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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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Year
- 2012
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2012
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- The Study called for the protection from violence of children in early years and recognized the crucial importance of positive parenting, home visitation and early childhood care and development programmes.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 41a
- Paragraph text
- [The meeting included the participation of a cross-regional group of experts, including young people, and highlighted the urgency of:] Promoting strong political engagement to prevent and reduce violence in the life of young children, supported by a national strategy and by well-coordinated public policies across governmental departments and between central and decentralized authorities. With this aim, countries should designate a high-level government institution responsible for the prevention of and response to violence against children, well-versed in the issues affecting the youngest children and with the capacity to involve multiple sectors, such as education, health, social services and justice; as well as for securing adequate funding and effective monitoring and evaluation to assess results and impact;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 21b
- Paragraph text
- [Legislation prohibiting all forms of violence is a key component of a comprehensive national strategy for children's protection from violence. To take stock of progress, identify positive experiences and advance legal reform in this area, the Special Representative organized, in July 2011, an expert consultation with OHCHR, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the NGO Advisory Council on Violence against Children. The consultation highlighted the following key conclusions and recommendations (see also A/HRC/19/64):] Law reform needs to be pursued through a comprehensive review of national legislation to ensure conformity with international human rights standards and overcome dispersed action; it requires the introduction of an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence in all settings, supplemented by detailed provisions in relevant pieces of legislation to tackle distinct manifestations of violence and the various contexts within which violence may occur; national legislation needs to be periodically reviewed and evaluated to address gaps and emerging concerns;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Less than 30 per cent of respondents indicate 18 as the minimum age for marriage, with younger ages and different thresholds for boys and girls prevalent in a large number of countries.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 98
- 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 amongst 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Ghana, for example, completed its national plan of action on violence against children, 2008-2012; Jamaica adopted a national plan of action for an integrated response to children and violence, 2011-2016; Lebanon finalized a national strategy to prevent and protect children from violence; and Belgium developed an action plan on child abuse, violence and mistreatment. The first national programme on child protection (2011-2015) established by Viet Nam gives priority attention to children at risk of violence, exploitation and abuse. With special emphasis on economically disadvantaged areas and those where high proportions of ethnic minorities live, the plan aims to establish child protection systems in half of the country's provinces and cities by 2015.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Ethnic minorities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- In order to build on the growing body of knowledge and experience, and to accelerate progress in ensuring children's online protection from violence, over the next several months, the Special Representative will organize with strategic partners a consultation on information and communications technology and children's protection from violence. The consultation will provide a strategic platform for learning from and building upon initiatives undertaken by national Governments, United Nations organizations, international and regional organizations, academia, independent children's rights institutions, the private sector and civil society organizations, including children and young people.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- In June 2013, the Special Representative joined the Governments of Indonesia and Norway in the organization of an expert consultation on restorative justice for children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- In the context of the criminal justice system, child-sensitive restorative justice may involve bringing together the victim, the offender, his or her parents or guardians, child protection and justice actors, and the community, in a safe and structured environment. Through a non-adversarial and voluntary process, based on dialogue, negotiation and problem-solving, restorative justice aims to rehabilitate and reintegrate the young offender, through helping to reconnect him or her with the community, and ensuring that the offender understands the harm caused to the victim and the community and acknowledges accountability for criminal behaviour and reparation of its consequences.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Since the launch of the campaign, the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography received 26 additional ratifications and is currently in force in 163 countries. Of the 30 States that are not yet parties to the Protocol, the majority made formal commitments to ratification 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; and the large majority have ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementary to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182), of the International Labour Organization, which address similar areas of concern.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- The Protocol recognizes children's legal standing with respect to seeking redress for the violation of their rights - either directly or through a representative. To promote its implementation, domestic remedies and child-sensitive procedures and mechanisms need to be in place, including ombuds for children or similar national independent human rights institutions. Similarly, child-sensitive procedures and legal safeguards need to be established to ensure respect for the best interests and the views of the child, to protect children's privacy and prevent the risk of ill- treatment or intimidation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- [The Bali meeting adopted important policy recommendations, highlighting the following areas:] Legislation - States should undertake a comprehensive legislative review to align relevant domestic legislation, whether in statutory, customary or religious laws, with human rights standards; in countries with plural legal systems, the supremacy of legislation aligned with international human rights standards should be explicitly recognized in the law to avert potential conflicts in legal interpretation and implementation. - Legislation should decriminalize status offences and survival behaviours and include legal safeguards to protect the child's best interests, and the child's right to freedom from violence and discrimination, to free and safe participation in proceedings throughout the restorative justice process, and to legal and other relevant assistance. - Legislation should provide law enforcement, prosecutors and the judiciary with options for diverting children away from the criminal justice system and promoting restorative justice processes at all stages of the proceedings; it should include alternative and educative measures such as warning, probation, judicial supervision and community work, to be applied in combination with restorative justice processes or when restorative justice is not appropriate. Children's right to recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration should be firmly expressed in legislation. - Legislation should recognize that restorative justice and informal justice or conflict resolution mechanisms, while being accessible at the local and community levels and playing an important role in the protection and reintegration of children, should never jeopardize children's rights or preclude children from accessing the formal justice system.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Professionals and community facilitators dealing with children involved with the justice system must also receive adequate and continuous training and capacity-building.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- Restorative justice can take place during the time that a child is serving a prison sentence, or as a component of a probation programme. It can significantly help reduce recidivism.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, five imperatives are of crucial relevance: there must be a legislative basis for customary law that is in line with international human rights standards; a range of appropriate alternatives for the child's rehabilitation and reintegration must be available; there must be proper assessment of the processes and procedures used, including with regard to who selects the individuals to sit on the mediation panel; capacity and knowledge relating to children's rights and national legislation, including juvenile justice laws, must be continuously ensured; and the right to appeal must be guaranteed so that there is oversight by the formal justice system.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, parents who have assisted their child through a restorative justice process show less inclination to resort to violence as a form of discipline.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- Several case studies have demonstrated that even when diversion to restorative justice has been promoted as an alternative to formal judicial proceedings, important risks may persist for the protection of children. These include the use of threats to obtain compliance with a restorative agreement; testimony of a child or admission of responsibility obtained through undue means; referral to a diversion programme without the prior consent of the victim or the offender; the use of rushed mediation sessions; referral to public mediation sessions, where the right to confidentiality is violated; and the referral of cases to restorative justice conferencing without any preliminary inquiry or compelling evidence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 121
- Paragraph text
- Guided by relevant international standards, national experiences and existing research, the recommendations below highlight crucial steps to achieve this goal.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 125
- Paragraph text
- Children's right to recovery, rehabilitation and reintegration should be firmly expressed in legislation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 128
- Paragraph text
- Training should provide skills to promote dialogue, manage emotions and conflict, and secure the safety of child participants.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 113
- Paragraph text
- The present report provides an overview of results obtained and progress achieved by the Special Representative in the first three years of the mandate.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, notably the Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography provide important guidance for the realization of children's rights online. All measures, including legislative, policy and educational initiatives, should be guided by the best interests of the child; respect and support children's growing autonomy and agency, and protect children from violence and discrimination. These principles lay the foundation to capitalize on the potential of the online environment; to promote children's learning and freedom of expression; to support children in accessing, receiving and imparting information; and to protect them from harmful materials and information, from unlawful interference with their privacy or correspondence, and situations where their honour and reputation may be at risk.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 31b
- Paragraph text
- [The urgency of safeguarding children's freedom from violence has certainly not diminished and the magnitude of this phenomenon remains high and deeply distressing. Significant United Nations reports illustrate this well:] In the past few years there has been a marked increase in trafficking in children. From 2007 to 2010, numbers rose from 20 to 27 per cent; in some regions more than 60 per cent of detected victims are children, as indicated in the UNODC 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons and girls are particularly affected. Child trafficking is a serious form of violence; but it is also a source of incidents of abuse, as children are enslaved into prostitution, sold into marriage, coerced to work in plantations or deep-sea fishing, forced to beg on the street, or recruited by criminal networks.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- The Model Strategies address crucial challenges for children's protection from violence in the criminal justice system. Misperceptions and widespread prejudice towards marginalized groups of children continue to fuel incidents of violence and re-victimization. Those children are frequently perceived as responsible for serious crimes and high rates of criminality, and deserving of harsh sanctions and lengthy periods of detention. Yet available data indicate that children are not predominant in crimes statistics and in the majority of cases where they may have infringed the criminal law, it is for minor offences and petty crimes.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 118
- 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 on 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- However similar to any other form of violence, online abuse is not inevitable. It can be prevented and addressed effectively. As children often stress, technology is not bad, it depends on the use one makes of it.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 41a
- Paragraph text
- [In some countries, important legislative initiatives have addressed violence against children with albinism and those accused of witchcraft, criminalizing harmful practices and issuing protective measures to secure children's safety and protection. Legislation is, however, insufficient to change superstition and deeply rooted beliefs. To ensure the protection of these children, the Special Representative has called for a comprehensive strategy highlighting, the following measures:] Supporting the protective role of the family. Parents and members of the extended family play a central role in the care and protection of children and need to be sensitized and supported in their child-rearing responsibilities. To address the social and economic drivers of violence against children with albinism or accused of witchcraft, it is critical to provide basic social services of quality to families concerned, to promote child development, well-being and effective protection, and to prevent children's exposure to harm.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Widespread poverty and weak State structures compromise children's social and legal protection and enhance the vulnerability of potential victims. In poorer countries, children who have access to the Internet without adult guidance and supervision, for instance in cybercafes, may be particularly vulnerable to online solicitation and their economic situation may pressure them into accepting risky propositions. Moreover, parental knowledge and awareness of the online risks children face may be lacking, limiting further the support and protection those children receive. The generational divide has become increasingly apparent in poorer urban areas and rural neighbourhoods, in low- and middle-income countries.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- Over recent years the protection of children from violence has evolved from a largely hidden and neglected topic into a growing global concern. Framed by international human rights standards, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Protocols, and guided by the United Nations study on violence against children, there has been a growing understanding of children's exposure to violence, strengthened commitments to secure their safety and protection, and significant national implementation efforts to mobilize support for prevention and response and to help change attitudes and behaviour which condone violence against children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 9b
- Paragraph text
- [The following strategic dimensions of this important agenda in which significant progress has been made are highlighted in the report:] Enhancing awareness and consolidating knowledge to prevent and respond to violence against children by hosting international expert consultations, developing research on strategic topics and publishing studies. The publications included Toward a World Free from Violence: Global Survey on Violence against Children; 10 thematic studies on topics such as violence in schools and in the justice system, restorative justice for children, the rights of girls in the criminal justice system and child-sensitive counselling, and reporting and complaint mechanisms; reports on protecting children from harmful practices and from armed violence and organized crime; and a report on opportunities and risks associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs). In addition, child-friendly materials were produced to inform and empower children about their right to freedom from violence;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The study constitutes a high priority for the mandate of the Special Representative and she has facilitated the initial coordination and planning efforts in the lead-up to its development, in partnership with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). To prepare the ground, the Special Representative has spearheaded efforts to establish an institutional framework, including a United Nations inter-agency task force, a civil society forum and a cross-regional academic research network.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative remains strongly committed to the further advancement of the global study.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Regional organizations and institutions are strategic allies in violence prevention and elimination initiatives. The institutionalized cooperation developed with the Special Representative has been instrumental in placing violence against children at the heart of the regional policy agenda to accelerate progress, enhance the accountability of States and support national implementation efforts. The Special Representative's annual high-level cross-regional round table, which brings together regional organizations and institutions, has become a strategic forum for promoting policy dialogue, sharing knowledge and good practices, coordinating efforts and promoting synergies, identifying trends and pressing concerns and joining forces to accelerate progress in the protection of children from violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- The round table provided a strategic platform for sharing experiences on the development of regional strategies aligned with the 2030 Agenda and implementation actions foreseen. Critical attention was paid to strategies to support the mainstreaming of the targets related to combating violence in national and subnational plans and the development, where appropriate, of regional and national goals and targets. The role of regional organizations and institutions in mobilizing their member States to address violence against children in their voluntary national reviews to the high-level political forum on sustainable development was also stressed, as was cooperation with other regional entities in review processes. Support for peer learning and participatory processes in the national assessment of progress through the round table and other platforms was encouraged.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the strategic opportunity presented by the 2030 Agenda and the tenth anniversary of the United Nations study, regional organizations and institutions reaffirmed their strong commitment to further accelerating and assessing progress in eliminating violence against children and to reinforcing cooperation. Strategic actions envisaged include providing support to the development and implementation of regional plans aligned with the 2030 Agenda; mobilizing partnerships and strengthening the implementation of comprehensive national strategies for the prevention and elimination of violence; enacting and enforcing national legislation to ban all forms of violence against children; and enhancing data systems and supporting the follow-up and review process of the 2030 Agenda through strong accountability mechanisms at the national and regional levels.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- The Secretary-General launched the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children in July 2016, calling on it to help realize the vision of the 2030 Agenda of a world where all children live in peace. The Special Representative serves on the board and the executive committee of the Global Partnership, and through her global advocacy role promotes the shared mission of making the world a safe place for children and ending violence against children everywhere. The Global Partnership has the potential to harness collective efforts to promote steadily growing commitment and action for a world free from violence. It seeks to enhance political will to reach the Sustainable Development Goal targets on ending violence against children, accelerate action through the implementation of key interventions and strengthen collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. Box, p. 5
- Paragraph text
- Bullying affects children at different stages of their development, severely undermining their health, emotional well-being and school performance. It is often associated with profound feelings of dread, loneliness and helplessness. Victims may suffer sleep disorders, headaches, stomach pain, poor appetite and fatigue as well as feelings of low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, shame and, at times, suicidal thoughts. The psychological and emotional scars that are left may persist into adult life. Bullies themselves are also affected, and are also more likely than their peers to be involved in anti-social and risky behaviour later on in life. Furthermore, bullying can affect the whole school community, creating a climate of suspicion and uncertainty that can cause children to remain silent or to become complicit out of fear.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- As the central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, the high-level political forum on sustainable development is critical to ensuring that ending violence against children is at the heart of the implementation process of the Sustainable Development Goals. The theme of the forum in 2016, "Ensuring that no one is left behind", was of particular relevance for children exposed to violence. Many of these children suffer in silence, loneliness and fear, and they are too often left behind in accessing appropriate care and support services to overcome their trauma, benefiting from recovery and reintegration and developing to their full potential.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- The experience gained from the first set of voluntary national review reports for the high-level political forum will provide strategic input to future reporting, follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. It is essential that future voluntary national reviews recognize that sustainable development cannot be achieved while globally, one billion children suffer violence and its devastating consequences. To achieve target 16.2 and free all children from fear, it is crucial to be able to assess progress and identify challenges. The Special Representative is determined to support these reviews and build upon the important experience gained from national human rights monitoring and reporting processes.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- The 2017 high-level political forum will provide an important platform to assess progress in the protection of children from violence under the theme "Eradicating poverty and promoting prosperity in a changing world". The in-depth reviews at the high-level political forum of the Sustainable Development Goals on ending poverty, ensuring healthy lives and achieving gender equality will provide a critical reflection of how far States have come in ensuring a protective environment to offset the multiple, and often interconnected, vulnerabilities faced by children. For target 16.2 and the other violence-related targets, the 2017 voluntary national reviews are an important opportunity to highlight good practices, identify challenges and lessons learned, and renew commitments and the provision of reliable resources towards ending all forms of violence against children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- National reviews of the Sustainable Development Goals are a crucial contribution to ensuring investment in children and building a world in which every child grows up free from violence and exploitation. The Special Representative is strongly committed to supporting the voluntary national review process, which has been high on the agenda of her field missions and informed her participation in high-level conferences and regional forums. This question was also the central theme in 2016 of her cross-regional round table, which annually brings together regional human rights bodies, organizations and institutions.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- The inclusion of violence against children as a distinct concern in the global development agenda is an historic breakthrough and presents the global community with a strategic opportunity to transform target 16.2 into a reality for all the world's children. As the implementation process of the 2030 Agenda is now well under way, the chief priority of the Special Representative is supporting efforts to accelerate progress towards the achievement of all the violence-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially target 16.2. Protecting children from violence must not remain simply an ideal; indeed, the international community has a special responsibility to translate the ideal into tangible change for every child.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- The mandate of the Special Representative also honours the best of humankind; this comes, not surprisingly, from children themselves. Time and time again, the Special Representative has met children who have emerged from the most terrible nightmares and who yet remain resilient, confident, generous and eager to show the way ahead. In all regions of the world, young advocates join hands with national authorities, civil society and many other allies in raising awareness about the detrimental impact of violence, empowering young people to be the first line of protection from abuse and exploitation, and inspiring many others to build a world where children can grow up respected, nurtured and supported to achieve their ambitions and dreams. Even in the most desperate of situations, children demonstrate hope for a better world and determination to achieve lasting change. This is much more than positive thinking; this is about achieving positive change.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- Ten years after the launching of the United Nations study, the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a unique opportunity to renew commitments and reinvigorate action to end violence against children. For the very first time, the dignity of children and their right to live free from violence and from fear are recognized as a distinct priority on the international development agenda. The inclusion of target 16.2 to eliminate by 2030 all forms of violence against children was a breakthrough; the international community must now act to transform this momentum into an unstoppable movement towards a world free from fear and from violence for all children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- In May 2015, the MERCOSUR Permanent Commission on Children agreed to develop a regional policy for the promotion of positive discipline and prevention of violence. In July 2015, the Caribbean Community Task Force on child rights and child protection developed a regional strategy on the prevention and elimination of violence against children for the period 2015-2020, to reinforce the protection of children from physical, emotional, sexual and online-related violence. The Central American Integrated System (SICA) initiated the drafting of a regional convention to address sexual violence against children, informed by a cross-regional discussion process supported by the Special Representative.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with regional organizations and institutions is a cornerstone of the Special Representative's strategy to accelerate progress in the implementation of the Study recommendations. Those partnerships are aimed at developing policy platforms to sustain and scale up positive developments, identify concerns and challenges, and mobilize action to safeguard children from violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, the Beijing Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Child Rights, adopted in November 2010 by Governments in the Asia-Pacific region, emphasized the need to address child protection concerns based on laws that focus on safeguarding children from potential harm and banning all forms of violence against children. At the Fourth High-level Arab Conference on the Rights of the Child, held in Marrakesh in December 2010, the determination to enforce legislation and promulgate laws to protect children from all forms of violence, exploitation, neglect and ill-treatment was voiced.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative participated in meetings which led up to the adoption of the Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011 "Building a Europe for and with Children", which identifies the protection of children from violence as 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 contained in the United Nations study and cooperation with the Special Representative.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- Important regional standards and initiatives provide a framework for the protection of children from violence. To support progress in this area, the Council of Europe organized a conference in Strasbourg to establish a children's rights platform with national focal points from countries across the region and a network of experts from key partner organizations. The Special Representative participated in this high-level policy forum, which will play a crucial role in the promotion of information-sharing, advocacy and debate, and monitor progress achieved within the European region.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Recognized as a priority by regional organizations and political groupings, important efforts have been made to support national implementation. Regional initiatives enabled the sharing and cross-fertilization of national experiences, and the development of national strategies in the framework of agreed regional agendas. In some cases, regional consultations were held on this topic, such as the Council of Europe meeting for Central and Eastern European States, held in Kyiv, entitled "Combating violence against children: from isolated actions to integrated strategies".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- In many countries significant efforts are being deployed to move in this direction. In some cases, the development of a national strategy on violence has been promoted through a wide participatory process in which governmental departments, civil society organizations, academics and young people have taken part. In a number of other cases, States have set in place national plans of action and high-level coordinating bodies to oversee implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a core component of which is violence against children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Around the globe, law reform for children's protection from violence is building 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, 27 countries have introduced such a comprehensive legal ban; in all regions, legislative reforms are being pursued to achieve full prohibition, and in several countries new legislation is also under review to prohibit violence in specific settings. In some cases, a monitoring system has been developed to support implementation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative remains firmly committed to further strengthening strategic alliances for the protection of children from all forms of violence, within and beyond the United Nations system. Important institutional collaboration mechanisms have been established in support of her mandate, including the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, the non-governmental organization Advisory Council for the follow-up to the study on violence against children, and regional high-level governance structures established for the follow-up to the study.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- The normative foundation of the protection of children from violence was further strengthened by other developments supported by the Special Representative, including the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure, ILO Convention No. 189 on decent work for domestic workers, and the United Nations Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice Systems. She also contributed to the general comment of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 14b
