutions, where they have limited ability to disclose situations of abuse and seek redress, children's vulnerability to violence is further exacerbated.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- As the current economic downturn confirms, in times of economic crisis the impact of those multiple factors increases. Although initially buffered from the financial crisis, low-income countries soon felt its impact, with a slowdown in international trade, severely stretched Government budgets and uncertainty concerning foreign aid. According to some studies, additional numbers of people trapped in poverty in 2009 ranged from 50 million to 90 million. Vulnerable children are particularly affected, with estimates that, in sub-Saharan Africa, as many as 50,000 infant deaths in 2009 were linked to the global financial crisis. At the household level, insecurity in employment and pressure on resources, including as a result of rises in food and fuel prices, have increased the vulnerability of families with a growing risk of tension and violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- Economically advanced countries are also implementing severe cutbacks in social spending and are promoting budgetary austerity measures to reduce national debt and boost their economies. In some cases, cuts in child benefits in the area of education have hampered families' ability to buy schoolbooks and cover the cost of their children's meals and transportation, while child labour in the informal sector and in agriculture may be on the rise as a result of shrinking family income. As recently highlighted by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, increasingly difficult socioeconomic situations for families and high levels of stress and pressure can result in serious risks of domestic violence towards children and need to be carefully monitored.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Children from disadvantaged communities are attractive targets for organized criminal activities. Through coercion, social pressure or the promise of financial reward, they are at risk of recruitment and manipulation to hold or deliver drugs or weapons, to carry out petty crime, to beg on the streets or to become involved in other exploitative activities. At the same time, for young people lacking genuine educational and economic opportunities and living in socially excluded and marginalized neighbourhoods, participation in gang culture may be perceived as a way of gaining status and recognition; according to some studies, as many as 15 per cent of all youth in gang-affected communities may end up joining a gang, 15 being the typical age of gang entry.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- Aggravated by poverty and vulnerability, climate change and natural disasters, armed violence and organized crime, violence is a serious risk for children's survival, health, education and development.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- But beyond the cost to each individual victim, violence has serious costs for households, communities and national economies. As noted in a WHO study, meeting the direct costs of health, criminal justice, and social welfare responses to violence diverts many billions of dollars from more constructive societal spending. The much larger indirect costs of violence due to lost productivity and lost investment in education work together to slow economic development, increase socioeconomic inequality, and erode human and social capital. Investing in the prevention of violence is therefore of critical importance, not only as a question of human rights and good governance but also of good economics.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- The past few years have been marked by a consolidated commitment to preventing and eliminating violence against children. There has been a strengthened understanding of children's exposure to violence, while strategic actions have been undertaken to ensure their effective protection; significant normative, policy and institutional developments have helped to advance national implementation of the protection of children from violence, together with the revitalization of networks and the development of new partnerships to support advocacy and social mobilization, and the institutionalization of the follow-up to the Study recommendations by Governments, regional organizations and civil society actors.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- Although significant progress has been achieved, this process needs nurturing to translate the vision of the Study into reality and to ensure that it takes root and results in real change for all children, at all times. As highlighted by the findings of the global survey, it is crucial to sustain achievements made, to scale up positive initiatives and to widen the ownership of this process of social change. In particular, it is essential to avoid any risk of stalling the momentum built up around the implementation of the Study or of allowing this agenda to become diluted in the face of competing priorities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 105
- Paragraph text
- As noted throughout the present report, the three priorities of the mandate remain the foundation for achieving progress with regard to all the recommendations of the Study and have been identified by Governments across regions as crucial areas where progress needs to be achieved. Thus, putting in place a comprehensive, well-coordinated and well-resourced national agenda on violence against children; introducing an explicit legal prohibition of all forms of violence in all settings, supported by child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms; and consolidating violence-related data and research are urgent and indispensable components of the future agenda.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 107
- Paragraph text
- Future initiatives need to be gender-sensitive, informed by children's perspectives and experience, and tailored to children's evolving stages of development. To prevent violence against them in their early years, investment in positive parenting, home visitation and early childhood care and development programmes will remain essential. To capitalize on young people's agency and potential, and prevent their stigmatization and manipulation in violent incidents and criminal activities it will be imperative to empower them with life skills and quality education, and to support their active contribution to a violence-free society.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 108
- Paragraph text
- Violence is a frequent dimension of children's lives. It occurs in various forms and contexts and has serious and long-lasting consequences on their well-being and development. Prevention and elimination efforts need to address those dynamics and invest in the social inclusion of girls and boys at special risk, for whom the multiple dimensions of deprivation go hand in hand with a cumulative exposure to violence. Enhancing families' capacity to protect and care for their children and preventing child abandonment and placement in residential care remain crucial dimensions of that process.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 109
- Paragraph text
- Violence does not take place in a vacuum. Important factors, such as poverty, environmental degradation and organized crime, addressed in section IV above, aggravate the risk of child neglect, maltreatment and abuse. Conversely, the protection of children from violence contributes to social progress and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. As the international community considers the global development agenda for beyond 2015, it is critical to address violence as a priority and a cross-cutting concern, recognizing the centrality of the human dignity of the child, securing the protection of the most disadvantaged and safeguarding children's right to freedom from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Gender
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- To advance national initiatives and bring the mandate closer to national stakeholders and the public at large, the Special Representative conducted over 70 missions in more than 40 countries in all regions. Country visits provided a valuable opportunity to promote the implementation of the Study recommendations, as well as to address a wide range of concerns, including the universal ratification of human rights treaties; the enactment and enforcement of legislation to ban all forms of violence, protect child victims and establish child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms, and fight impunity; the consolidation of data and research to inform policymaking; and the protection of children from violence in schools and care and justice institutions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- In this process a special emphasis was placed on: a) Consolidating the human rights foundation of children's freedom from violence; b) Enhancing awareness and consolidating knowledge for the prevention and elimination of violence against children; c) Institutionalizing partnerships with regional organizations and institutions; d) Strengthening strategic alliances within and beyond the United Nations system; and e) Monitoring and re-energizing progress to inform a forward looking agenda. These dimensions have been addressed in previous annual reports. In view of their strategic importance some of them are further updated in the sections below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- The United Nations campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child was a major initiative in this area. Launched in May 2010 by the Secretary-General, the campaign is supported by the Special Representative alongside the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- In the light of this progress, universal ratification of the Optional Protocol can soon become a worldwide reality for children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- Strategic standard-setting initiatives supported by the Special Representative helped to strengthen the normative foundation of children's protection from violence. These included the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 189 (2011) concerning Decent Work for Domestic Workers. With these two new instruments, children can have access to effective remedies to address incidents of violence and benefit from safeguards providing protection in situations of domestic service. The ratification and effective implementation of these instruments will remain a priority.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph