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Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2017
- Document code
- A/72/275
Document
Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2018
- Document code
- A/73/276
Document
Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2019
- Document code
- A/74/259
Document
Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2023
- Document code
- A/HRC/52/61
Document
Annual report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2018
- Document code
- A/HRC/37/48
Document
Report of the Secretary-General on the issue of child, early and forced marriage
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2018
- Document code
- A/73/257
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2012
- Document code
- A/67/230
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2010
- Document code
- A/65/262
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2016
- Document code
- A/71/206
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2011
- Document code
- A/66/227
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2015
- Document code
- A/HRC/28/55
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2013
- Document code
- A/HRC/22/55
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2011
- Document code
- A/HRC/16/54
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2013
- Document code
- A/68/274
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2010
- Document code
- A/HRC/13/46
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2014
- Document code
- A/69/264
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2012
- Document code
- A/HRC/19/64
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2016
- Document code
- A/HRC/31/20
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2017
- Document code
- A/HRC/34/45
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2014
- Document code
- A/HRC/25/47
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Legal status
- Non-negotiated soft law
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Year
- 2015
- Document code
- A/70/289
Document
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- As a global independent advocate in favour of the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children, the Special Representative acts as a bridge-builder and a catalyst of actions in all regions, and across sectors and settings where violence against children may occur; she mobilizes action and political support to maintain momentum around this agenda and to achieve steady progress the world over.
- 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. 8a
- Paragraph text
- [According to General Assembly resolution 62/141, the Special Representative on violence against children will:] Promote the wide dissemination of the United Nations study on violence against children and advance the follow-up to its recommendations;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 8b
- Paragraph text
- [According to General Assembly resolution 62/141, the Special Representative on violence against children will:] Identify and share good practices and promote cross-fertilization of experiences between actors, and across regions and sectors;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 8c
- Paragraph text
- [According to General Assembly resolution 62/141, the Special Representative on violence against children will:] Assist States in their efforts to prevent and respond to all forms of violence against children, particularly to promote a gender perspective and the participation of children, and ensure: - The development of a comprehensive national strategy, policy or plan of action on violence against children, integrated into the national planning process, with realistic, time-bound targets, well resourced, coordinated by an agency with the capacity to involve multiple sectors and systematically evaluated; the adoption of national legislative and other measures to prohibit and eliminate all forms of violence against children, in all settings - The development of national research and the consolidation of data collection, analysis and dissemination systems to inform effective action, mobilize adequate resources and assess progress achieved - The investment in the prevention of violence with the consideration of its underlying causes and risk factors - The promotion of non-violent values and awareness-raising activities to overcome the invisibility and social acceptance of violence against children, support the abandonment of harmful practices and promote positive forms of discipline and child development approaches - The protection of children from violence by those who work with and for children, including through the development of systematic education and training programmes, and the promotion of codes of conduct and clear standards of practice - The provision of accessible, child-sensitive and universal health and social services to ensure children's recovery and reintegration - The establishment of safe, well-publicized, confidential and accessible mechanisms to enable reporting of violence against children and the filing of complaints - The adoption of measures to fight impunity, including through the investigation and prosecution of violence against children and the imposition of appropriate penalties
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- The mandate of the Special Representative is framed by the United Nations study on violence against children and its strategic recommendations; it builds upon public health and child protection initiatives and developments, and envisages the protection of children from violence as a human rights imperative. Indeed, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights instruments provide a firm normative foundation for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. These international standards constitute a sound reference for mainstreaming the protection of children from violence in the national policy agenda, helping to avoid fragmented, diluted or simply reactive solutions and influencing lasting change through their steady implementation. For this reason, the Special Representative promotes the universal ratification and effective implementation of core human rights treaties.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- To move this process forward, the Special Representative on violence against children will act as an independent voice and a global advocate, keeping violence prevention and the protection of children from all forms of violence high on the international agenda, and as a bridge-builder and a catalyst of actions in all regions and in all settings where violence against children may occur; she will promote information-sharing and cross-fertilization of experiences, stimulating evidence-based approaches to preventing violence and safeguarding the right of each child to freedom from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The mandate of the Special Representative builds upon developments in public health and child protection and envisages the protection of children from violence as a human rights imperative. Indeed, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights instruments provide a firm normative foundation for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children. They are an indicator of genuine national commitment to respecting the human dignity of the child at all times; addressing risk factors that compromise children's development and citizenship; investing in the social inclusion of the most vulnerable; and promoting actions that build upon children's best interests, perspectives and experiences. International human rights standards also provide a sound framework for mainstreaming the protection of children from violence in the national policy agenda, helping to avoid fragmented, diluted or simply reactive solutions and influencing lasting change through national implementation informed by good practices and lessons learned.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative makes 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.
- 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. 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.
- 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. 11
- Paragraph text
- The protection of children from violence calls for urgent action. Violence is a harsh reality for millions of children around the world; it remains largely invisible and socially accepted, and it has serious, lifelong emotional and health impacts on children's lives; it undermines child development and learning abilities, inhibits positive relationships, provokes trauma and depression and leads to risk-taking and aggressive behaviour.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The protection of children from violence calls for urgent action. Violence is a harsh reality for millions of children around the world; it remains largely invisible and socially accepted, and it has dramatic and lifelong consequences on children's life and development, carrying with it serious social costs.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 12a
- Paragraph text
- [Guided by this sense of urgency and the need to accelerate progress in key strategic areas, the Special Representative will, over the period of three years foreseen for her mandate, place a priority focus on:] Promoting a strategic agenda, building upon the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 12b
- Paragraph text
- [Guided by this sense of urgency and the need to accelerate progress in key strategic areas, the Special Representative will, over the period of three years foreseen for her mandate, place a priority focus on:] Strengthening key partnerships to achieve progress in the follow-up to the study;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 12c
- Paragraph text
- [Guided by this sense of urgency and the need to accelerate progress in key strategic areas, the Special Representative will, over the period of three years foreseen for her mandate, place a priority focus on:] Securing firm support, including sound funding, to promote progress in children's protection from all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Guided by this sense of urgency and the need to accelerate progress in key strategic areas, over the period of three years foreseen for her mandate, the Special Representative will place a priority focus on: - Promoting a strategic agenda, building upon the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children - Strengthening key partnerships to achieve progress in the follow-up to the study - Securing firm support, including sound funding to promote progress in violence prevention and in the protection of children from all forms of violence
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 13a
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. Those areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention. For that reason, in the broad framework of the study's recommendations, the Special Representative gives priority attention to initiatives aimed at:] The development in each State of a national comprehensive strategy to prevent and address all forms of violence against children, mainstreamed in the national planning process, coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities in this area, and supported by adequate human and financial resources to support implementation;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 13b
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. Those areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention. For that reason, in the broad framework of the study's recommendations, the Special Representative gives priority attention to initiatives aimed at:] The introduction of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children, in all settings;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 13c
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. Those areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention. For that reason, in the broad framework of the study's recommendations, the Special Representative gives priority attention to initiatives aimed at:] The consolidation of a national system of data collection, analysis and dissemination, and a research agenda on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- The 12 overarching recommendations of the study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses, in all settings where children may be at risk. In view of the particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three strategic overarching recommendations. These areas remain critical and require renewed and firm attention at all levels. For this reason, in the broad framework of the study's recommendations, the Special Representative will give priority attention to initiatives aimed at: - The development in each State of a national comprehensive strategy to prevent and respond to all forms of violence, mainstreamed in the national planning process, coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities in this area, supported by adequate human and financial resources to support implementation and effectively evaluated - The introduction of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children, in all settings - The promotion of a national system of data collection, analysis and dissemination, and a research agenda on violence against children
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- A national strategy helps to shape a vision and mobilize action and resources for violence prevention and response. With strategic time-bound goals, it provides a navigation chart to stimulate and monitor progress, and support a process of lasting change. To be effective, the strategy needs to be mainstreamed in the national policy and development agenda, adequately supported by sound human and financial resources, and evaluated on a regular basis; and it needs to be coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities on children's issues and with authority to articulate activities across governmental departments, in association with relevant stakeholders.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- The process of development of the study generated solid and strategic alliances, within and beyond the United Nations system, in favour of the protection of children from all forms of violence. To advance in this field, strengthened partnerships will be crucial. The Special Representative will therefore promote enhanced collaboration with key partners, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict, United Nations funds, programmes and specialized agencies, human rights treaty bodies and mechanisms, national governments, regional organizations, parliamentarians, national independent institutions on children's rights, and civil society, including children and young people.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children impacts all children's rights and is therefore best addressed through the effective engagement of all levels of public administration and the involvement of all relevant ministries - including health, education and social affairs, gender, justice and home affairs, planning, economy and finance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
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.
- 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. 16
- Paragraph text
- Relevant institutional collaboration mechanisms already in place, such as the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children and the NGO Advisory Council for follow-up to the study, will provide a robust framework to move this process forward through an effective consultative approach.
- 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. 17
- Paragraph text
- Sound support and predictable funding are indispensable for the effective and independent performance of the Special Representative's mandate. In this regard, the General Assembly has called upon States and institutions concerned, United Nations agencies and entities, regional and civil society organizations, and the private sector to provide support, including financial. Voluntary contributions in support of the mandate and the Office of the Special Representative are channelled through a trust account which has been set up and is administered by UNICEF in order to receive, hold, administer and disburse financial contributions provided for the mandate, including payment for personnel costs.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Those significant developments are welcome, but much remains to be done to ensure that violence against children gains visibility in public debate, and in the policy agenda as well as in relevant budgetary decisions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- By December 2009, initial contributions had been received. Although such positive developments are welcome, additional secure funding is required to enable the Special Representative to effectively pursue her role as a global advocate for violence prevention and the protection of children from all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 18
- Paragraph text
- Legislation is a key component of any comprehensive national strategy on violence against children. It is an expression of a country's political commitment to work towards violence prevention and the protection of children's dignity and physical integrity. Legislation encourages positive discipline and the education of children through non-violent means; and it provides protection for victims and witnesses, enabling reporting and redress, and supporting assistance, recovery and reintegration.
- 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. 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.