- 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:] Protecting children from all forms of violence within the juvenile justice system. National laws, policies and procedures concerning juvenile justice should be brought into full compliance with relevant international standards, and juvenile justice reforms should pursue a child- and gender-sensitive approach and be guided by child rights principles and safeguards, including (i) the recognition of the deprivation of children's liberty as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate time; (ii) the separation of children from adults and of girls from boys in a child-sensitive environment; (iii) the explicit prohibition of and effective protection of children from violence, including as a form of punishment, treatment or sentencing; (iv) the legal provision of safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaints mechanisms to prevent and respond to incidents of violence; and (v) the establishment of independent oversight and monitoring mechanisms and accountability systems for the inspection of places of detention and the prompt investigation of incidents of violence against children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- The Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, chaired by the Special Representative, has remained a crucial mechanism of institutional collaboration in support of the mandate. Its periodic meetings are a key forum for consultation, policy formulation and mainstreaming on the United Nations agenda of the protection of children from violence. In 2012, that cooperation informed the organization of expert consultations on data and research on violence against children and on the prevention of and responses to violence in the justice system.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- However, progress remains uneven and more vigorous efforts are needed in particular to develop a cohesive and well-resourced national strategy on violence against children; promote coordinated policy interventions to overcome dispersed and ill-enforced pieces of legislation and insufficient investment in family support; and promote capacity-building of professionals and safe and child-sensitive mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The survey also emphasizes the pressing need to consolidate data and research to promote evidence-based decision-making.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Another significant gap revealed by the survey is the dearth of data on laws, policies and advocacy on the gender dimensions of violence and the legal protection of girls: 40 per cent of the respondents provide no information on this question and less than 30 per cent mention positive initiatives. Legislation in the area remains a challenge, with less than half of Governments indicating the enactment of a legal ban on harmful practices, which may fully or only partially cover female genital mutilation/cutting, child or forced marriage, witchcraft rituals, honour killings and other practices.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 28e
- Paragraph text
- [The joint report recognizes that, despite efforts made in many countries, existing initiatives remain piecemeal and inadequate to address children's specific concerns and are often not seen as core components of a robust child protection system. To overcome these challenges, the report presents guiding principles and action-oriented recommendations, highlighting in particular the need for these mechanisms to be:] Effective in safeguarding children's safety, in ensuring the confidentiality of the proceedings and providing prompt and speedy responses and follow up.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 31c
- Paragraph text
- [To address these dimensions and capitalize upon a growing body of knowledge and experience in this area, the Special Representative organized with the Government of Sweden an expert consultation in 2012 (see also A/67/230, para. 24). The conclusions and recommendations highlighted the urgency of the following measures:] Capitalizing on children's perceptions, views and experiences while ensuring due respect for their protection from harm and their right to express views and influence decisions, and avoiding situations that may place children at risk; and
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- In early December, representatives from Central American countries, Mexico and Cuba met in a regional consultation in Santo Domingo. The meeting was hosted by the Government of the Dominican Republic in cooperation with the Office of the Special Representative and the Latin American Chapter of the Global Movement for Children. It included the participation of national institutions and authorities on children and adolescents, international and regional human rights bodies, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations, the media, and young representatives.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative's office participated in the 5th Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention Meeting in Cape Town, South Africa, in September 2011, organized by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Conference presented new evidence on effective interventions to prevent interpersonal violence and promote increased collaboration across sectors and disciplines, including health, social protection and criminal justice. The results of the meeting will be an important resource for the upcoming expert consultation on better data and research on violence against children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- But beyond the cost to each individual victim, violence has serious costs for households, communities and national economies. As noted by the World Health Organization, 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Victim-offender mediation is a model often applied in cases involving minor offences committed by children, although it is also used for more serious offences. This model is most commonly used as an alternative referral by the court after the offender has made a formal admission of guilt.The process promotes dialogue in a safe and structured setting, which allows the young offender to learn about the impact of his or her offence while helping the victim and offender to develop a mutually acceptable plan to address the harm that has been caused.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Young victims are often the target of these practices. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, between 2011 and 2012 there was a 70 per cent increase in child sexual abuse material focused on girls under the age of 10 years, and abuse material involving toddlers or babies is not uncommon. Once online, child abuse images can circulate indefinitely, alongside the risk of perpetuating victims' harm. The circulation of such images contributes to the hypersexualization of children and in turn fuels the demand for sexual abuse material.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- Self-exposure. Sending explicit self-generated text or images by mobile phone or instant messenger, known as "sexting", is becoming widespread. As a result of peer pressure or as part of online interaction, there is a real risk of such material falling into the wrong hands and used to harass young people, or blackmailing them into engaging in further risky behaviour. According to the Internet Watch Foundation, up to 88 per cent of self-generated sexually explicit content online has been taken from its original location and uploaded elsewhere on the Internet.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 107
- Paragraph text
- As young people stressed during the 2013 Global Youth Summit promoted by the International Telecommunication Union, more than simply trying to avoid online threats, it is important to develop children's capacities as digital citizens; and promote solid values and life skills, including a strong sense of responsibility, respect and concern for others. Rather than curtailing children's natural curiosity and sense of innovation for fear of encountering risks online, it is critical to tap into children's resourcefulness and enhance their resilience while exploring the potential of the Internet.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 109
- Paragraph text
- Informed and engaged parents and caregivers who support and advise children in their access to the Internet and the use of ICTs open avenues for a safer online experience. Parents' effective mediation minimizes risk without limiting children's skills or opportunities. Taking time to surface the cyberuniverse together, to guide and reassure their children, and to provide age-appropriate rules about online conduct are crucial dimensions of this process. Equally important is to raise children's awareness of online risks and provide guidance on ways of addressing them when they occur.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- Schools have a unique potential to promote non-violent behaviour and to support change of attitudes condoning violence. Through quality education, children can gain the skills and abilities to surf cyberspace with confidence, to avoid and address risks, and to become well-informed and responsible digital citizens. This includes promoting creative, critical and safe use of the Internet and preventing and responding to incidents of online violence, including cyberbullying, even when they were not originated in the school environment.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- Promoting a safe and peaceful learning environment is a major cultural undertaking that requires leadership and support from Government, including adequate resources, to become a reality. It is crucial to strengthen children's protective environment with the support of all relevant stakeholders, including parents and caregivers, teachers and service providers. No less important is engaging and empowering children themselves. Children need to develop their own capacities as digital citizens and learn solid values and life skills, including being responsible in their actions towards others.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The conference highlighted progress, challenges and opportunities to promote freedom from violence as part of wider efforts to achieve the African Union's Agenda 2063. The outcomes of the discussion informed the development of Africa's Agenda for Children 2040, which includes a core goal to end violence against children. These developments provide significant impetus for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Africa's Agenda for Children presents measurable goals and priority areas to which the African Union and its Member States commit themselves for the next 25 years.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Thirdly, it is imperative to include in this process those who are most affected. Children and young people need to be provided with genuine opportunities and platforms to influence the road ahead - not simply on accidental occasions, but as true partners and agents of change. Recognizing the value of their contribution, the Special Representative joined civil society partners in the development of a report which captures the concerns and recommendations conveyed by child participants in the post-2015 sustainable development process.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 2
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative is guided by General Assembly resolution 62/141, in which the Assembly established the mandate, and acts as a bridge builder and a global, independent advocate for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. In its resolution 70/137, the Assembly expressed support for the work of the Special Representative and recommended that the Secretary-General extend the mandate for a further period of three years, and maintain support for the effective and independent performance and sustainability of the mandate, funded from the regular budget.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- Protection of children online remained high on the agenda of the Special Representative. In this regard, she continued to support important multi-stakeholder initiatives, including the WePROTECT Global Alliance to End Child Sexual Exploitation Online. WePROTECT has secured high-level commitments from Governments, the information and communications technology industry, international organizations and civil society. It supports comprehensive national action on prevention and response to inform and empower children and to fight impunity within and across borders.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- Since the adoption of the Regional Plan of Action, the Special Representative has been active in promoting its implementation in collaboration with the ASEAN member States and secretariat and with the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children. In February, in a joint meeting held in Jakarta, the Commission expressed its commitment to the High Time to End Violence against Children initiative to galvanize political will and mobilize wide social support and action towards the implementation of the Regional Plan of Action.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- In April 2016, in Sofia, the Council launched its new Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2016-2021), which was developed with the participation of the Special Representative. Children's freedom from violence is at the heart of the Strategy and is mainstreamed in actions concerning the protection of children from online abuse; the promotion of child participation; the development of child-friendly justice; the prevention of deprivation of liberty and the promotion of diversion measures; and the protection of children on the move.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 104
- Paragraph text
- Guided by the human rights imperative of freeing children from violence, by the evidence gathered in recent years and by the ambitious vision and historic opportunity offered by the 2030 Agenda to promote a quantum leap in violence prevention and response efforts, the Special Representative reaffirms her resolve to mobilize even greater support and action towards a world free from violence against children, in close collaboration with Member States and all other stakeholders, most especially children themselves.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- To address these concerns, urgent measures are needed. First, it is crucial to empower children with easily understandable, age-sensitive and culturally appropriate information about their rights and relevant procedures to enable them to exercise their right to be heard and to benefit from effective remedies and services for their protection, recovery and reintegration. Moreover, it is indispensable to establish safe, child- and gender-sensitive counselling, complaints and reporting mechanisms to which children can easily gain access to address any incidents of violence or other grievances.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 124
- Paragraph text
- This is an area where significant work is being done, as illustrated in the 2011 thematic report on juvenile justice and human rights in the Americas issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, with the support of the Special Representative. The report identifies developments and good practices for the protection of children in the juvenile justice system and provides recommendations for the effective implementation of relevant international standards.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 125
- Paragraph text
- With a view to consolidating progress, the Special Representative will capitalize on significant experiences in various parts of the world, and will strengthen strategic partnerships with Member States, United Nations agencies, regional institutions, academia and civil society organizations. In this connection, she will join the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and other partners in the organization of an expert consultation early in 2012.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 124
- Paragraph text
- Legislation should provide law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the judiciary with options for diverting children away from the criminal justice system and promoting restorative justice processes at all stages of the proceedings; it should include alternative and educative measures, such as warnings, probation, judicial supervision and community work, to be applied in combination with restorative justice processes or when restorative justice is not appropriate.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative will carry out her mandate by making use of mutually supportive strategies, including the promotion of advocacy for concerns related to violence against children; the contribution to strategic meetings at the international, regional and national levels, including for the identification of good practices and the promotion of cross-fertilization of experiences across regions, sectors and settings; the organization of field missions; and the promotion of thematic studies and reports.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- In her collaboration with United Nations organizations, the Special Representative on violence against children has built upon existing inter-agency mechanisms, in particular the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, of which ILO, OHCHR, 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- As acknowledged by surveys of children across regions, violence constitutes a key matter of concern for them. But in spite of the serious and long-lasting impact of violence in their daily lives, children show remarkable resilience and a unique ability to mobilize to promote non-violence and peaceful solutions, including by raising awareness amongst children and their families about violence and its impact, generating solidarity and support for child victims, and instilling confidence to report incidents of violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 14a
- 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:] Preventing the criminalization and penalization of children. The prevention and reduction of situations leading to the deprivation of children's liberty is a critical strategy for decreasing the risk of violence in the criminal justice system. States should pursue this goal by: (i) decriminalizing "status offences", such as begging, vagrancy, truancy and loitering; (ii) preventing the detention of unaccompanied migrant children and asylum seekers on the basis of their status; (iii) ensuring that children with mental health and substance abuse problems are appropriately cared for, rather than dealt with by the criminal justice system; (iv) ensuring universal birth registration, raising the age of criminal responsibility to at least 12 years and continuing to raise it further, and ensuring non-custodial options for children below that age; and (v) supporting the prevention of criminalization and penalization through a robust and well-resourced child protection system, with effective coordination between the justice, social welfare and education sectors.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Children growing up in poverty are less likely to access basic social services of quality or to benefit from effective preventive initiatives or protection mechanisms. This is a particularly acute problem for children living or working on the street, who often struggle to survive in unhealthy, hazardous and violent public spaces where crime is rampant and protection hardly available, and who are at risk of enduring ill-treatment by the authorities or being criminalized for survival behaviour, including truancy and begging.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- Poverty and violence also shape the life of the majority of children affected by HIV and AIDS. The pandemic has stripped away traditional social support networks and is associated with a higher risk of social exclusion, stigma and discrimination, school dropout and limited access to information and treatment, while paving the way to enhanced risks of violence. In turn, rape, intimate partner violence and sexual abuse, as well as harmful practices, including child and forced marriage, increase the risk of exposure to HIV infection.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- Yet, these technologies also generate new risks and can become a tool with which to perpetrate violence. Indeed, harmful information becomes available more easily and may also be spread more quickly, potentially reaching out to millions in a fraction of a second and remaining in cyberspace for a lifetime. As a result, children may be at risk of abuse, bullying, harassment and exploitation in ways that are often difficult to detect and address, including by parents, caregivers, teachers and others (see box IV).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 139
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative will continue to mobilize support to consolidate those important efforts and in 2015, will place special emphasis on the following topics: ensuring violence against children remains a distinct concern on the global development agenda; reinforcing the protection of children from online sexual abuse; strengthening action for the prevention of violence in early childhood; and promoting the protection of children and adolescents affected by community and armed violence and organized crime.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Over the past year, cooperation with the African Union Labour and Social Affairs Commission and the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child gained a renewed relevance with the launch, in May 2014, of the Campaign and Call to Action to End Child Marriage in Africa. The Campaign and the national launches anticipated in 10 countries provide a sound basis for this important collaboration and for enhancing regional initiatives in support of the abandonment of harmful practices against children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- The Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children has remained a crucial institutional collaboration mechanism in support of the Special Representative's mandate. The periodic meetings of the Working Group are a key forum for consultation, policy formulation and mainstreaming of violence against children within the United Nations agenda. Over the reporting period, this cooperation was of strategic relevance for the organization of the expert consultations on early childhood and on restorative justice for children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Concern about the role of ICTs in generating violence against children has been growing in recent years. In 2006, the United Nations Study on Violence Against Children acknowledged that "the Internet and other developments of communication technologies … appear to be associated with an increased risk of sexual exploitation of children, as well as other forms of violence" (A/61/299, para. 77). The third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents, held in 2008 in Brazil, reaffirmed that concern.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Harmful material and information, including violent, sexually explicit or hateful content, are readily available and may spread quickly, potentially reaching millions in a fraction of a second and remaining in cyberspace for a lifetime. Violence, abuse and exploitation can easily take place in spaces that are not under adult supervision, and parents and caregivers may struggle to keep up with technological developments to monitor children's online activity, especially in countries where digital literacy is low.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- The rapid development and expansion of ICTs have generated new opportunities for the realization of children's rights as well as significant challenges for the protection of children from violence. Cyberbullying is one such challenge. Available information about this phenomenon, its impact on children and on measures to prevent and address it remains limited. Nonetheless, research and experience in different regions suggest a number of key areas in which action is needed to ensure children's safety and protection.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 3
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative remains strongly committed to accelerating progress in the protection of children from violence and to seizing the unique opportunity presented by the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The inclusion in the 2030 Agenda of a distinct target, target 16.2, to eliminate all forms of violence against children is an historic achievement that can galvanize political will and reignite action to build a world free from fear and from violence for all, leaving no child behind.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2017
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 36b
- Paragraph text
- [To address these concerns, in 2012 the Special Representative organized an expert consultation and issued a joint report (A/HRC/21/25) with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and OHCHR, and highlighted the urgency of:]Introducing a legal prohibition of all forms of violence within the juvenile justice system, including as a form of punishment, treatment or sentencing and establishing by law safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaints mechanisms to prevent and respond to incidents of violence; raising the age of criminal responsibility in line with international human rights standards; recognizing deprivation of liberty as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate time and putting in place an effective system of restorative justice and non-custodial options for children;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- [The Bali meeting adopted important policy recommendations, highlighting the following areas:] Training and guidance - Effective training should be assured to all relevant law enforcement and justice actors, including the police, prosecutors, the judiciary, probation officers, lawyers, social workers, facilitators and mediators. It should provide skills to promote dialogue, manage emotions and conflict, and secure safety of child participants; and address child rights and relevant legislation, as well as diversion, restorative justice processes and other alternative non-custodial measures. Guidelines and standard operational procedures should be developed for professionals involved in this process.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- [The Bali meeting adopted important policy recommendations, highlighting the following areas:] Coordination, adequate resources, data and research - Coordination between restorative justice service providers and justice actors should be institutionalized at the national and local levels, and close cooperation should be encouraged between relevant stakeholders. Availability of a sufficient number of well-trained professionals in the area of restorative justice should be secured. Data, research and evaluation of restorative justice programmes for children should be promoted as a critical dimension of this process to safeguard the best interests of the child at all times, promote the child's reintegration and prevent violence and recidivism.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The protection of children from enforced disappearances is a concern that was raised by the Special Representative in her field visits. To prevent and address this serious form of violence, it is critical to promote child-sensitive truth-seeking and redress measures, as well as comprehensive psychological care and support for the long-lasting reintegration of child victims. Moreover, child-friendly procedures need to be in place to secure children's genuine participation in proceedings, to support the child with information that he or she can fully understand and to prevent the risk of revictimization.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- These various concerns were given special attention in the field visits conducted by the Special Representative and will continue to be addressed in 2014.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 77
- 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 and lack of cooperation 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 or enable the prevention of violence to have a genuine chance of succeeding.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 101
- Paragraph text
- Economically advanced nations are also implementing severe cutbacks in social spending and promoting budgetary austerity measures to reduce national debt and strengthen 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 agriculture may be on the rise as a result of shrinking family income. As highlighted by the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, increasingly difficult socioeconomic situations for families and high levels of stress and pressure can result in serious risks of domestic violence towards children and needs to be carefully monitored.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- The protection of the rights of children with disabilities was another important area of cooperation (see box VI).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, human rights treaty bodies and special procedures of the Human Rights Council continued to feature highly in the Special Representative's agenda. In this regard, the collaboration with the Committee on the Rights of the Child focused on the advancement of the global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child; follow-up to the Committee's concluding observations in the context of field visits; and support to the development and implementation of general comments, especially No. 15 (2013) on the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health; No. 16 (2013) on State obligations regarding the impact of the business sector on children's rights; and No. 17 (2013) on the right of the child to rest, leisure, play, recreational activities, cultural life and the arts.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Cooperation with the International Labour Organization served to highlight violence endured by children in settings where they work, advance implementation of the road map for achieving the elimination of the worst forms of child labour by 2016, and prepare for the third Global Conference on Child Labour. While on mission in El Salvador, the Special Representative joined the Government and the International Labour Organization in commemorating the World Day against Child Labour, on 12 June, highlighting the situation of children in domestic work in the national and international context. The commemoration of the day was also promoted at an event in New York.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- In response to a call made by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for consolidation of knowledge on violence against indigenous children, the Special Representative joined hands with UNICEF, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Labour Organization in the development of the study entitled "Breaking the silence on violence against indigenous girls, adolescents and young women: a call to action based on an overview of existing evidence from Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America" (May 2013).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- The survey yielded important information about national and regional initiatives supporting meaningful participation of children in processes and initiatives. In some cases, these have led to the adoption of significant children's declarations in the framework of regional consultations on violence against children. A number of countries promoted the establishment of children and youth councils and parliaments and introduced policy and legal provisions on children's participation, while supporting the involvement of children in the design and implementation of laws and policies through consultations, seminars and workshops.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- The implementation of the Study recommendations over the last three years has also helped a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of violence and the importance of maintaining a holistic view of the child in all initiatives for violence prevention and elimination. It is indispensable to address the cumulative exposure of children to various manifestations of violence in different contexts and throughout the child's life cycle. Indeed, for children at risk, violence in the home, the school and the community is often a continuum, spilling over from one setting to another and, at times, persisting across generations.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- In its report, the High-level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda pays significant attention to the right of freedom from fear and from violence, recognizing this as "the most fundamental human entitlement, and the essential foundation for building peaceful and prosperous societies." It stressed: "To fulfil our vision of promoting sustainable development, we must go beyond the [Millennium Development Goals]. They did not focus enough on reaching the very poorest and most excluded people. They were silent on the devastating effects of conflict and violence on development."