- 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. 19
- Paragraph text
- Since the start of her mandate, the Special Representative has given very high priority to the promotion of enhanced synergies with United Nations partners in the area of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Strong cooperation has been developed with the Special Representative for children and armed conflict. Regular meetings are held to exchange information and discuss areas for a mutually supportive collaboration, including in the promotion of joint initiatives and missions, and the consideration of joint advocacy and awareness-raising activities for the protection of children's rights. In this regard, the joint participation in international conferences of relevance for both mandates was particularly valuable. Strategic opportunities will continue to be considered for enhancing further this critical collaboration around the strong human rights foundation shared by both mandates, including in the context of the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in 2010.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Even 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 engage communities concerned. Bridging international standards, policy action and local values, and motivating change from within, legislation has been supported as the fruit of true conviction, gaining traction as a genuine deterrent with preventive effect.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In her collaboration with United Nations organizations, the Special Representative on violence against children has built upon existing inter-agency structures and mechanisms, in particular the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, of which the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) are core members. The Inter-Agency Working Group is a critical forum for consultation, promotion of policy formulation and mainstreaming of concerns related to violence against children within the United Nations system's agenda.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Although those are promising developments, additional vigorous efforts are needed. First, efforts to introduce a comprehensive legal ban need to be scaled up. Currently, only 107 States have laws prohibiting violence in schools, 151 countries prohibit it as a form of sentencing, and 108 as a disciplinary measure in penal institutions. Globally, only 4 per cent of children are legally protected from all forms of violence in all settings. Many governments have made commitments to adopt legislation to introduce such a comprehensive ban; when such commitments materialize, the total number of prohibiting States worldwide would reach at least 50, covering around 15 per cent of the global child population.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Secondly, in countries where a full legal ban has been adopted, further efforts are required to narrow the gap between legislation and practice. Legislation needs to permeate the work of institutions and shape the training and ethical standards of professionals working with and for children; implementation needs to be supported by awareness-raising and social mobilization initiatives, for the public at large and children in particular; and also by the development of easily accessible, child-sensitive, confidential and independent counselling and reporting mechanisms. This is an area where progress is urgent both to provide an effective remedy to child victims and to overcome the challenges presented by the reluctance of professionals working with and for children to address or refer these cases to relevant bodies and institutions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has maintained very close cooperation with the core members of the Working Group, having held important bilateral discussions and a working-level meeting of the Inter-Agency Working Group in Geneva. The Special Representative welcomes the critical advice received and the support provided, which have been of decisive relevance for the shaping of her mandate and the missions she has conducted.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Building upon strong commitments expressed by countries in all regions, and informed by good practices and lessons learned from past experience, this is an area where progress is within reach. To further consolidate this process, in early 2011 the Special Representative will host, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), an expert consultation on law reform to combat violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- UNICEF provides administrative support to the Office of the Special Representative and has established a trust fund for the financial contributions provided in support of the Special Representative's mandate. Protection of children from violence is a key dimension of the UNICEF mandate and, as noted in the sections above, the Special Representative has been associated with important initiatives promoted by that organization.
- 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. 24
- Paragraph text
- Widely perceived as a social taboo or a needed form of discipline, violence against children is seldom reported; official statistics remain limited in their ability to capture the true scale and extent of this phenomenon across nations and social groups. As a result, available information is scarce and inconsistent and only reflects the tip of the iceberg.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- In the framework of its 2008 Child Protection Strategy, UNICEF supports the follow-up to the United Nations study by strengthening child protection systems and promoting social change in attitudes and behaviours towards children. The Special Representative participated in important discussions on the implementation of the UNICEF strategy and its focus on the protection of children from violence, at headquarters and in the Middle East and North Africa and in the Latin America and Caribbean regions. She has made significant inroads into collaborating with UNICEF on child protection, having initiated discussions with the child protection unit in UNICEF and the Special Representative for children and armed conflict to enhance synergies and promote complementary work in areas falling within her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Yet, without good data, national planning is compromised, effective policymaking and resource mobilization are hampered, and targeted interventions are limited in their ability to prevent and combat violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- UNICEF is engaged in a number of initiatives to strengthen the evidence base concerning the nature and scope of violence against children, and consolidate efforts for the collection of reliable data and the development of research on violence against children, including on harmful practices. UNICEF launched in October 2009 a new publication, Progress for Children: a Report Card on Child Protection, which gathers significant data on a range of areas on violence against children, helping to overcome the invisibility of children's suffering and better inform policies and actions to prevent and combat violence. The Special Representative was associated with the dissemination of this important report which addresses a priority dimension of her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- This is an area where urgent action is required. Existing data sets on children provide a basis to build upon, but they need to be integrated beyond sectors and individual disciplines, promoting a holistic consideration of the child. Gaps in child protection areas need to be addressed and monitoring tools and indicators expanded, including to consider boys and girls of all ages and in all settings, and to address those at greatest risk. Moreover, those efforts need to incorporate children's views and perspectives, and capture their experience, and dynamic and evolving free agency. This is crucial to understand the hidden face of violence and effectively address its root causes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence against children, and particularly against girls, has been a topic which has received increased attention. Building upon a national study on violence against children undertaken in Swaziland in 2007 and supported by the Clinton Global Initiative, UNICEF has joined WHO, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, together with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a strong partnership to promote similar research in other countries and provide support for the strengthening of an environment protecting girls against sexual violence. This is a significant initiative that the Special Representative will continue to follow closely and which is expected to lead to important results in violence prevention and protection from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- OHCHR plays a decisive role in the process of implementation of the United Nations study's recommendations and its advice and support have continued to be critical during the initial phase of the Special Representative's mandate. Since 2007, OHCHR has established a focal point on violence against children in order to provide support to the follow-up to the study. Since the appointment of the Special Representative, OHCHR has continued to provide substantive support to her mandate. The Office helps ensure that the theme of violence against children is mainstreamed across the organization and given specific attention at all levels.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Violence in all its forms affects the life of millions of children around the world. But, as we have learned from the many successful initiatives promoted across regions, it is not inevitable; violence can be prevented and effectively addressed. With a strategic national agenda, with strong and effective legislation, and with sound data and evidence to understand risk factors and inform policy decisions, a world without violence can be realized.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- 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.
- 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 2010, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- OHCHR supported the organization in Geneva of the Special Representative's meetings with members of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, with human rights treaty bodies, in particular the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and with special procedures of the Human Rights Council. The Office also assisted in the organization of meetings with members of the NGO Advisory Council and other civil society partners.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- At the invitation of OHCHR, the Special Representative participated in December 2009 in the Human Rights Council's open-ended working group on an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure. In her contribution, the Special Representative recalled the recommendations of the United Nations study, in particular the call it had made for the establishment of effective and independent complaints, investigation and enforcement mechanisms to deal with cases of violence and emphasized the relevance of a communications procedure for the protection of children from all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Relevant institutional collaboration mechanisms have been set in place to support the Special Representative's mandate and consolidate progress through an effective consultative approach - they include the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children and the non-governmental organization (NGO) Advisory Council for follow-up to the study (see sect. V below).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Cooperation with OHCHR will remain high on the Special Representative's agenda and critical for consolidating the human rights foundation of her mandate and advancing the implementation of the agenda on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Long-term support and predictable funding are indispensable for the effective and independent performance of the Special Representative's mandate. The General Assembly has called upon States and institutions concerned, United Nations agencies and entities, regional and civil society organizations, and the private sector to provide necessary support, including financial contributions. Voluntary contributions in support of the mandate and the Office of the Special Representative are channelled through a trust account which has been set up and is administered by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in order to receive, hold, administer and disburse financial contributions provided for the mandate, including payment for personnel costs.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- WHO was an active supporter of the development of the United Nations study and remains a critical partner in the process of follow-up. The organization's contribution to the initiative to prevent sexual violence against girls, mentioned above, is a meaningful illustration of such steady commitment.
- 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
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- As of July 2010, initial contributions had been received. Additional secure funding is, however, required to enable the Special Representative to effectively pursue her role as a global independent advocate for violence prevention and the protection of children from all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has given very high priority to the promotion of enhanced synergies with United Nations partners in the area of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Violence prevention and the promotion of sound evidence, two priority areas addressed by the study's recommendations, are high on the WHO agenda. These dimensions gained centre stage at the Fourth Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention meeting, organized in September 2009 in Geneva, in which the Special Representative participated.
- 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
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- The Fourth Milestones meeting was devoted to "Boosting global violence prevention" and drew high-level participation and expertise from across regions. Those attending the meeting benefited from hearing about new evidence on effective interventions to prevent interpersonal violence and reflected on lessons from a wide range of country-level initiatives, which provided inspiring examples of data-driven and evidence-based violence prevention in action.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Strong cooperation has been developed with the Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. Regular meetings are held to exchange information and discuss areas for a mutually supportive collaboration, including in the promotion of joint initiatives and missions, and the consideration of joint advocacy for the protection of children's rights. In this regard, the joint participation in international conferences of relevance for both mandates has been particularly valuable.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- In the discussions, which gave particular attention to the protection of children from violence, including child maltreatment and its underlying causes, special emphasis was placed on strategies aimed at developing safe, stable and nurturing relationships between children and their parents and caregivers; promoting life skills for children and adolescents; reducing the availability and harmful use of alcohol, and access to guns and knives; promoting gender equality, change of cultural and social norms that support violence and victim identification, care and support programmes. Advancing work in these areas will remain a key dimension of the Special Representative's cooperation with WHO.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The strong human rights normative foundation shared by both mandates, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its two Optional Protocols, provides strategic opportunities for further enhancing this critical collaboration.
- 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.
- 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. 35
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative developed a fruitful collaboration with ILO, particularly with regard to the protection of children from violence in the workplace and in other labour-related activities. Important opportunities are expected for strengthening collaboration in support of the implementation of the study's recommendations, including through advocacy, the consolidation of data and research and relevant standard-setting activities. In 2010, a global conference will be held on child labour in The Hague to mark the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of ILO Convention No. 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and accelerate progress towards its global elimination target by 2016. The conference will promote universal ratification of relevant ILO standards.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- In 2010, the ILO will also release new global estimates on child labour which will help to consolidate evidence to inform policies and promote progress in this area. Following a 2008 decision by its Governing Body, ILO is also currently engaged in the consideration of new standards on decent work for domestic workers, which will open up avenues for improving the protection of children from exploitation in domestic service and any form of violence associated therewith. Indeed, child domestic workers, especially girls, are highly vulnerable to violence; working in private households, in many instances away from their home, and behind closed doors, with little or no protection or social support, they are exposed to excessive hours of work, hazardous tasks, discrimination, social stigma, physical, psychological and emotional violence, sexual abuse, and lack of engagement in community and social life. These significant initiatives provide a sound framework for strengthening this important partnership further.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- During this two-year campaign, the Special Representative on violence against children will promote global adherence to the Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography. This protocol is in force in 137 countries, and more than 80 per cent of those that have not yet ratified it are parties to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, a treaty with legal obligations to fight the sexual exploitation of children. Several of those countries have also formally committed to ratify the Protocol, including in the context of the Universal Periodic Review of the Human Rights Council.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- The development of close collaboration with human rights bodies and mechanisms is an essential component of the Special Representative's agenda. This cooperation is critical in pursuing an integrated approach to children's protection from violence and capitalizing on synergies across mandates, in the overall framework of the implementation of children's rights standards and commitments to children, including those undertaken at the Millennium Summit, the Special Session on Children and, more recently, the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents. The call for action issued as part of the Congress highlights the importance of close cooperation between mandate holders, and its agenda provides a valuable framework for mutually supportive actions and accelerated progress towards the achievement of the time-bound targets agreed upon at the Congress; these targets are also of strategic relevance to the process of follow-up to the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 37
- Paragraph text
- Achieving progress in this area is vital. Every year, millions of children are trafficked, enslaved through sexual exploitation, arranged marriage, illegal adoption or forced labour. In its most recent global report, ILO recognizes that 115 million children are victims of hazardous work; and the sale and sexual exploitation of children also figure prominently among the worst forms of child labour.