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- This is an area where the international community can capitalize on the important efforts promoted within and beyond the United Nations system, including quantitative and qualitative monitoring tools developed by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the World Health Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and others that play a role in child protection. There is in fact a sound foundation to build upon, including data on child and maternal mortality, on homicides, on sexual violence, female genital mutilation and child and forced marriage, on birth registration and on violent child disciplinary practices, as well as on attitudes towards violence, confidence in justice and security institutions, and on willingness to report incidents of violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- At the time the report was prepared, more than 1 million children were deprived of their liberty worldwide, most in pretrial detention or for minor offences, and countless children faced violent and degrading treatment throughout the criminal justice process (ibid., paras. 8, 39). Many children are exposed to psychological, physical and sexual violence during arrest and interrogation, or while being held in police custody; they are vulnerable to violence at the hands of staff and adult detainees in detention centres; and they also endure violence as a form of punishment or sentencing. Children also suffer deep trauma when their parents face inhuman sentencing, such as stoning, amputation, capital punishment and life sentencing.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 41d
- Paragraph text
- [In some countries, important legislative initiatives have addressed violence against children with albinism and those accused of witchcraft, criminalizing harmful practices and issuing protective measures to secure children's safety and protection. Legislation is, however, insufficient to change superstition and deeply rooted beliefs. To ensure the protection of these children, the Special Representative has called for a comprehensive strategy highlighting, the following measures:] Ensuring a universal vital registration system. The universal and mandatory registration of births is indispensable to plan for the basic social services children are entitled to, and provide the special assistance victims of social exclusion particularly need; it helps to secure children's protection; and is crucial to break the invisibility of the violence that these children endure.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 41f
- Paragraph text
- [In some countries, important legislative initiatives have addressed violence against children with albinism and those accused of witchcraft, criminalizing harmful practices and issuing protective measures to secure children's safety and protection. Legislation is, however, insufficient to change superstition and deeply rooted beliefs. To ensure the protection of these children, the Special Representative has called for a comprehensive strategy highlighting, the following measures:] There is a need to ensure the recovery and reintegration of child victims. This is critical and should be promoted in a nurturing environment that fosters children's health, self-respect and dignity, and supports the development of their full potential in life.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 115
- Paragraph text
- Although significant progress has been achieved, this process needs nurturing to translate the vision of the Study into reality and ensure it takes root and results in real change for all children. As highlighted by the findings of the global survey, it is crucial to sustain the achievements made, scale up positive initiatives and widen the ownership of this process of social change. But very especially, 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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Significant legislative reforms have been undertaken to prohibit violence in all its forms, including within the family. At the end of 2014, some 45 countries had comprehensive legal bans, triple the number in place in 2006. In order to support implementation, many States have promoted information and social mobilization campaigns, capacity-building initiatives for professionals working with and for children, and initiatives to promote positive parenting and non-violent discipline. That has led to a decrease in the acceptance of the use of violence, and a greater tendency to report incidents of violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Lack of data and research remain pressing challenges, but promising progress has taken place in that area with the development of national data surveys on violence against children in a number of countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Those efforts helped to inform the design and implementation of multisectoral policy and programme responses, the promotion of training initiatives and the issuance of guidance for professionals. In support of that process, in October 2014, the Special Representative joined the Government of Cambodia in launching its national household survey, the first to be completed in the East Asia and Pacific region.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- In order to capture the wealth of children's opinions, the Special Representative undertook, in close cooperation with civil society partners, a review of a wide range of reports and contributions to the post-2015 agenda debate, including many national consultations held around the world. The review informed the Special Representative's report "Why children's protection from violence must be at the heart of the post-2015 development agenda: A review of consultations with children on the post-2015 development agenda".The report shows that children are eager to have a voice on the post-2015 development agenda. The message from the more than eight hundred thousand children involved in the numerous consultations is clear and unambiguous: "violence is a major obstacle to child development and it urgently needs to be brought to an end!"
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- The Children's Rights and Business Principles, jointly developed by UNICEF, the UN Global Compact and Save the Children, is the first comprehensive set of principles to guide companies' actions in the workplace, the marketplace and the community to respect and support children's rights. The ITU Guidelines for Industry on Child Online Protection, developed with UNICEF, identify ways for industry to integrate child rights into policy and management; processes for handling child sexual abuse material, establishing safe and age-appropriate online environments; and ways of promoting the positive use of ICTs and online safety education for children, parents and teachers.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Families
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- Capitalizing on implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Study on Violence Against Children, the children's digital agenda should be integrated as a core component of any national comprehensive policy framework to prevent and address all forms of violence against children. The agenda needs to be well-coordinated, adequately funded and include clear time-bound goals and a transparent process to monitor and evaluate progress. The agenda should be promoted with the involvement of all stakeholders, and informed by the views and experiences of children and young people online, including those exposed to abuse. In a number of countries, such as Costa Rica (see box below), child safety online has become a priority in the policy agenda.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- In the framework of her cooperation with the Council of Europe, in March 2014, the Special Representative participated in the High Level Conference held in Dubrovnik (Croatia), which reviewed progress in the implementation of the Council's Strategy for the Rights of the Child 2012-2015. The elimination of violence against children is one of its core objectives. Framed by the sound normative work of the Council, including on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, on cybercrime and on gender and domestic violence, the meeting promoted the further implementation of the vast array of policy guidelines, training programmes and awareness campaigns for violence prevention and response. As a follow-up, enhanced efforts will be made to support positive parenting, child participation and empowerment in the digital world, and child-friendly justice, social services and health care. Moreover, the Council was invited to address the vulnerability of children impacted by the economic crisis in Europe; and the role of education, media and advertising in preserving children's human dignity, and combating gender stereotypes and sexual violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- According to significant research conducted in Europe by EU Kids Online, more than 70 per cent of children 9 to 16 years old use the Internet; in some countries this figure rises to more than 90 per cent. In a recent survey conducted with adolescents in nine countries in Latin America, the vast majority recognized the potential of the Internet for enjoying access to cultural activities, supporting their studies and carrying out group work for school through virtual connections; and significantly, more than 80 per cent considered quality access to the Internet as a fundamental human right. As many of them highlighted, "technology is not bad; it depends on the use one makes of it".