- 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. 38
- Paragraph text
- Against this background, the Special Representative's cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child gains crucial relevance. The United Nations study was developed at the request of the Committee and is very strongly grounded in its work and jurisprudence on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee has devoted special attention to violence against children, including in thematic debates, general comments and during the consideration of States parties' reports. At present, all concluding observations include a specific section on the follow-up to the study's recommendations and on cooperation with the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- The universal ratification of the Protocol will provide a shared normative foundation to guide States' concerted action, to prevent loopholes in child protection systems and to fight impunity within and across borders, leaving no safe havens for perpetrators.
- 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. 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.
- 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. 39
- Paragraph text
- The Committee's role is particularly valuable to the Special Representative's mandate, helping to inform advocacy initiatives, assess progress on the protection of children from all forms of violence and support countries in their efforts. For this reason, the Special Representative met the Committee soon after her appointment and has developed very fruitful collaboration with it through regular meetings, exchanges of information and through joint participation in strategic events and initiatives within and beyond the United Nations system at the global, regional and national levels. Cooperation with the Committee, and other treaty bodies, will remain high on the Special Representative's agenda.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with special procedures of the Human Rights Council has been equally important. The Special Representative's participation, soon after her appointment, in their sixteenth annual meeting in 2009 was particularly useful in promoting the sharing of information, the identification of good practices and the cross-fertilization of experiences, as well as in prompting the consideration of mutually supportive activities for violence prevention and elimination.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has maintained very close cooperation with the core members of the Inter-Agency Working Group, having held very fruitful bilateral discussions and working-level meetings in Geneva. The Special Representative welcomes the critical advice received and the support provided, which have been of decisive relevance for the shaping of her mandate and the missions she has conducted.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- As a cross-cutting issue, working to eliminate violence against children opens up avenues for developing partnerships across mandates - including child-related mandates - through cooperation with the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery and, in particular, the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography, with whom regular meetings have been held to exchange information and strengthen collaboration. Similarly, cooperation will be valuable with violence-related mandates, including on violence against women and torture; with economic, social and cultural rights-related mandates, to help address the root causes of violence; as well as with others, such as those mandates on the rights to education, freedom of opinion and expression that can help to empower children and young people, enhance prevention efforts and consolidate a culture of respect for children's rights in society. These are important partnerships that the Special Representative will continue to promote.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 41
- Paragraph text
- UNICEF provides administrative support to the Office of the Special Representative and has established a trust fund for the financial contributions provided in support of her mandate. Protection of children from violence is a key dimension of the mandate of UNICEF, and the Special Representative has been associated with important initiatives promoted by that organization.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- In the framework of its 2008 Child Protection Strategy, UNICEF supports the follow-up to the United Nations study by strengthening child protection systems and promoting social change in attitudes towards children. The Special Representative participated in important discussions on the implementation of the UNICEF Strategy and its focus on the protection of children from violence, at Headquarters and in the Middle East and North Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, and Latin America and Caribbean regions. She also held strategic meetings with the Child Protection Unit in New York, to enhance synergies and promote complementary work in areas falling within her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- When the study was being developed, strong support was received from civil society organizations and a decisive contribution from children and young people. Both groups remain active partners in the process of implementation of the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted in previous sections of this report, the Special Representative promotes mutually supportive collaboration with civil society. This cooperation has been facilitated by the establishment, in 2007, of the NGO Advisory Council, which was formed to support strong and effective follow-up to the study. The Council has equal representation from leading international organizations and national and regional NGOs, and its primary aim is to encourage and maintain NGO involvement at national, regional and international levels, in advocacy with Governments, United Nations agencies and other stakeholders for full implementation of the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- UNICEF is engaged in a number of initiatives to strengthen the evidence base concerning the nature and scope of violence against children, and consolidate efforts for data collection and analysis, and for the development of research on violence against children, including on harmful practices. The forthcoming 2010 UNICEF report on parental child disciplinary practices in a range of low- and middle-income countries confirms the high prevalence of violent disciplinary methods, but also recognizes that this practice coexists with non-violent discipline; close to 9 in 10 children experience physical punishment and psychological aggression, with higher rates among boys, among children between 5 and 9 years of age and in households where mothers condone corporal punishment and domestic violence; conversely, violent discipline was less prevalent when caregivers were engaged in greater levels of educational and play activities with their children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative met with the NGO Advisory Council in early October 2009 in New York. The meeting helped to shed light on strategic areas where progress can be further achieved and identify significant opportunities for fruitful cooperation in the follow-up to the study's recommendations at the global, regional and national levels and across the various settings within which violence against children continues to take place; these areas and opportunities include the adoption of national plans of action to advance implementation of the study's recommendations, the legal prohibition of all forms of violence against children in all settings, the collection and dissemination of disaggregated data on violence against children and the establishment of effective and accessible complaint mechanisms for children. The meeting also considered ways of enhancing children's participation in the follow-up to the study, benefiting from their insights and experience, and mobilizing and empowering them to take action in their own communities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative was associated with the dissemination of this research, which addresses a priority dimension of her mandate and provides a sound basis to raise awareness of this phenomenon, to promote positive non-violent alternatives and to inform policies and actions for violence prevention and responses.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- With the same aim, the Special Representative met in Geneva with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Working Group on Children and Violence, which highlighted the importance of pursuing strong collaboration with human rights bodies and mechanisms, in particular the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Council.
- 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. 45
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence against children, and particularly against girls, has been a topic which has received increased attention. Building upon a national study on violence against children undertaken in Swaziland in 2007 and supported by the Clinton Global Initiative, UNICEF has joined WHO, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Development Fund for Women, together with the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in a strategic partnership to promote similar research in other countries and provide support for the strengthening of an environment to protect girls against sexual violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- This is a significant initiative that the Special Representative will continue to follow closely and which is expected to lead to important results.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative also held important discussions at the regional level with NGO partners and with child-led organizations to consider ways of further consolidating action in violence prevention and responses. This cooperation will continue to be actively pursued in the framework of the Special Representative's agenda.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- Over recent years, the participation of children and young people in the promotion of actions to address violence against children has been significant. Their contribution to the study was essential and their involvement continues to be critical for the steps ahead.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 47
- Paragraph text
- OHCHR plays a decisive role in the process of implementation of the United Nations study's recommendations and has established, since 2007, a focal point on violence against children. Since the appointment of the Special Representative, the Office's advice and substantive support have remained crucial, helping to consolidate the human rights foundation of her mandate, while promoting the mainstreaming of children's protection from violence across the organization.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- As noted in the sections above, during the initial period of her mandate, the Special Representative has reached out to children and young people in a number of meetings and discussions held at global, regional and national levels. Across the regions, children express strong concern at the incidence of violence; they inspire a deep sense of urgency, and their views and recommendations help to refine the effectiveness of actions taken, including by helping to improve understanding of the hidden face of violence, raise awareness and promote advocacy on positive initiatives, and support the development of child-sensitive policies and mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- OHCHR supported the organization in Geneva of the Special Representative's meetings with members of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, with human rights treaty bodies, in particular the Committee on the Rights of the Child, and with special procedures of the Human Rights Council. The Office also assisted in the organization of meetings with members of the NGO Advisory Council, the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other civil society partners.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Dialogue and regular consultations with children and young people will remain a core component of the Special Representative's mandate. In this regard, the Special Representative welcomes the adoption by the Committee on the Rights of the Child of its general comment No. 12 on the right of the child to be heard, which, as acknowledged by General Assembly resolution A/RES/64/146, will be a valuable reference for the contribution of children and young people to the process of follow-up to the study and for informing them about developments in this area.
- 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
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- At the invitation of OHCHR, the Special Representative participated in December 2009 in the Human Rights Council's Open-ended Working Group to explore the possibility of elaborating an optional protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child to provide a communications procedure. In her submission, the Special Representative recalled that the United Nations study had recommended the establishment of effective and independent complaints, investigation and enforcement mechanisms to deal with incidents of violence against children, and highlighted the relevance of a communications procedure for children's protection from violence. She recommended the development of a legal instrument that was duly framed by children's rights, provided for an effective and child-sensitive remedy, and established legal safeguards to protect child victims and prevent any risk of manipulation or reprisals.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- The valuable role played by safe and accessible counselling, and by complaint and reporting mechanisms for children's protection from violence was given focused attention by the Human Rights Council in its panel discussion on the protection of children from sexual violence, in which the Special Representative on violence against children also participated in March 2010. The Council adopted a resolution in which it strongly condemned all forms of sexual violence and abuse against children; and urged States to develop and establish child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms that are confidential and safe. The Council also invited the Special Representative and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography to submit a joint report on this topic to the Council at its sixteenth session.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Framed by the priority agenda identified above, during the initial months of her mandate, between early September 2009 and the submission of the present report, the Special Representative devoted particular attention to: - Global advocacy initiatives to promote the further dissemination of the study and encourage follow-up to its recommendations at the international, regional and national levels - The consolidation of strategic partnerships, including through the Special Representative's contribution to high-level meetings with key actors, and the strengthening of institutional collaboration with international and regional organizations - The adoption of measures for the establishment of her Office in support of her mandate
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- To inform the development of the report, the Special Representative will organize with OHCHR an expert consultation on this topic in September 2010. The meeting aims to provide a comprehensive overview of existing models of accessible and child-friendly counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms, established at governmental level, and by independent institutions and civil society organizations; to reflect on challenges and good practices in the use of such mechanisms by children and their representatives, including in relation to child participation, accessibility, confidentiality, safeguard of privacy and victims' protection; and to make recommendations for their improvement.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the critical contribution of legislation to protecting children from all forms of violence, and benefiting from the special attention given to this topic during the commemorative events of the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Special Representative placed a particular emphasis in her advocacy work on the adoption of a legal ban on all forms of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Significant legal reforms have been introduced in recent years in different regions to prohibit violence against children. At present, some 25 countries have enacted laws to prohibit all forms of violence in all settings, and more than 20 others are working towards the same end. Several States have reinforced their legislation to address specific forms of violence, including violence in schools, trafficking and sexual exploitation, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and early and forced marriage.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative's participation, in March 2010, in the meeting of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights provided a valuable occasion to discuss ways of benefiting from the experience and advice of these strategic partners in the development of the Human Rights Council's report.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- National independent institutions, including those with a distinct mandate on children's rights, act as spokespersons of children's voices and concerns, develop policy advocacy and research, provide critical advice, and in some cases address individual complaints. Being accessed directly by child victims and witnesses, those institutions offer an important remedy when violence occurs; and their action is instrumental to raise awareness about violence against children, to promote gender and child-sensitive approaches, to capture children's experiences and trauma, and to give advice to those in need. Their contribution to the report will be of crucial relevance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- The legal prohibition of violence against children is important, as it conveys a clear message of political commitment to prevention work and the use of non-violent alternatives for conflict resolution. It constitutes a vital safeguard for child victims and witnesses, being a strong reference for capacity-building initiatives and the development of guidance and codes of conduct for professionals working with and for children. Law reform gains renewed value when used in support of public information and awareness-raising activities, and for promoting positive discipline, social mobilization and behaviour change. When harmful practices persist behind deeply entrenched traditions, legal reform has been particularly useful when promoted with the involvement of community and religious leaders, parliamentarians, professional associations, academic institutions and grass-roots organizations, and with the engagement of communities concerned. Bridging international standards, policy action and local values, and motivating change from within, legislation has been supported as the fruit of true conviction, gaining traction as a genuine deterrent with preventive effect.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- WHO actively supported the development of the United Nations study and remains a critical partner in the process of follow-up.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- In her address to the Third Committee at the sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly, the Special Representative reaffirmed the human rights foundation of the protection of children from all forms of violence, recalled the framework provided by the study and its recommendations for her mandate and presented the key priority areas for her work, namely the adoption of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children, the development of a national strategy to prevent and respond to violence against children, and the consolidation of research and data systems in this area. The positive feedback received from Member States at such an early stage of the mandate was critical to shaping the work ahead and opened up avenues for a fruitful collaboration with Governments across regions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Violence prevention and the promotion of sound evidence, two priority areas addressed by the study, are high on the WHO agenda, as illustrated by the agency's work in the prevention of sexual violence against girls, in the development of new estimates on the prevalence and health impact of child maltreatment, and in the promotion of national surveys in this area. These dimensions gained centre stage at the Fourth Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention Meeting, organized in September 2009 in Geneva, in which the Special Representative participated.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- During the General Assembly's session, the Special Representative also participated in two high-level side events devoted to the gender dimension of violence against children and the participation of children in decision-making, respectively. The first event - a ministerial breakfast meeting jointly organized by the Governments of Brazil, the Netherlands and the United States of America and in which heads of United Nations agencies and ministerial representatives from a large number of countries participated - raised the importance of combating violence against girls as part of the international agenda, promoted international cooperation in this area and supported child and youth participation in the developing policies concerning girls. At the meeting, commitment to the Special Representative's role was expressed and countries were encouraged to implement policies and programmes for the elimination of all violence against children, with a particular focus on girls.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- The second event, an interactive panel on child participation, was organized by the Governments of Belize, the Czech Republic, Sweden and Uruguay, in cooperation with UNICEF, Plan International, Save the Children and War Child Holland. The meeting was informed by the active contribution of young people from Ghana, Honduras, Norway and the United States and moderated by Ishmael Beah, UNICEF Advocate for Children Affected by War. At the meeting, it was recalled that children and young people had made a critical contribution to the study and stressed that child participation continued to play an essential role in the process of follow-up and in support of the Special Representative's mandate, particularly in support of awareness-raising activities, peer education and the promotion of child-sensitive counselling and reporting mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- With high-level participation and expertise from across regions, the meeting provided an excellent platform to present new evidence on interventions to prevent interpersonal violence and reflect on lessons from a wide range of country-level initiatives.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- The discussions gave particular attention to the protection of children from violence, including child maltreatment and its underlying causes. They also addressed strategies aimed at developing safe, stable and nurturing relationships between children and their parents and caregivers; promoting life skills for children and adolescents; reducing the availability and harmful use of alcohol, guns and knives; promoting gender equality and overcoming cultural and social norms that support violence; and supporting victim identification, care and support programmes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children is gaining attention at the regional level. Regional cooperation helps to capitalize on the potential offered by States in each individual region, while promoting the development of strategies tailored to the national context and enhancing opportunities to mainstream universal values and shared commitments.