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- The ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children will conduct an annual review of implementation of the Plan of Action based on reporting by member States. The first five years will focus on priority areas, including the promotion of non-violent approaches to child discipline, the deinstitutionalization of children, the protection of children from online abuse, the prevention of deprivation of liberty and the promotion of alternatives to judicial proceedings for children in contact with the law as well as targeted campaigns to raise awareness among policymakers and the general public in support of the elimination of violence against children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- Research on gangs in Honduras has shed some light on factors that lead adolescents to join or leave a gang. Joining a gang is more likely for a young person whose parents are absent for economic reasons, including as a result of migration, and for whom no other authority figure has stepped in. In one group studied, gang members who had lost their parents saw the gang as a replacement family. In another group, gang members were far more driven by financial reasons, regarding the leader as the boss of the business. Overall, the most common reasons for leaving the gang were the birth of a first child, concern about damage being caused to family members, the opportunity to move to a different neighbourhood, commitment to the community and having a spiritual experience.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Families
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 9a
- Paragraph text
- [The following strategic dimensions of this important agenda in which significant progress has been made are highlighted in the report:] Consolidating the human rights foundation for protecting children from violence through the launch in 2010 of the campaign for universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This has led to a steady increase in the number of ratifications to the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, in force in 171 countries, and to the promotion of new international standards, including the Optional Protocol on a communications procedure which, by the end of 2015, was in force in 22 countries; the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence against Children in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 69/194;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Those are promising developments, yet progress remains slow and uneven and the urgency of protecting children from violence has not diminished. As highlighted by recent United Nations reports, every year almost 1 billion children between the ages of 2 and 14 are subject to physical punishment by their caregivers; 84 million girls are victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands or partners; child trafficking continues to increase, in some regions reaching more than 60 per cent of identified victims; and 8 per cent of global homicides affect children under the age of 15, while more than 50 per cent affect young people below the age of 30.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 9c
- Paragraph text
- [The following strategic dimensions of this important agenda in which significant progress has been made are highlighted in the report:] Promoting regional processes for the implementation of the recommendations of the study on violence against children by holding seven high-level regional consultations in South America, Central America, the Caribbean, South Asia, the Pacific, Europe and the Arab region; issuing six regional reports and holding periodic review meetings to assess and accelerate progress; and hosting five cross-regional round tables to enhance cooperation for violence prevention and elimination. Current efforts are designed to build upon regional plans to support implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 75c
- Paragraph text
- [Recent research on this topic has revealed a number of significant and worrying developments:] Of the content depicting children 15 years of age or younger, 93.1 per cent featured girls;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- Certain groups disproportionally exposed to the risk of cyberbullying, for example children with disabilities or special educational needs, are significantly more likely to be bullied than others. Young people with disabilities have indicated that they can be actively discouraged from using the Internet because adults are afraid that they may be bullied or because of concerns about Internet safety. However, those who have participated in consultations on cyberbullying have highlighted the many positive aspects of using the Internet. ICTs and the Internet can help children overcome many of the challenges they may face, including by decreasing social isolation through online participation and the use of social networks. Some children with disabilities expressed the view that using the Internet was liberating and empowering, as it provided a means of dealing with some of their struggles. The Internet allowed them to connect with other people with similar experiences; get support for problems such as bullying from message boards, forums and videos; and build social connections, particularly when they were experiencing social difficulties or isolation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 9d
- Paragraph text
- [The following strategic dimensions of this important agenda in which significant progress has been made are highlighted in the report:] Strengthening national implementation efforts (see A/70/289, paras. 7-16) to free children from violence, especially through the adoption and implementation of comprehensive multisectoral national agendas, which are now in place in more than 90 countries, most recently in the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria and Norway; the enactment of national legislation banning all forms of violence against children by 50 countries, most recently in Ireland, the Lao People's Democratic Republic and Peru; and the consolidation of data systems, including through national household surveys in 15 countries in Asia and Africa, most recently concluded in Cambodia, Malawi and Nigeria;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Accountability and leadership for children need to translate into safe and violent-free environments in their homes, schools and neighbourhoods.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- As underscored by the global survey on violence against children Toward a World Free from Violence, conducted by the Special Representative in 2013, there is no time for complacency. It is crucial to consolidate the gains that have been made, grasp the lessons learned and redouble efforts to shape a dynamic process of change and build a world where all children can grow up free from violence. The cost of inaction for every child and for the social progress of humanity is too great to be borne. The opportunity for change is too close to let slip. In 2016, as the international community commemorates the tenth anniversary of the study and embarks on implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, the protection of children from violence needs to be at the front and centre of the policy actions of every nation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- National Sustainable Development Goal reviews are a crucial contribution to ensuring investment in children and building a world in which every child grows up free from violence. The Special Representative is strongly committed to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals national review process, which has been high on the agenda of her field missions and was a central dimension of her 2016 cross-regional round table with regional organizations and institutions. The experience gained from the first set of national voluntary review reports will provide strategic input to future reporting, follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda implementation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The identification of robust indicators on the prevalence and severity of children's exposure to violence is another critical dimension of the Special Representative's advocacy efforts and is crucial to capturing the magnitude and impact of violence on children and to assessing progress towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goal targets related to combating violence, especially target 16.2. As a member of the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators, she strongly advocated the inclusion of three indicators on children's exposure to sexual, physical and emotional violence, which were later adopted by the Statistical Commission.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The First African Girls' Summit on Ending Child Marriage in Africa was held in Lusaka in November 2015. Hosted by the African Union and the Government of Zambia, the Summit gathered Heads of State and Government, ministers responsible for gender and children, United Nations entities, development partners, civil society organizations and religious and traditional leaders, as well as young people who have experienced child marriage. The participants took stock of the progress made to end child marriage across the continent, shared evidence and good practices and renewed their commitment to bringing an end to this and other harmful practices in Africa.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Developed by the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, the Model Law has the potential to inform action to end child marriage. This is an area where incremental progress is being achieved, for example with recent legislative developments in the Gambia and the United Republic of Tanzania. In 2015, Malawi adopted the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act, which raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 years. The social mobilization around that process and the important partnership developed with traditional leaders helped to raise awareness of the new law and achieve important results, including a landmark initiative led by a female traditional chief that resulted in the initial annulment of 330 child marriages in a single district and since then has broken up 850 child marriages and banned the sexual initiation of girls.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- The study is a high priority for the mandate of the Special Representative, and she has facilitated the initial coordination and planning efforts in the lead-up to its development, in partnership with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the Committee on the Rights of the Child. To prepare the ground, the Special Representative has spearheaded efforts to establish an institutional framework, including a United Nations inter-agency task force, a civil society forum and a cross-regional academic research network.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- More importantly, it concerns all children. It is indeed critical to invest in children to achieve inclusive, equitable and sustainable development for present and future generations.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- The Regional Plan of Action is aligned with the 2030 Agenda and provides a powerful example of how regional cooperation can support national action on ending violence against children and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal targets related to combating violence. The Plan proposes concrete actions within a realistic time frame, including the promotion of non-violent approaches to child discipline; the deinstitutionalization of children; the protection of children from online abuse; the promotion of child-friendly justice proceedings, prevention of deprivation of liberty of children and promotion of alternatives to detention; and awareness-raising campaigns to break the invisibility of violence and secure the protection of child victims.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- During the Special Representative's mission to East Asia in June 2016, the Government of Viet Nam hosted a joint meeting of ASEAN senior officials of ministries of social welfare and development and the Commission, which will conduct an annual review of the implementation of the Regional Plan of Action based on reporting by ASEAN member States. The meeting helped to further advance national implementation of the Regional Plan of Action and build upon the High Time to End Violence against Children initiative in raising awareness and spurring action towards ending violence against children in ASEAN member States.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- As the central platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, the high-level political forum on sustainable development is critical to ensuring that violence against children is at the heart of the Sustainable Development Goals implementation process. The theme of the high-level political forum in 2016, "Ensuring that no one is left behind", is of particular relevance for children who are exposed to violence. Many of these children suffer in silence, loneliness and fear and are too often left behind in gaining access to appropriate care and support services to overcome their trauma, in benefiting from recovery and reintegration and in developing to their full potential. These were key concerns that the Special Representative raised in her contribution to the 2016 Global Sustainable Development Report.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, within regions, significant developments have been promoted and concrete results achieved to protect children from violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- The Strategy is designed to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and presents important opportunities to strengthen the Special Representative's cooperation with the Council and to enhance support to member States in their efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals and accelerate progress towards reaching target 16.2. This includes supporting the enactment of legislation to ban all forms of violence and establish child-friendly counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence; developing integrated national strategies on the protection of children from violence and identifying strategic indicators to monitor progress towards reaching target 16.2; and supporting the Council of Europe in its role as a clearing house to enable access to sound data and experiences and as a platform for peer support among Governments.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- In Africa, the Special Representative has further pursued her cooperation with Member States, institutions and other partners. This collaborative framework is built on the global launch of the African Report on Violence against Children in February 2015 and was strengthened at an African Union conference held in Addis Ababa in November 2015. On the occasion of the commemoration by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Special Representative, together with UNICEF and the African Child Policy Forum, presented a review of regional progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children with a vision of building an Africa fit for its children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Over the past year, the Special Representative has promoted important processes and mobilization initiatives to strengthen the protection of children from violence around the world with national authorities, United Nations agencies, regional organizations, non-governmental and faith-based organizations, the private sector and the media, as well as child-led networks. The year was marked by the adoption of several regional plans of action to prevent and eliminate violence against children and the promotion of significant partnerships to mobilize support for their protection. At the national level, important progress was made with the enactment of new legislation to ban violence in all its forms, the adoption of policy frameworks to guide implementation, and the further consolidation of data and research to inform evidence-based action.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The implementation of the 2030 Agenda requires strengthened partnerships and the mobilization of significant resources. A broad global alliance uniting Governments, civil society, community and religious leaders, the private sector, international organizations and all other actors, including children themselves, is crucial for widening social support and promoting implementation, follow-up and review of progress. For this reason, the Special Representative will continue to support the global initiatives and partnerships noted above, including the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- In the countdown to 2030, everybody counts and everybody is needed. The High Time initiative mobilizes innovative talent and creates a space to stimulate and support positive and concrete actions designed to ensure children's protection from violence and reach the violence-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially target 16.2. United Nations actors, Governments, regional intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations, professional networks, the private sector and individuals have signed a pledge and committed to take concrete actions to widen circles of non-violence around children's lives.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Ensuring progress towards achievement of the violence-related targets of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially target 16.2, requires strong leadership, and effective accountability and monitoring mechanisms at the national, regional and global levels. This is a particular concern of the Special Representative, who has promoted consideration of progress towards the violence-related Sustainable Development Goal targets in the reporting and monitoring processes of the treaty bodies and by the Human Rights Council, and in the voluntary national reviews of the high-level political forum on sustainable development.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- All
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Children experience horrific scenes: the killing of their parents, the rape of their sisters, the forced disappearance of their friends. They are exposed to street crime and community violence, to systematic threats and extortion, and to the harassment of gang members who mobilize support within the school or in their neighbourhood. In some cases, children are manipulated by elements of organized crime and forced to take part in criminal activity, including acting as watchers in places where drugs or arms are trafficked or where smugglers congregate. If children refuse to cooperate, they may pay a heavy price, and may even risk losing their lives. Marginalized children in communities where such activities take place are locked into a vicious cycle of exclusion, stigmatization and violence, as they come to be perceived as criminals themselves, feared by members of their communities and at times criminalized by the authorities.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Surrounded by such a devastating reality, children feel ready to embark on a perilous journey of uncertainty and to confront serious risks in the hope of finding a place of safety and security. Girls undertaking this journey face particularly serious risks of abuse and exploitation owing to their youth and gender. Some may be lured by traffickers with false promises of safety, an education or a future job. Others may be fleeing sexual abuse or the threat of a forced marriage; they may even have been sold into marriage by their desperate families, both to avoid the risk of rape and with the hope that the girl will acquire the citizenship of her husband.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- For children on the move, as for any other child who is left behind, we need to transform the continuum of violence that shapes their life into a continuum of protection of their fundamental rights. The world must address these desperate situations urgently. Children's freedom from violence is an ethical and a legal imperative and should not be met with indifference or complacency. It is crucial to strengthen and effectively resource child protection institutions to which children on the move can be referred, and to implement the existing standards and develop adequate monitoring tools to safeguard children's care and safety, to promote durable solutions, to rapidly identify and address risks and to fight impunity.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- In brief, we urgently need to stand up for children on the move and secure their protection because, first and foremost, they are children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- However, progress remains uneven, with insufficient efforts to develop a cohesive and well-resourced national strategy on violence against children; uncoordinated policy interventions; dispersed and ill-enforced legislation; insufficient investment in family support, in capacity-building for professionals, and in safe and child-sensitive mechanisms to address incidents of violence; and overall, with scarce data and research to break the invisibility of this phenomenon and promote evidence-based decision-making.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, while legislation on recovery and reintegration of child victims is mentioned in more than half of the replies, legal redress for acts of violence, including compensation, is reported by only 13 per cent of the respondents.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- Police investigations in many countries are hampered by a lack of capacity to conduct undercover operations, which are vital in investigating crimes such as grooming and the production and distribution of child sexual abuse materials.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Placing the protection of children from violence as a distinct priority and cross-cutting concern in the 2030 Agenda has been a priority for the Special Representative, as has ensuring the inclusion of children's views in this process.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 78
- Paragraph text
- In her address to the Third Committee on 14 October 2009, at the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly (see A/C.3/64/SR.13), the Special Representative recalled the human rights foundation and the framework provided for her mandate by the study and its recommendations; and she presented the key priority areas for her work, namely, the development of a national strategy to prevent and respond to violence against children, the adoption of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children, and the consolidation of research and data systems in this area.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Recalling the still frequent perception of violence as a needed form of discipline and the insufficient attention given to this phenomenon by laws, policies and school institutions, she placed a special emphasis on the adoption of legislation to firmly ban all violence in schools; the development of awareness-raising and capacity-building initiatives for professionals; the promotion of mediation and conflict resolution through non-violent means; as well as the promotion of participatory processes with the involvement of all stakeholders, including children themselves.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Children with disabilities are less able than other children to escape the threat of violence or to report the abuses that they have endured. These difficulties become insurmountable when their only point of reference is the abuser, be it a family member, a neighbour or a professional worker on whom they depend. They may be unwilling to complain, fearing that if they do so they will lose the support of caregivers and the attention and affection of those on whom they have come to rely. Access to counselling, reporting and complaint services may be physically difficult to gain.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- The strong commitment of and crucial role played by young people have been instrumental in reducing the invisibility of violence, mobilizing public attention and generating action and debate. Their voices and influence have been further consolidated through the development of national and regional networks of child-led organizations involved in advocacy for children's protection from violence. As noted elsewhere in the present report, child-led initiatives and networks are also often represented in regional governance structures established for the study follow-up.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58b
- 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 establishment of a governance system in which all stakeholders participate;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58d
- 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 dissemination of anti-bullying messages in the community at large.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- For vulnerable groups of children, including girls, children with disabilities, children belonging to minority or indigenous groups, and children affected by HIV and AIDS, these efforts must be redoubled. Such children face particular challenges in gaining access to schooling and in remaining in school. They are more likely to be subjected to violence or to be disregarded when they seek advice about or report incidents of violence. As a result, they may end up choosing not to report violence for fear of drawing attention to themselves.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Data and research are indispensable if we are to expose the hidden face of violence and address its root causes; understand perceptions and attitudes regarding this phenomenon, including among girls and boys of various ages and social backgrounds; identify children at greater risk and effectively support them; and assess the economic costs of violence and the social gains that can be achieved through steady investment in prevention. These are areas where consolidated partnerships and the acceleration of efforts will remain of the essence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- In addition to the 29 countries that have introduced an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children in all contexts, several have adopted specific legislation to counter violence in schools. In the majority of countries, violence in schools, including the ill treatment and beating of children, is considered impermissible and is punished with disciplinary measures. When certain more serious forms of violence occur, such as sexual harassment or abuse, the outcome may be the dismissal and prosecution of those found responsible.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- The partnership with the Committee on the Rights of the Child has been particularly strategic, including in encouraging the universal ratification and effective implementation of international children's rights treaties, promoting advocacy and law reform on violence prevention and elimination, and establishing safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence. The Committee's adoption of a general comment on the right of the child to freedom from violence opens new avenues for strategic cooperation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- In the Americas, follow-up to the United Nations study on violence against children has been carried out within the framework of the Twentieth Pan American Child Congress and the strong institutional cooperation developed with the Inter-American Children's Institute of the Organization of the American States, the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Latin American and Caribbean chapter of the Global Movement for Children, and the Ibero-American Conference of Ministers Responsible for Children and Adolescents.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Over the past year, the regional process of follow-up has been further strengthened, with the organization of three regional consultations: in Central America, in December 2011, hosted in Santo Domingo by the Government of the Dominican Republic; in the Caribbean region, in May 2012, hosted in Kingston by the Government of Jamaica in cooperation with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM); and in South Asia, in May 2012, hosted in Colombo by the Government of Sri Lanka, with the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children and the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 61b
- Paragraph text
- [While stronger efforts remain critically needed, the following lessons, also highlighted by the above-mentioned regional reviews, can help guide the work ahead:] It is critical to establish effective high-level coordinating mechanisms with the necessary authority and influence, and to clarify the role and responsibilities of departments and institutions dealing with violence against children in order both to avoid overlap and to promote synergies, and to train relevant professionals on child-sensitive violence prevention and response mechanisms;
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- These studies have triggered important policy developments at the international, regional and national levels. The study on child-sensitive mechanisms has become an influential reference point in respect of support for the implementation of the Optional Protocol on a communications procedure. The report tackling violence in schools has generated significant policy discussions at the regional and national levels, most recently following the launch of its Spanish-language version during the Special Representative's visit to El Salvador.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- The analysis of Governments' responses, together with the overall findings from the global survey, constitute a crucial reference for the years ahead. The findings confirm the urgency of consolidating and scaling up initiatives to achieve the three priority goals pursued by the Special Representative, namely developing a well-coordinated and well-resourced national agenda on violence against children, enacting a comprehensive and explicit legal ban on all forms of violence and consolidating data and research to inform accelerated progress in this field.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Poverty, vulnerability and economic hardship are factors of stress in the community and the home, generating higher incidence of violence, including domestic violence. As families struggle to meet their basic needs, children may be pressed to drop out from school to contribute to household income; girls may be placed at risk of involvement in hazardous economic activities, including domestic service, begging and sexual exploitation, or forced to marry - the risk of getting married before 18 years is three times higher amongst poor girls.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- The partnership with the Central American Integration System was further advanced with the participation of the Special Representative at the Ministerial Meeting of the Commission on Security, held in May in the Dominican Republic. The meeting provided a strategic platform to discuss the impact on children of armed violence, drug trafficking and organized crime, including in the context of migration to identify measures to address these serious manifestations of violence. One important outcome was the agreement to include these dimensions in the Central American Strategy on Security.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- This report reviews major developments in sustaining and scaling up efforts to protect children from violence. It builds upon the progress made in implementation of the recommendations of the study and takes into account the global survey on violence against children, conducted by the Special Representative in collaboration with a wide range of partners. The preliminary results of the global survey were highlighted in the 2012 Special Representative's report to the General Assembly (A/67/230, paras. 50-99) and are addressed in greater detail in a separate publication.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 107