- 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. 58
- Paragraph text
- The widely participatory regional consultations organized in support of the study and the preparations for the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children in Brazil were instrumental in generating interest in and commitment to the elimination of violence in its many forms. In some regions, a regional follow-up mechanism was set up to facilitate coordination of efforts and help to advance implementation of the study's recommendations. Building upon these significant developments, the Special Representative gave particular attention to strengthening institutional collaboration with regional forums, helping promote information-sharing and cross-fertilization of experiences, scale up positive initiatives, encourage evidence-based approaches to overcome prevailing challenges and influence progress within and across regions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- Advancing work in these areas will remain a key dimension of the Special Representative's cooperation with WHO.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- With this aim, in the course of the initial months of her mandate, the Special Representative took part in strategic high-level regional conferences and promoted cooperation with regional institutions. Strengthening and expanding partnerships with regional organizations and institutions will remain a priority dimension of her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative developed a fruitful collaboration with ILO, particularly with regard to the protection of children from violence in the workplace and in other labour-related activities. Regular meetings have been held to support the implementation of the study's recommendations, including through advocacy, the consolidation of data and research, the promotion of standard-setting activities, as well as the development of practical tools to support Member States in their efforts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- In May 2010, the Special Representative participated in the Global Conference on Child Labour held in The Hague, which marked the tenth anniversary of the entry into force of ILO Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, and it adopted a road map for achieving their elimination by 2016. The Conference provided a high-level forum for the Special Representative's advocacy in favour of the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and of the protection of children from violence and abuse. Those dimensions were also given strong attention in the Road map.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- In September 2009, the Special Representative participated in the twentieth Pan-American Congress on Children and Adolescents organized by the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Children's Institute and hosted in Lima by the Government of Peru. With high-level participants from the Organization's member States, as well as from national independent institutions for children's rights, non-governmental organizations and academics from the Americas, the Congress was held in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the eighth anniversary of the Inter-American Children's Institute. Great attention was devoted to investment in public policies for the realization of children's rights, including the protection of children from violence. Violence against children was centre stage in the official sessions and the formal dialogue between ministers and high authorities, and the Special Representative and the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- The Congress was a strategic forum to promote and review progress in the Americas on follow-up to the recommendations of the study, and to launch the report on corporal punishment and human rights of children and adolescents, recently issued by the Office of the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission. This important report builds upon the United Nations study and calls on member States of the Organization of American States to place explicit and absolute legal bans on the use of corporal punishment in all settings; adopt preventive, educational, and other measures to ensure the eradication of this form of violence and promote positive and non-violent alternatives; and make the Americas a region free of child corporal punishment by 2011.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted by the Special Representative in her address, violence and child labour are closely interrelated. Violence in the home, in schools and in institutions, is a factor that pushes children into child labour, particularly its worst forms; violence is also a means to coerce children to work, and to keep them in exploitation and servitude. At the same time, violence and child labour can be prevented and effectively addressed, through the development of national action plans, the adoption of sound legislation and the strengthening of data and research. These actions figure prominently in the Road map, which also constitutes a key instrument in the elimination of violence against children in work-related situations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative strongly supports the development of new ILO standards to ensure decent work for domestic workers. They open avenues for improving the protection of children from exploitation in domestic service and from any form of violence associated therewith. Child domestic workers, especially girls, are highly vulnerable to violence. Working in private households, often behind closed doors and away from their own home with little or no protection or social support, they are exposed to excessive working hours, hazardous tasks, social stigma and discrimination, and physical and emotional violence, as well as sexual abuse. The Special Representative remains committed to supporting this important standard-setting process and the adoption of binding provisions for the protection of children and young domestic workers.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- The Pan-American Congress was preceded by a civil society forum and included, for the first time, a Pan-American Forum on Children and Adolescents. The Children's Forum helped to place the question of child participation high on the agenda for the Congress, showing young participants' crucial capacity to identify concerns and anticipate solutions to address them. Violence against children was a key topic discussed by the young participants who also identified this phenomenon as their most pressing concern.
- 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
- Adolescents
- Children
- Youth
- 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.
- 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. 63
- Paragraph text
- The Congress laid the ground for a solid future institutional collaboration with regional forums and institutions in the Americas, including the Inter-American Children's Institute and, particularly, the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, with whom a strategic framework of cooperation was developed for the protection of children from all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, the Special Representative's cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child gains crucial relevance. The United Nations study was developed at the request of the Committee and was strongly grounded in its work on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Committee has devoted special attention to violence against children in thematic debates, general comments and during the consideration of States Parties' reports. At present, all concluding observations include a specific section on the follow-up to the study's recommendations and on cooperation with the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- The Congress followed an important regional meeting on the role of parliamentarians to prevent and eliminate violence against children, hosted by the National Assembly of Costa Rica and supported by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UNICEF. Representatives from national parliaments adopted strong recommendations for national follow-up to the United Nations study, including by holding parliamentarian sessions to monitor and advance follow-up to the study's recommendations, promoting law reform to introduce an explicit ban on all forms of violence against children, and ensuring adequate resource allocation for child-related public policies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child helps to inform advocacy initiatives, assess progress on the protection of children from all forms of violence and support countries in their efforts. For this reason, the Special Representative met the Committee soon after her appointment and has developed very fruitful collaboration through regular meetings and exchange of information, and through joint participation in strategic events and initiatives, at the global, regional and national levels. This strategic partnership has gained a renewed emphasis with the launch of the joint campaign for the universal ratification of the Protocols to the Convention, and the collaboration in support of the development of the report on child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 65
- Paragraph text
- The key dimensions addressed by the meeting in Costa Rica were raised by the Special Representative in her official meetings with parliamentarians in the region, including the President of the Congress of Peru. These dimensions constitute establishing a core agenda which will be pursued across regions in close collaboration with the Inter-Parliamentary Union and UNICEF.
- 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. 66
- Paragraph text
- Decisive steps were also taken to consolidate regional collaboration and agree on a strategic action plan on violence against children with the Latin American and Caribbean Chapter of the Global Movement for Children, in which UNICEF and key civil society organizations participate. In this context, the Special Representative held an important planning meeting in Panama with members of the Movement, the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and representatives of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and OHCHR. As a key outcome from the meeting, it was agreed to pursue, over the next three years, implementation of the recommendations of the study with particular emphasis on the adoption of legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against children; the development of a comprehensive, well-coordinated and well-resourced national strategy, and the consolidation of research and data systems in this area.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Collaboration with special procedures of the Human Rights Council has been equally important. The Special Representative participated in their annual meetings in 2009 and 2010, which were particularly useful for information-sharing, for the identification of good practices and the cross-fertilization of experiences, and for the identification of mutually supportive activities for violence prevention and elimination.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- In November 2009, the Special Representative participated in an important conference organized in Cairo, under the patronage of the First Lady of Egypt, to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood of Egypt.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 67
- Paragraph text
- The joint statement issued on 2 March 2010 by the Special Representative and other relevant mandate holders in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, voicing concern at the serious risks faced by unaccompanied and separated children to being abducted, enslaved, sold or trafficked, confirms the potential for this close collaboration.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- 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.
- 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. 68
- Paragraph text
- The meeting was co-sponsored by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and UNICEF, and participants were representatives of international organizations (including OHCHR), the Committee on the Rights of the Child, national human rights institutions and NGOs and children from 10 OIC countries.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- The United Nations study was developed with strong support from civil society organizations and from children and young people, and they remain active partners in the process of implementation of the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Through the Cairo Declaration on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Islamic Jurisprudence that was adopted at the conference, participants renewed their commitment to the rights of the child, calling for, inter alia, greater compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the provision of adequate human and financial resources for its implementation and the establishment of effective data systems on children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 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.
- 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
- The collaboration with civil society has been critical and also facilitated by the establishment, in 2007, of the NGO Advisory Council. The Council has equal representation from leading international organizations and national and regional NGOs. Its primary aim is to encourage and maintain NGO involvement at national, regional and international levels, in advocacy with governments, United Nations agencies and other stakeholders for full implementation of the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative met with the NGO Advisory Council in early October 2009 in New York, and in March 2010 in Geneva. The meetings helped to shed light on strategic areas where progress can be achieved and to identify significant opportunities for cooperation in the follow-up to the study's recommendations at the global, regional and national levels, and across the various settings within which violence against children takes place. These areas and opportunities include the adoption of national plans of action to advance implementation of the study's recommendations, the legal prohibition of all forms of violence against children in all settings, the collection and dissemination of age and gender disaggregated data on violence against children, and the establishment of effective and accessible complaint mechanisms for children. The meetings also considered ways of enhancing children's participation in the follow-up to the study, benefiting from their insights and experience, and mobilizing and empowering them to take action in their own communities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The Cairo Declaration provides a strong platform for OIC member States and civil society organizations to advance the protection of children from violence and support the further implementation of the study's recommendations. With its specific call for the establishment of a children's forum, it may open up new avenues for children to genuinely contribute to this process of follow-up and help to keep children duly informed of developments in this area.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- At the end of November 2009, the Special Representative held important meetings in Addis Ababa with the African Union Commissioner for Social Affairs and the Chairperson of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, with a view to exploring opportunities for collaboration in the protection of children from all forms of violence. Violence against children has been high on the policy agenda of the African region, including in the context of the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; during the drafting of the study and when the 2006 Day of the African Child was devoted to this topic; during the Second Pan-African Forum on Children, held in Cairo in 2007; and in "The Call for Accelerated Action to make Africa Fit for Children", adopted thereafter. With the follow-up to the study, renewed opportunities exist to move this agenda forward.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 72
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative also met in Geneva with the NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Working Group on Children and Violence. Both highlighted the importance of pursuing strong collaboration with human rights bodies and mechanisms, in particular the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Council.
- 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. 73
- Paragraph text
- The initial meetings held in Addis Ababa laid the ground for fruitful institutional collaboration, including for promoting initiatives to map out critical developments and positive initiatives across the region and within African Union member States, supporting legislative reforms aimed at protecting children from all forms of violence, encouraging the development of independent institutions on children's rights, and further consolidating national information and data systems on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative also promoted the consolidation of partnerships with regional NGO networks and with child-led organizations on violence prevention and responses. This cooperation will continue to be actively pursued to advance the process of implementation of the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- In the European region, significant developments have also taken place, with violence against children being given increasing attention in policymaking within the Council of Europe and the European Union. The Special Representative developed strong collaboration with these institutions and took part in strategic policy forums addressing elements of her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- Over recent years, the participation of children and young people in the promotion of actions to address violence against children has been significant. Their contribution to the study was essential and their involvement continues to be critical for the steps ahead.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
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.
- 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. 75
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has been committed to reach out to children and young people in her meetings and expert discussions at global, regional and national levels. Across regions, children identify violence as a priority concern and inspire a deep sense of urgency; as agents of change, developing child rights clubs and advocacy materials, and engaging in peer education and awareness-raising initiatives, they promote an enhanced understanding of the hidden face of violence and support the development of child-sensitive approaches that enhance the effectiveness of violence prevention and responses.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
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.
- 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
- Dialogue and regular consultations with children and young people will remain a core component of the Special Representative's mandate. In this regard, the Special Representative welcomes the adoption by the Committee on the Rights of the Child of its General Comment No. 12 (2009) on the right of the child to be heard, which, as acknowledged by the General Assembly in resolution 64/146, is a valuable reference for the contribution of children and young people to the process of follow-up to the study and for informing them about developments in this area.
- 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
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Moreover, in November 2009, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted policy guidelines on integrated national strategies for the protection of children against violence to guide national efforts for the development of a comprehensive national agenda for violence prevention and the protection of children from all forms of violence. The Special Representative participated in the process leading to the adoption of the guidelines and will collaborate with the Council of Europe in advancing implementation thereof.
- 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. 77a
- Paragraph text
- [Framed by the priority agenda identified above, through global advocacy and meetings held in 20 countries, the Special Representative devoted particular attention to:] Global advocacy initiatives to promote the further dissemination of the United Nations study and the follow-up to its recommendations at the international, regional and national levels;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 77b
- Paragraph text
- [Framed by the priority agenda identified above, through global advocacy and meetings held in 20 countries, the Special Representative devoted particular attention to:] The consolidation of strategic partnerships, including by strengthening institutional collaboration with international and regional organizations and by contributing to high-level meetings with key actors;
- 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. 77c
- Paragraph text
- [Framed by the priority agenda identified above, through global advocacy and meetings held in 20 countries, the Special Representative devoted particular attention to:] The establishment of her Office and mobilization of support to her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
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.
- 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. 78
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children is high in the policy agenda of the European Union and has been identified in a recent survey as a priority concern for young people within the 27 member States. The Special Representative participated in two high-level European Union conferences held under the Swedish Presidency of the European Union and devoted to the protection of children from violence, namely the European Union-NGO Forum on Human Rights and the high-level meeting of the Permanent Intergovernmental Group "L'Europe de l'Enfance".
- 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. 79
- Paragraph text
- Key recommendations from the meetings call for a strong partnership to be established with the Special Representative and support to be given to her Office; in the recommendations, the need to pursue active implementation of the United Nations study's recommendations is recognized, including legal reforms to prohibit all forms of violence, the promotion of research incorporating children's own experiences and perspectives; the development of independent children's rights institutions and the establishment of effective complaints mechanisms; and the use of development assistance programmes and funding mechanisms to support these efforts. The Special Representative also pursued discussions with the representatives of the European Union on the implementation of its 2007 Guidelines for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of the Child, which include a specific implementation strategy on violence against children that draws on the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 79
- Paragraph text
- These dimensions were further considered at the thirteenth session of the Human Rights Council, during the Special Representative's interactive dialogue with the Council and her participation in the panel discussion on sexual violence against children. Member States provided very positive feedback on her core agenda and expressed commitment to supporting her mandate. This was critical to shaping the work ahead and promoting a fruitful collaboration with governments across regions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- These two United Nations meetings provided a strategic forum for the Special Representative to join hands with Member States, United Nations agencies, regional organizations and civil society and child-led organizations in arranging high-level events designed to raise awareness, promote cross-fertilization of experiences and encourage further progress in crucial areas of the Special Representative's agenda - these include the development of national strategies to prevent and address violence in all settings, the enactment of effective legislation, and the promotion of gender-sensitive and child-participatory approaches, as well as the promotion of universal ratification and effective implementation of international children's rights standards.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- With the recent entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon - which explicitly identifies children's rights as a key dimension of the European Union's agenda - the protection of children from violence is expected to gain increasing attention, opening up avenues for accelerated action in follow-up to the study.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- One key overarching recommendation contained in the United Nations study highlights the importance of national improvements in child data systems and the development of a national research agenda to address violence against children. Violence against children is an area where available information is limited and difficult to gather, reflecting the tip of the iceberg and failing to capture the true scale and extent of this phenomenon in society. Overall, monitoring systems are weak, while research remains scattered and of widely differing quality.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative's participation, in April 2010, in the Congress and in the Latin American Seminar on Juvenile Justice, hosted in parallel by the Government of Brazil, provided a strategic platform to address situations of violence experienced by child victims of crime and children deprived of liberty.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted by those meetings, child victims of violence are still too often criminalized and not protected as children, including as a result of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Marginalized children, including migrant and asylum-seeking children, are often subject to physical, psychological and sexual violence, denied access to legal assistance and placed in detention as a substitute for care arrangements. Thousands of children are subjected to deprivation of liberty, frequently used as a first option rather than a measure of last resort; they risk torture, abuse and humiliating treatment, including when placed in pretrial detention, and endure violence as a form of control, discipline or punishment; in some countries, sentencing can include caning, flogging, stoning or amputation, as well as capital punishment and life imprisonment without possibility of release.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- To promote progress in this area, in November 2009 in Addis Ababa, the Special Representative participated in the Global Conference on Research and Child Rights organized by the Childwatch International Research Network, the African Child Policy Forum and the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, in cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- 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.
- 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 2010, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- The conference brought together an eminent group of government representatives, policymakers, experts and researchers committed to the protection of children's rights through evidence-based analysis, advocacy and public policies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children was high on the agenda of the conference. Discussions highlighted the role of sound data, analysis and research in supporting follow-up to the study. In particular, the relevance was highlighted of such discussions to the development of national comprehensive strategies and the promotion of legal reforms, the breaking of the silence around sensitive questions, understanding of risk factors and vulnerabilities and effective investment in violence prevention.
- 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. 84
- Paragraph text
- In this overall scenario, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other human rights standards run the risk of being relegated to a second tier, and the fight against impunity for acts of violence against children is confronted with renewed challenges.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- These are critical concerns the Special Representative will continue to address in the context of her mandate and missions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Cooperation with academics and research institutions will continue to be given special attention, with a view to consolidating progress in areas covered by the study, and understanding and addressing emerging concerns.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- The widely participatory regional consultations organized in support of the United Nations study and the preparations for the Third World Congress against Sexual Exploitation of Children and Adolescents 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 promote progress in this area.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- In the light of relevant General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions, the mandate of the Special Representative on violence against children is anchored by the United Nations study on violence against children and aims to promote progress in the follow-up to the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- The study helped to challenge the acceptance of violence against children, highlighting that no violence against children is justifiable and all violence can be effectively prevented. With its action-oriented recommendations, the study has shaped a strategic agenda to consolidate the protection of children from all forms of violence in all settings.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- Building upon these significant developments, the Special Representative gave priority attention to strengthening institutional collaboration with regional institutions and organizations, aiming at the promotion of information-sharing and cross-fertilization of experiences, the scaling-up of positive initiatives, and the development of evidence-based approaches to overcome challenges and influence progress within and across regions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- With that aim, the Special Representative took part in strategic, high-level regional conferences and has pursued the strengthening of partnerships with regional organizations and institutions. This is an area where significant developments have taken place, with a growing institutionalization of regional governance structures and the development of regional strategies to promote and monitor progress in the follow-up to the study's recommendations. This is meaningfully illustrated by the decisive improvements made across regions, including by the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, the League of Arab States Sub-Committee on Violence against Children, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011: Building a Europe for and with Children, the Pan American Child Congress, the Latin America and Caribbean Chapter of the Global Movement for Children, and by the African Union and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- Within and across borders, it is essential to maintain momentum around this agenda; increase visibility and generate renewed concern at the harmful effects of violence on children; promote behavioural and social change; mobilize political and financial support to prevent and combat this phenomenon; and achieve steady progress along the way.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- 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.