- Paragraph text
- In line with the priorities anticipated for the second term of the mandate, enhanced efforts were promoted to anchor the study recommendations in the national policy agenda; to tackle emerging concerns, including those associated with the use of information and communications technologies; to safeguard freedom from violence in early childhood and across the child's life cycle, with priority attention to the most excluded; and to promote the inclusion of violence against children as a crucial dimension in the development agenda.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Since the launch of the campaign, the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography has received 29 additional ratifications and is currently in force in 166 countries. Of the 27 States not yet party to the Optional Protocol, the majority have made formal commitments to its ratification in the framework of the universal periodic review process of the Human Rights Council, and before the Committee on the Rights of the Child and other human rights mechanisms.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children remains pervasive and concealed and continues to affect millions of children in all stages of development. In early childhood its impact is often irreversible, damaging the development of the brain, compromising children's physical and mental health, and in serious cases leading to disability and death. As children grow up, the cumulative exposure to various manifestations of violence often becomes a continuum, spilling over from one context to another, spreading across a child's life cycle and at times persisting across generations.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Characterized by an imbalance of power, cyberbullying can cause profound harm. Although the impact depends on the character and circumstances of the victim, the particular type of cyberbullying and the degree to which it violates a child's integrity and dignity, victims commonly experience anxiety, fear, distress, confusion, anger, insecurity, lowered self-esteem, a strong sense of shame and even suicidal thoughts. Children's performance at school may suffer due to psychological distress or they may play truant to avoid being bullied. School dropout rates can also be higher among victims.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- The Model Strategies provide a significant reference for national efforts aimed at a justice system framed by children's rights, and at preventing violence against children and securing victims' protection. They promote children's access to justice and participation in judicial proceedings, and a non-intimidating environment where crime prevention is given serious attention and children's rights are safeguarded at all times, including in situations of deprivation of liberty. Furthermore, they put in place accountability systems to fight impunity.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Civil & Political Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- A coherent legal framework is essential for the success of efforts to reduce gun proliferation and prevent armed violence. Legislation should prevent access to guns by children and restrictions on arms in schools and other public settings where children may be placed at risk. It should set high standards for permission to acquire, possess or use guns; limit the number and types of guns permitted for different categories of users; and make authorized owners accountable, while removing weapons from people who cannot meet those standards of responsibility.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 121d
- Paragraph text
- [With that aim, the Special Representative will mobilize enhanced support for the consolidation of progress in the priority areas of her mandate, and will pay special attention to: ] Further mainstreaming violence-related concerns in the United Nations agenda, through support for the report of the Secretary-General on protecting children from bullying and the global study on children deprived of liberty, to be submitted to the General Assembly at its seventy-first and seventy-second sessions respectively.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- While cyberbullying can extend far beyond the school setting and its consequences can affect children's well-being and school performance, schools are in a unique position to promote non-violent behaviour and support changes in attitudes that condone violence. Through quality education, children can gain the skills and abilities to avoid and address risks and become well-informed and responsible digital citizens. The best way to deal with cyberbullying is to prevent it, and the school is an ideal setting for taking action that benefits the whole community of students.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Held in closed institutions, psychiatric centres or adult prisons, where they await trial for long periods of time, these children often lack genuine opportunities to access justice and challenge the legality of their detention, or to benefit from education and vocational training and long-lasting social reintegration. Once deprived of liberty, children are at heightened risk of human rights violations, including harassment, sexual abuse and acts of torture. They may also be subjected to violence as a form of discipline, punishment or sentencing.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- That approach has led to the increasing severity of criminal penalties, the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility and criminalization of the lower levels of illegal organizations, where the involvement of marginalized children and teenagers is concentrated. Young offenders tend to be incarcerated in overcrowded detention centres, at times together with adults, risking engagement with criminal gangs which control their communities beyond the prison walls. Rather than enhancing prevention, this leads to greater violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- The promotion of social inclusion, empathy and anger management, mediation and peaceful conflict resolution at school and in the community helps to build spaces of coexistence and dialogue, to address grief and to overcome differences, tensions and the stigmatization of children at risk. Age-, gender- and culturally sensitive initiatives provide opportunities to invest in young people's potential and self-esteem, to express diversity and gain leadership skills through sports and art and to offer a better chance in education and a different path in life.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Bullying and cyberbullying torment millions of children. These insidious forms of violence are among children's top concerns and a key reason why children contact a helpline. As highlighted by the Special Representative in her new study on this topic, Ending the Torment: Tackling Bullying from the Schoolyard to Cyberspace, whether verbal, psychological or physical, whether in schools or outside of education facilities, bullying is often associated with discrimination and stereotyping of children who are in vulnerable situations (see box).
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Joining forces with United Nations partners, the Special Representative has successfully promoted the mainstreaming of the protection of children from violence in the United Nations policy agenda. This collaborative effort has resulted in groundbreaking standards and action plans, including the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons, as well as studies and mobilization campaigns that in turn have guided regional and national strategies, policies and measures for the prevention and elimination of violence against children.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- There has been progress on these issues in Malawi, including the adoption in 2015 of the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act, which increased the minimum age of marriage to 18 years; the Government's commitment, in November 2016, to align the Constitution with that legislation and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; and the crucial role played by traditional leaders in mobilizing their communities to prevent the early and forced marriage of girls and to ensure their return to school to pursue their education.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Regional organizations and institutions have become crucial players in these efforts. Some intergovernmental regional organizations, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Council of Europe, have already adopted new regional plans on violence against children aligned with the 2030 Agenda. Others, such as the League of Arab States, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children and the High-level Authorities on Human Rights of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) are promoting similar efforts.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- It is indeed high time to close the gap between the commitments to prevent and address violence against children and the action that can translate this goal into a reality for all children, leaving no child behind. It is high time to genuinely address the root causes of violence and promote a culture of respect for children's rights and of zero tolerance of violence. It is high time to mobilize and ignite the passion of all those who can actively engage in the creation of circles of non-violence in children's homes, schools and communities.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 121
- Paragraph text
- Guided by the human rights imperative of freeing children from violence, by the evidence gathered over recent years and by the historic opportunity offered by the 2030 Agenda to promote a quantum leap in prevention and response efforts, the Special Representative reaffirms her resolve to mobilize even greater support and action towards a world free from violence against children, in close collaboration with Member States and all other stakeholders, most especially children themselves.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- Poverty and violence also shape the life of the majority of children affected by HIV and AIDS. The pandemic has stripped away traditional social support networks and is associated with a higher risk of social exclusion, stigma and discrimination, school dropout and limited access to information and treatment, while paving the way to enhanced risks of violence. In turn, rape, intimate partner violence and sexual abuse, as well as harmful practices including child and forced marriage, increase the risk of exposure to HIV infection.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The findings indicate a promising process of change. There is ever-growing ratification of treaties on children's protection; violence against children is gaining visibility in national agendas, with increasing legislative action, policy interventions and information campaigns to safeguard children's freedom from violence; and promising initiatives help to capture the magnitude and incidence of this phenomenon and its impact on children's daily lives and enhance participation of children in advocacy and decision-making processes.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- Public fear of gang violence and youth crime has generated social pressure for the criminalization of children and adolescents, lower minimum ages of criminal responsibility and longer sentences of imprisonment. This has been accompanied by media stigmatization of children from disadvantaged groups and a culture of tolerance of violence against them. In this process, poor rule of law and weak law enforcement performance, together with public fear of retaliation, lead to sporadic convictions and a deep sense of impunity.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Around the world, countless numbers of girls and boys fall victim to harmful practices. Often violent in nature, these practices compromise the development and education of the child, have serious and long-lasting health and psychological consequences, and may result in disability or death. At the same time, positive experiences have led to the successful abandonment of these practices and a lasting commitment by concerned communities to prevent their occurrence and safeguard the protection of children's rights.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 36d
- Paragraph text
- [To address these concerns, in 2012 the Special Representative organized an expert consultation and issued a joint report (A/HRC/21/25) with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and OHCHR, and highlighted the urgency of:]Ensuring qualified and trained personnel through a sound system of selection, recruitment and retention of competent professionals, and continued education and capacity-building on children's rights and juvenile justice standards to prevent and address violence against children; and
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Cross-regional cooperation prepares the ground for cross-fertilization of national and regional experiences and sharing of good practices and lessons learned. It also provides a foundation for building a culture of respect for children's rights and their protection from violence and strengthening cooperation with key stakeholders and allies. One tangible outcome of this process has been the development of an information hub to support knowledge-sharing and facilitate access to information on the process of follow-up to the Study.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 53
- 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. The survey was designed to gain perspective on achievements, reflect on good practices and success factors and boost efforts to overcome persistent challenges and consolidate violence prevention and elimination. The survey findings are a critical reference for fast-tracking progress in children's protection from violence.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2013
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- Children have high expectations of this process. They want a future where all children, and everyone else, can enjoy a safe, happy and healthy life, free from fear and from violence. This is their vision. But, as they often stress, a vision without a plan is only a nice dream, and a plan without a vision can become a nightmare. The implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals can help build a world as big as children's dreams. This is children's ambition, and this is the noble cause the world has before it.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- As implementation of the 2030 Agenda starts, countless children are already being left behind. This includes children deprived of their liberty. Children in vulnerable situations, including those who have run away from domestic violence, those who live on the street and those who are victims of trafficking, prostitution, organized crime or conflict situations are at special risk; still others may end up in detention as a result of mental health and drug abuse, or because of their status as migrants or asylum seekers.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- While the follow-up and review of progress will be pursued at all levels (national, regional and global), the lynchpin of monitoring is at the national level. States are expected to promote an inclusive, transparent and integrated process, supported by sound data and evidence. Participatory national consultations can provide a space for open, constructive and innovative dialogue with all stakeholders, including children, to raise awareness of the 2030 Agenda and to mobilize support to end violence in all its forms.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
- 2017
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
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
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.
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- 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
Paragraph