- 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. 89
- Paragraph text
- In September 2009, the Special Representative participated in the XX Pan American Child Congress, organized by the Organization of American States and the Inter-American Children's Institute, and hosted in Lima by the Government of Peru. With high-level participation from member States, as well as from national independent institutions for children's rights, non-governmental organizations and academics from the Americas, the Congress was held in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and of the eighth anniversary of the Inter-American Children's Institute. Strong attention was devoted to public policies for the realization of children's rights, including the protection of children from violence. Violence against children was also centre stage in the official sessions and in the formal dialogue between ministers and high authorities, and the Special Representative and the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, Professor Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- With this in mind, in the immediate future, the Special Representative will give attention to progress in three key areas as a priority, namely the development in each State of a comprehensive strategy on violence prevention and response; the introduction of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children; and the consolidation of national data systems and research in this field. Moreover, the Special Representative will pursue efforts to widen and further strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders, within and beyond the United Nations system, as well as secure firm support including adequate resources for her mandate.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- The Congress was a strategic forum to advance progress in the Americas on follow-up to the recommendations of the study, and to launch the "Report on Corporal Punishment and Human Rights of Children and Adolescents", issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. This important report builds upon the United Nations study and calls on States members of the Organization of American States to place explicit and absolute legal bans on the use of corporal punishment in all settings; adopt preventive, educational and other measures to ensure the eradication of this form of violence; and promote positive and non violent alternatives; and make the Americas a region free of child corporal punishment by 2011.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative looks forward to developing close collaboration with the Human Rights Council in the performance of her mandate aimed at the protection of children from all forms of violence in all settings.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 91
- Paragraph text
- The Pan American Child Congress was preceded by a civil society forum and included, for the first time, a Pan American Forum on Children. The Forum placed high on the agenda of the Congress the questions of child participation and children's protection from violence - indeed, violence against children was identified as their most pressing concern.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 92
- Paragraph text
- The deliberations of the Congress informed a significant process of follow-up, which has led to the promotion in several countries of initiatives to introduce a comprehensive legal prohibition of all forms of violence against children; and to the establishment of national consultative councils to institutionalize children's participation in decision-making.
- 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. 93
- Paragraph text
- The Congress also laid the ground for a solid institutional collaboration with regional forums and institutions in the Americas, including the Inter-American Children's Institute and, in particular, the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, with whom a strategic framework of cooperation was developed for the protection of children from all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative participated in the Twelfth Ibero-American Ministerial Meeting, held in June 2010 in Buenos Aires, and devoted to the role of education in the promotion of children's social inclusion. Her address placed special attention on the impact of school violence on children's safety and learning achievement, which is often aggravated by surrounding factors, including social unrest, availability of weapons and gang-related criminal activities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 95
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the importance of violence prevention, she called for steady investment in early childhood education to ensure the development of children's talents and abilities to their full potential, to break the cycle of poverty and disadvantage for young people and to promote their social inclusion. Young children are indeed at particular risk of violence and they are also less able to resist and seek protection; fear and trauma compromise their development and threaten their sense of security and trust. Conversely, loving, secure and stimulating relationships of young children with their families and caregivers build a foundation for their physical, emotional and intellectual development and enhance their confidence and free agency.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2010
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.
- 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 2010, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- The Buenos Aires Declaration, adopted by the Ministerial Meeting, echoed some of those concerns, having specifically recommended the development of effective laws and policies for the protection of children from violence, in line with the recommendations of the United Nations study. Violence against children was equally identified as a priority concern to be included in the agenda of future ministerial meetings.
- 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. 98
- Paragraph text
- The National Assembly of Costa Rica, supported by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UNICEF, in 2009 convened an important regional meeting on the role of parliamentarians in the prevention and elimination of violence against children. The meeting called upon national parliaments to promote the organization of a national debate to monitor and advance follow-up to the study's recommendations, the adoption of law reform to explicitly ban all forms of violence against children, and the allocation of adequate resources in support of child-related public policies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 99
- Paragraph text
- These key dimensions constitute a core agenda that the Special Representative is committed to pursuing across regions and in close collaboration with IPU and UNICEF. They provide a sound reference for her official meetings with national parliaments, as was the case in Peru and Turkey; and they informed her address to the 122nd IPU Assembly, held in March 2010 in Bangkok, and attended by representatives from over 120 countries.
- 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. 100
- Paragraph text
- Decisive steps were taken to consolidate regional collaboration and agree on a strategic action plan on violence against children with the Latin America and Caribbean Chapter of the Global Movement for Children, in which UNICEF and key civil society organizations participate.
- 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. 101
- Paragraph text
- Following an important planning meeting in December 2009 with members of the Movement, the Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and OHCHR, it was agreed to pursue a joint strategic regional agenda aiming at the adoption of legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against children; the development of a comprehensive, well-coordinated and well-resourced national strategy; and the consolidation of research and data systems in this area.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- In the follow-up meeting held in Argentina in June 2010, it was agreed to organize three high-level subregional meetings in 2011 to promote cross-fertilization of experiences and scale up initiatives in those three areas.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 103
- Paragraph text
- In November 2009, the Special Representative participated in the conference organized under the patronage of the First Lady of Egypt to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood of Egypt.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 104
- Paragraph text
- The meeting was co-sponsored by the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and UNICEF, and associated representatives of international organizations, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, national human rights institutions, NGOs and children from 10 OIC countries.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 105
- Paragraph text
- Through the Cairo Declaration on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Islamic Jurisprudence, adopted at the Conference, participants renewed their commitment to children's rights, calling for greater compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the provision of adequate human and financial resources for its implementation and the establishment of effective data systems on children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 106
- Paragraph text
- Specifically on violence against children, participants expressed commitment to developing productive cooperation with the Special Representative and providing her with the necessary technical and financial support. They called on States members of OIC to take all appropriate legislative, social and other measures for effective follow-up to the study's recommendations; urgently reform legislation to ensure the prohibition of all forms of violence and the promotion of positive, non violent forms of discipline; and, on the basis of positive national experiences, establish a high-level focal point to coordinate actions to prevent and combat violence, and develop a well-resourced national strategy on violence against children. Special attention was also given to prevention and protection from harmful practices, protection of children under occupation and in times of war, and poverty alleviation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 107
- Paragraph text
- The Cairo Declaration provides an important platform for States members of OIC and civil society organizations to strengthen the protection of children from violence and support the further implementation of the study's recommendations. With its specific call for the establishment of a children's forum, it opens up avenues for children's genuine contribution to this process, while helping to keep children duly informed of developments in this area.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 108
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative participated in the high-level meeting of the League of Arab States, hosted in June 2010 by the Government of Lebanon. The meeting reviewed progress achieved by Arab nations in the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study with a view to strengthening the process of follow-up at the national level.
- 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. 109
- Paragraph text
- The meeting was framed by the findings of the League of Arab States regional study on violence against children, which is the first region-wide initiative on the follow-up to the study. With its analysis of national developments and identification of areas where further action is required, the study provides a foundation to inform legal and policy reforms, and support violence prevention initiatives. The study will be presented at the next Ministerial Meeting of the League of Arab States, at which time a follow-up agenda is expected to be endorsed.
- 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. 110
- Paragraph text
- Law reform had been one of the areas identified by the regional study as requiring further progress; for that reason, a technical workshop was held on the same occasion on this topic, with the support of Save the Children and the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children. Similar expert discussions are being promoted in other regions in support of the adoption of a legal ban on all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 111
- Paragraph text
- At the end of November 2009, the Special Representative held important meetings in Addis Ababa with the Commissioner for Social Affairs of the African Union and the Chairperson of the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, with a view to promoting collaboration in the protection of children from all forms of violence. Violence against children has been high on the policy agenda of the African region, including in the context of the implementation of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; during the drafting of the study and when the Day of the African Child 2006 was devoted to this topic; and during the 2007 Second Pan-African Forum on Children and in "The Call for Accelerated Action to Make Africa Fit for Children", adopted by the Forum. With the follow-up to the study, renewed opportunities exist to move this agenda forward.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 112
- Paragraph text
- The meetings held in Addis Ababa laid the ground for fruitful institutional collaboration, including for promoting initiatives to map out positive initiatives across the region and within States members of the African Union, supporting legislative reforms to prohibit all forms of violence, encouraging the development of independent institutions on children's rights, and further consolidating national information and data systems on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 113
- Paragraph text
- This collaborative framework was further strengthened during the thematic debate on violence against children, held in 2010 by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. The meeting identified three key areas for follow-up, namely: advocacy on the protection of children from violence and the promotion of positive alternatives to violent discipline; support to legislative and policy reforms to prohibit all forms of violence; and development of an African report on this topic.
- 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. 114
- Paragraph text
- In the European region, significant developments have also taken place, with violence against children being given increasing attention in policymaking within the Council of Europe and the European Union. The Special Representative consolidated collaboration with those institutions and took part in strategic policy forums addressing elements of her mandate. The Special Representative participated in meetings which led to the adoption of the Council of Europe Strategy for 2009-2011: Building a Europe for and with Children, within which the protection of children from violence is a key priority concern. Under the Strategy, the Council acts as the regional initiator and coordinator of national and regional initiatives to combat violence against children, and as the European forum for follow-up to the recommendations of the United Nations study and cooperation with the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 115
- 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 established a Platform on Children's Rights with national focal points from countries across the region and a network of experts from key partner organizations. The Special Representative participates in this high-level policy forum, which plays a crucial role in the promotion of information-sharing, advocacy and debate, and in monitoring progress within the European region.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 116
- Paragraph text
- In November 2009, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Policy Guidelines on Integrated National Strategies for the Protection of Children from Violence to guide national efforts for the development of a comprehensive national agenda for violence prevention and response. The Special Representative participated in the process leading to the adoption of the guidelines and continues to collaborate with the Council of Europe in advancing their dissemination and implementation. In May 2010, the Government of Austria hosted a follow-up meeting, in Vienna, to share experiences among national governments, international organizations, independent institutions and civil society partners, and advance progress in the development of national strategies and law reform, and in the consolidation of information on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 117
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children is high on the policy agenda of the European Union and was identified in a 2009 survey as a priority concern for young people within the 27 member States. The Special Representative participated in two high-level conferences held under the Swedish Presidency of the European Union and devoted to the protection of children from violence, namely, the European Union-NGO Forum on Human Rights and the high-level meeting of the Permanent Intergovernmental Group "L'Europe de l'Enfance".
- 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. 118
- Paragraph text
- The meetings called for the establishment of a strong partnership with the Special Representative and support to her Office; reiterated commitment to the implementation of the United Nations study's recommendations, including legal reforms to prohibit all forms of violence; the promotion of research incorporating children's own experiences and perspectives; the development of independent children's rights institutions and the establishment of effective complaints mechanisms. The meeting also recommended the use of development assistance programmes and funding mechanisms to support those efforts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 119
- Paragraph text
- 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 framed by the study's recommendations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 120
- Paragraph text
- With the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, which explicitly identifies children's rights as a key dimension of the European Union's agenda, the protection of children from violence is expected to gain increasing attention, opening up avenues for accelerated action in follow-up to the study.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 121
- Paragraph text
- One key overarching recommendation contained in the United Nations study concerns the need for national improvements in child data systems and for national research on violence against children. Violence against children is an area where available information is limited and difficult to gather, thus failing to capture the true scale and extent of this phenomenon in society. Overall monitoring systems are weak, while research remains scattered and of widely differing quality.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 122
- Paragraph text
- To promote progress in this area, the Special Representative participated, in November 2009, in the Global Conference on Research and Child Rights in Addis Ababa, organized by the Childwatch International Research Network, the African Child Policy Forum and the UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, in cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 123
- Paragraph text
- The Conference brought together an eminent group of government representatives, policymakers, experts and researchers committed to the protection of children's rights through evidence-based analysis, advocacy and public policies.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 124
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children was high on the agenda of the Global Conference, with a particular emphasis on the role of data, analysis and research in support of the follow-up to the study. These dimensions were considered critical to inform the development of national comprehensive strategies and of legal reforms; to break the silence around sensitive questions; to enhance understanding of risk factors and vulnerabilities; and to strengthen violence prevention.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 125
- Paragraph text
- Cooperation with academics and research institutions will continue to be pursued to consolidate progress in areas covered by the study, and to address emerging concerns, including the serious risks of violence faced by children on the move, as well as the potential and challenges presented by the use of new technologies in the protection of children from all forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 126
- Paragraph text
- The mandate of the Special Representative is anchored by the United Nations study on violence against children and its action-oriented recommendations, which provide a strategic agenda to secure children's protection from all forms of violence, in all settings and in all nations.
- 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. 127
- Paragraph text
- As noted in the present report, significant developments have marked the initial period of the Special Representative's mandate - these include strategic initiatives undertaken by United Nations agencies to mainstream violence against children within their agenda; critical strides by regional organizations and political groups, and civil society networks to institutionalize the process of implementation of the recommendations of the study; and noteworthy improvements at the national level to protect children from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 128
- Paragraph text
- Strong partnerships within and beyond the United Nations system have helped to consolidate this agenda with dynamic mobilization and support from stakeholders at all levels, including governments, national institutions, civil society organizations and children themselves.
- 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. 129
- Paragraph text
- In spite of this promising trend, however, violence against children remains widespread, largely hidden and still too often condoned by society. Recognizing that no violence is justifiable and all violence can be effectively prevented, the Special Representative is strongly committed to maintaining momentum around violence prevention and responses; increasing visibility and renewed concern at the harmful effects of violence on children; addressing social norms to encourage a process of positive behaviour and social change; and mobilizing political support to combat this phenomenon and achieve steady progress.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 130a
- Paragraph text
- [Guided by this mission and building upon the strong human rights foundation of her mandate, the Special Representative will, in the immediate future, give primary attention to the following dimensions:] Advancing her two-year campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and promoting global adherence to other treaties aiming at children's protection from violence;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 130b
- Paragraph text
- [Guided by this mission and building upon the strong human rights foundation of her mandate, the Special Representative will, in the immediate future, give primary attention to the following dimensions:] Promoting progress in her three strategic areas of concern, namely, the development in each State of a comprehensive strategy on violence prevention and response; the adoption of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children, in all settings; and the consolidation of national data systems and research in this field;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 130c
- Paragraph text
- [Guided by this mission and building upon the strong human rights foundation of her mandate, the Special Representative will, in the immediate future, give primary attention to the following dimensions:] Supporting the development of a thematic report on safe, child-sensitive and accessible counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms on violence against children, in line with Human Rights Council resolution 13/20.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2010, para. 131
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative looks forward to collaborating closely with Member States and all other relevant stakeholders to advance this critical agenda and achieve children's freedom from violence in all its forms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 5a
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart to accelerate and monitor progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three recommendations. For this reason, these are also the areas to which the Special Representative gives special attention, namely:] The development in each State of a national comprehensive strategy to prevent and respond to all forms of violence;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 5b
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart to accelerate and monitor progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three recommendations. For this reason, these are also the areas to which the Special Representative gives special attention, namely:] The introduction of an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children, in all settings;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 5c
- Paragraph text
- [The recommendations of the United Nations study provide a navigation chart to accelerate and monitor progress in violence prevention and responses. In view of their particular urgency, the study identified time-bound targets for three recommendations. For this reason, these are also the areas to which the Special Representative gives special attention, namely:] The promotion of a national system of data collection, analysis and dissemination, and a research agenda on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 6
- Paragraph text
- A national strategy is at the core of effective action to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against children. It helps to shape a vision and generate long-term and sustained commitment to build a safe society where children may grow up free from violence. With strategic, time-bound targets, and informed by sound data and research, it provides a road map to mobilize action, resources and support to stimulate and monitor progress, and promote a process of lasting change. To be effective, a strategy needs to meet critical requirements, including being mainstreamed into the national policy and development agenda, to avoid being perceived as an afterthought and ignored when key policy and budgetary decisions are made; adequately supported by human and financial resources; and evaluated on a regular basis. It also needs to be coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities in children's issues and with authority to articulate activities across governmental departments, in association with relevant stakeholders, including civil society.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- During the first year of the Special Representative's mandate, in order to consolidate change in the aforementioned priority areas, particular attention was given to the revitalization of networks involved in the development of the study, the promotion of new alliances and further consolidation of strategic partnerships and, in particular, the institutionalization of regional governance structures related to violence against children. Those efforts have been critical in promoting the mainstreaming of the issue of the freedom of children from violence into the policy agenda at the international, regional and national levels.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children has an impact on all children's rights and requires the effective engagement of all levels of public administration and the involvement of all relevant ministries, including health, education and social affairs, gender, justice, migration and home affairs, planning, economy and finance.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- In the overall framework of follow-up to the United Nations study and cooperation with the Special Representative, recent months have been marked by significant commitments made by intergovernmental and regional organizations, and the promotion of strategic initiatives supporting the development and implementation of national strategies for the protection of children from violence. In some cases, time-bound goals have also been agreed on to move this process forward. This is well illustrated by significant regional initiatives and policy decisions, including those taken by the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Council of Europe.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- The second year of the mandate was a key period in which to rally firm support for efforts to address persisting challenges and to accelerate global progress towards a world free from violence. In support of that process, the Special Representative organized, with key partners, three expert consultations on critical areas of concern, namely, child-sensitive mechanisms for addressing incidents of violence, law reform to ensure the protection of children, and strategies for preventing and addressing violence in schools. The main conclusions and recommendations resulting from those meetings are presented below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative is also preparing the publication of thematic reports and advocacy tools on these subjects, to assist governments and other stakeholders in ensuring the protection of children from violence. Materials will be developed especially for children, including on child-sensitive mechanisms for responding to incidents of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- In 2010, Governments in South Asia formed the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children and adopted a strategic plan for 2010-2015 to coordinate, standardize and monitor progress annually. One of its strategic objectives is the development in all States 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 and adequate resources, and coordinated and monitored by a nodal agency with the human and financial capacity to involve multiple sectors.
- 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. 10
- Paragraph text
- As part of her advocacy and communication strategy, the Special Representative established a website (http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org) to disseminate information about significant developments related to the protection of children from violence. The website is also a platform for networking among key partners and includes social media tools and a Children's Corner with child-friendly materials.
- 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. 10
- Paragraph text
- The 2009 Cairo Declaration, adopted by the States members of OIC, recommended the adoption of all appropriate legislative, social and other measures for an effective follow-up to the recommendations of the United Nations study, and specifically called on the establishment by each State of a high-level focal point to coordinate all actions to prevent and combat all forms of violence against children, and to promote the development of a well-resourced national strategy on violence against children, engaging with civil society, including children and young people.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- In 2009, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the policy guidelines on integrated national strategies for the protection of children from violence to protect the rights of children and prevent and combat all forms of violence against them, calling on Member States to promote the wide dissemination of the guidelines and their implementation through national legislation, policy and practice. According to the guidelines, an integrated national strategy is a multifaceted and systematic framework fully integrated into a national policy, with a specific time frame, with realistic targets, coordinated and monitored by a single agency, supported by adequate human and financial resources and based on scientific knowledge.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 11a
- Paragraph text
- [In 2011, the Special Representative has, within the overall framework of her priority agenda, placed a special emphasis on:] Moving towards the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention, in particular to ensure the protection of children from sale, prostitution and pornography;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 11b
- Paragraph text
- [In 2011, the Special Representative has, within the overall framework of her priority agenda, placed a special emphasis on:] Consolidating the legal protection of children from all forms of violence;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 11c
- Paragraph text
- [In 2011, the Special Representative has, within the overall framework of her priority agenda, placed a special emphasis on:] Promoting the establishment of safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence against children, including children with disabilities;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 11d
- Paragraph text
- [In 2011, the Special Representative has, within the overall framework of her priority agenda, placed a special emphasis on:] Widening awareness and advocacy in order to prevent and address violence against children in education, as well as in justice-related institutions;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 11e
- Paragraph text
- [In 2011, the Special Representative has, within the overall framework of her priority agenda, placed a special emphasis on:] Conducting a global survey to assess progress in the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The global campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, launched in 2010 by the Secretary-General, provides a critical agenda for consolidating the institutional partnership with strategic allies within the United Nations system, including the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. The campaign has also become a crucial reference for collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- In a growing number of countries, significant efforts are being made to develop a national agenda on violence against children. In some cases, the development of the strategy 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, within which violence against children is a distinct component.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Youth
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- In the light of her mandate, the Special Representative on Violence against Children places a special focus on achieving global adherence to the protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. She pursues that agenda through global advocacy, regional engagement and field missions.
- 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. 13
- Paragraph text
- These significant developments are welcome, but much remains to be done to ensure that violence against children gains visibility in the public debate, in the policy agenda and in resource-allocation decisions, and is supported by a paradigm shift in the way this phenomenon is perceived by society.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- During the first year of the campaign, significant progress was made. The goal of universal ratification was incorporated into the United Nations policy agenda, including the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted on 11 May 2011 at the Hague Global Child Labour Conference (see section III below). Commitment to the ratification and implementation of the Protocol was also expressed by regional organizations and political groupings, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children and States from the Asia-Pacific region. The Council of Europe launched a wide-scale information campaign about sexual violence against children, of which the ratification of the Protocol is a core component.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Legislation is a key component of any comprehensive national strategy on violence against children. It is an expression of a country's political commitment to work towards violence prevention and the protection of children's dignity and physical integrity. It provides protection for victims and witnesses, enabling reporting, redress and assistance, and recovery and reintegration; moreover, it encourages positive discipline and promotes the education of children through non-violent means.
- 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. 15
- Paragraph text
- Since the launching of the campaign, eight States have ratified the Protocol: Djibouti, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Malta, Mauritius, Nigeria, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The Central African Republic has signed the instrument.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- N.A.
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 15a
- Paragraph text
- [Three countries recently took legislative action to ban violence against children:] Kenya. The new Constitution came into force in August 2010. Article 29 prohibits any form of violence from either public or private sources. This ban is binding for all State organs and all persons. Article 53 provides that every child has the right to be protected from abuse, neglect, harmful cultural practices, all forms of violence, inhuman treatment and punishment, and hazardous or exploitative labour;
- 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. 15b
- Paragraph text
- [Three countries recently took legislative action to ban violence against children:] Poland. Article 2 of the 2010 Law on the Prevention of Family Violence amends the Family Code (1964) and inserts a prohibition of all corporal punishment in child-rearing: persons exercising parental care, care or alternative care over a minor are forbidden to use corporal punishment, inflict psychological suffering and use any other forms of child humiliation. This important amendment builds upon the national Constitution of 1997, which prohibits corporal punishment;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 15c
- Paragraph text
- [Three countries recently took legislative action to ban violence against children:] Tunisia. In July 2010, the Parliament passed Law No. 2010-40, amending article 319 of the Penal Code and prohibiting the use of all forms of corporal punishment in child-rearing.
- 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. 16
- Paragraph text
- Around the globe, law reform for children's protection from violence is gaining momentum. When the United Nations study was finalized, only 16 countries had legislation prohibiting violence in all settings, including corporal punishment in the home. Currently, 29 countries have introduced such a comprehensive legal ban. In all regions, legislative reform initiatives are under way to achieve full prohibition, and in several other countries, new legislation is under review to prohibit violence in specific settings. In some cases, a monitoring system has been developed to advance implementation. In countries where harmful practices persist behind deeply entrenched traditions, the legislative process has provided opportunities to involve community and religious leaders, parliamentarians, professional associations, academic institutions and grass-roots organizations, and to engage communities concerned to promote change from within and consolidate prevention efforts.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 16
- Paragraph text
- In May 2011, in order to accelerate progress, the Special Representative, in collaboration with strategic partners, hosted a treaty event in New York on the occasion of the first anniversary of the launching of the campaign, and supported a regional event in Addis Ababa hosted by the African Union with the Economic Commission for Africa, UNICEF and OHCHR. At these and other high-level meetings, the campaign received strong support from Governments, United Nations agencies, parliamentarians, children's advocates, faith-based organizations and civil society organizations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- At least 18 States have made formal commitments to the ratification of the Protocol, including within the framework of the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council and before the Committee on the Rights of the Child or human rights mandate-holders. Of those that are not yet parties, 40 per cent have ratified the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and 90 per cent have ratified ILO Convention No. 182, on the Worst Forms of Child Labour; these address similar areas of concern.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Women
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 17
- Paragraph text
- Recent regional commitments have underscored the importance of law enactment and enforcement in safeguarding children's rights to freedom from violence. For instance, this area has been identified as a high priority by the South Asian Initiative to End Violence against Children, the Council of Europe and in the Cairo Declaration adopted by OIC Member States (see paragraphs 8-11 above).
- 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. 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.
- 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. 18
- Paragraph text
- The adoption of legislation to prohibit all forms of violence against children, in all settings, together with an appropriate legal framework for preventing and responding to violence, was a critical recommendation of the study and constitutes a priority of the Special Representative's mandate. To advance progress in this crucial area, the Special Representative organized, together with OHCHR, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the international non-governmental organization Advisory Council for the follow-up to the study on violence against children, an expert consultation on law reform held in Geneva in July 2011. The main findings of the consultation are presented below.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted in previous reports, law reform on violence against children is an area that is gaining momentum. When the study was finalized, 16 countries had legislation prohibiting violence in all settings. To date, 29 have introduced such a comprehensive legal ban, in some cases incorporating it into their Constitutions. In some countries, courts have also been instrumental in guaranteeing the right of the child to respect for his or her physical integrity and to freedom from violence, including within the family. Across regions, there are significant initiatives under way to achieve the full legal prohibition of violence against children, and many countries have adopted legislation on specific forms of such violence, including sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking and harmful traditional practices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- As noted in previous reports, this dimension has been emphasized equally by the Pan American Child Congress, the Ibero-American Conference of Ministers and Authorities Responsible for Children, and the African Committee on the Rights and Welfare of the Child. It was given centre stage in the work of other strategic partners too, including parliamentarians and religious leaders (see box below), as well as national independent human rights institutions.
- 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
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- As the above developments confirm, law reform is an area where progress is taking place. Vigorous efforts are, however, urgently needed. Firstly, efforts to introduce a comprehensive legal ban need to be scaled up: globally, fewer than 5 per cent of children are legally protected from all forms of violence in all settings. Several Governments have made commitments to adopt legislation to introduce such a comprehensive ban; when such commitments are followed through, the total number of prohibiting States worldwide will be at least 50, covering around 15 per cent of the global child population.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Over the past two years, regional organizations and political groupings have also embraced this goal as a priority, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States, the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children, MERCOSUR and the Council of Europe. In addition, the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights have been active supporters.
- 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. 21
- Paragraph text
- Secondly, in countries where a full legal ban has been adopted, further efforts are required to narrow the gap between law and practice. Legislation needs to permeate the work of institutions and shape the training and ethical standards of professionals working with and for children. Implementation needs to be supported by awareness-raising and social mobilization initiatives for the public at large, and children in particular. The development of easily accessible, child-sensitive, confidential and independent counselling and reporting mechanisms to address incidents of violence also need to be promoted. This is an area where progress is urgent, both to provide an effective remedy to child victims and to overcome the challenges presented by the invisibility and social acceptance of violence and the reluctance of professionals working with and for children to address or refer these cases to relevant bodies and institutions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- In spite of these important developments, vigorous efforts are still needed. First, efforts to introduce an explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children need to be scaled up: globally, fewer than 5 per cent of children benefit from legal protection from all forms of violence in all settings.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Second, in countries where legislation has been enacted, further measures are required to narrow the gap between law and practice. The concluding observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child on the implementation of the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography indicate that, in more than half of the countries reviewed, the legislation on child prostitution needs to be amended, including to ensure the protection of boys. The concluding observations on the implementation of the Convention indicate that, in at least one third of countries, legislative provisions on other forms of sexual violence are inadequate, as they fail to criminalize rape or to provide an adequate definition of sexual abuse. Similarly, research conducted by the Child Rights Information Network indicates that in at least 40 countries, children are at risk of being sentenced to violent forms of punishment, including whipping, flogging, caning or amputation, and that in a number of countries the law still allows children to be sentenced to death.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Building upon the commitments made by countries in all regions, and informed by good practices and lessons learned, law enactment and enforcement is an area where progress is within reach. To further consolidate this trend, in 2011, the Special Representative will host with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) an expert consultation in this area.
- 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. 23
- Paragraph text
- In short, although steps have been taken in many countries to prohibit violence against children in some forms and contexts, only a few have introduced comprehensive bans. Moreover, law enforcement has remained weak, with limited dissemination and understanding of the changes introduced. Efforts to monitor the impact of legal reform, to address emerging concerns and to ensure well-coordinated and well-resourced services and programmes to support victims in their healing and long-term reintegration have been scarce.
- 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. 23
- Paragraph text
- Widely perceived as a social taboo, an accepted practice or a needed form of discipline, violence against children is seldom reported; furthermore, official statistics remain limited in their ability to capture the full extent of this phenomenon wherever it occurs. As a result, available information is scarce and only reflects the tip of the iceberg.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Without reliable data, national planning is compromised, effective policymaking and resource mobilization are hampered and targeted interventions limited in their ability to prevent and combat violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- The Geneva expert consultation on law reform provided a strategic platform for the review of initiatives and positive experiences in various countries of the world, the acknowledgement of progress, and reflection on critical factors facilitating or compromising the legal protection of children from violence in the five settings identified in the study. The meeting also included the identification of opportunities to accelerate progress and promote technical advice in this critical area.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 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.
- 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. 25
- Paragraph text
- The meeting resulted in important conclusions and recommendations to ensure the freedom of children from violence in various forms and settings, including sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking, harmful traditional practices, juvenile justice, labour-related violence and violence within the home. These will be addressed in greater detail in the thematic report to be issued by the Special Representative on this topic in the coming months.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- 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".
- 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. 26
- Paragraph text
- In anticipation of that report, the following four overarching conclusions deserve special attention in view of their crucial value for shaping legislative initiatives on violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- First, law reform on violence against children is an essential component of a robust national child protection system. For that reason, it needs to be supported by well-coordinated and well-resourced services and institutions, and pursued through a holistic approach. This involves addressing the root causes of violence; prohibiting and deterring incidents of violence; safeguarding the rights of all children, including those at greater risk; providing redress and reintegration; and fighting impunity. The establishment by law of accessible, child-sensitive and safe counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms to address incidents of violence is a crucial dimension of this process.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 27
- Paragraph text
- Violence in all its forms affects the life of millions of children around the world; however, as has been learned from the many successful initiatives promoted across regions, it is not inevitable. Violence can be prevented and effectively addressed. With a strategic national agenda, strong and effective legislation and sound data and evidence to understand risk factors and inform policy decisions, a world without violence can be realized. These will therefore remain areas of priority concern for the Special Representative.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Second, law reform is an ongoing process and cannot be reduced to isolated or fragmented actions. It requires consistent efforts to ensure harmonization with international standards and implement political commitments undertaken in this area; to fill gaps in implementation; and to address emerging concerns, such as those arising from the use of new technologies. Where deeply rooted social conventions condone the use of violence as a child-rearing practice or a necessary form of discipline, it is critical to promote a sustained process of advocacy, education, law enactment and enforcement, and evaluation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative remains committed to strengthen further strategic alliances for the protection of children from all forms of violence with key partners, within and beyond the United Nations system. In this regard, important institutional collaboration mechanisms have been set in place to support her mandate. These include the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children, the NGO Advisory Council for follow-up to the United Nations study, and regional governance structures established in support of follow-up to the study.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative has given high priority to the promotion of enhanced forms of synergy with United Nations partners. This collaboration has been crucial to raise awareness of and broaden global support for children's protection from violence, to promote the mainstreaming of this issue in United Nations activities, and also to generate policy debate through the organization of strategic panel discussions with key partners on areas of critical concern. The side events held by the Special Representative during the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly illustrate this well, including those on the consolidation of data and research on violence against children and on the impact of violence in early childhood.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Third, legislation to protect children from violence is by nature complex and wide-ranging. It requires a comprehensive and explicit legal ban to convey an unequivocal message that children's right to freedom from violence must be safeguarded everywhere and at all times. Through constitutional reform or the introduction of new provisions in family and criminal codes and in child protection and domestic violence legislation, this process is gaining ground in an increasing number of States.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Legal prohibition must also be supported by detailed provisions in specific pieces of legislation, both to address distinct forms of violence, such as sexual abuse and exploitation, trafficking or harmful traditional practices, and to tackle violence in specific settings, including schools, care and justice institutions and the home. It is critical that enabling laws and regulations be developed in relevant legal fields to give full meaning to the prohibition and deter incidents of violence, to protect the children concerned, to ensure appropriate support for the process of enforcement and to fight impunity.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- Strong and fruitful cooperation has been developed with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, with whom regular meetings are held to exchange information and discuss areas for mutually supportive collaboration, including the promotion of joint initiatives and missions. The two special representatives organized a commemorative event to mark the tenth anniversary of the adoption of the Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and to launch a global campaign aiming at their universal ratification by 2012.
- 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
- 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.
- 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. 31
- Paragraph text
- The campaign for the universal ratification of the Optional Protocols was launched with the Secretary-General, at Headquarters, and is pursued in close cooperation with UNICEF, OHCHR and the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. In the light of her mandate, during this two-year campaign, the Special Representative places a special focus on achieving global adherence to the Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. As at 15 December 2010, the Protocol was in force in 142 countries, and more than 80 per cent of those who have not yet ratified it are parties to the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) of the International Labour Organization (ILO), a treaty with legal obligations to fight the sale of children, trafficking and sexual exploitation of children. Several of the remaining countries have also formally committed to ratification, including in the context of the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- Advancing the aims of the campaign has been a constant concern in the Special Representative's global advocacy and field missions. The campaign has received wide support from Member States, United Nations agencies and civil society organizations. The goal of universal ratification was incorporated in the policy agenda of high-level United Nations initiatives, including the United Nations Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons and the Roadmap for Achieving the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour by 2016, adopted on 11 May 2010 at The Hague Global Child Labour Conference. Moreover, the launch of the campaign has been followed by the adherence to the Protocol by an increasing number of States. Efforts to advance progress in this field will be pursued in 2011.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph