Search Tips
sorted by
30 shown of 134 entities
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. 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. 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. 33
- Paragraph text
- Moreover, law enforcement has been more effective when such initiatives have been supported with social mobilization initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns (both for the public in general and for children and their families in particular) and supported by the development of ethical standards, capacity-building activities and concrete guidance for professionals and institutions working for and with children. For this reason, law reform initiatives should include a clear plan of implementation, with an estimation of costs and an anticipated allocation of resources to meet them.
- 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
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In the case of sexual exploitation and abuse, which are often committed by people whom children know and trust within institutions, in schools and in the home, parents feel tempted to conceal such incidents in order to protect their children and safeguard the image and unity of the family. Professionals may lack the training necessary to identify early signals and address incidents of violence in an ethical and gender- and child-sensitive manner, and may have no guidance as to whether and how they are expected to report such cases or how to refer them. When they are addressed, incidents of violence continue to be considered separately, by different professionals, and through the lens of disconnected disciplines, creating the risk of revictimization.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- For the families of children with disabilities, heavy demands and high stress, lack of support and services, and a deep sense of isolation aggravate the risk of violence within the household. Some families respond with neglect rather than with active violence. Others shield the child from contact with the outside world, including to protect him or her from abuse and stigmatization, sometimes in appalling conditions (such as windowless rooms or hot courtyards). Still others arrange for a "mercy killing" to put an end to the child's perceived suffering, at times as a result of pressure from or upon the advice of other family members or influential actors in the community.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- Violence has a negative and often long-term impact on child victims. Beyond those directly affected, however, it creates fear and insecurity among students, hampering their learning opportunities and well-being. This in turn gives rise to anxiety and concerns in the family, sometimes fuelling pressure to keep children, particularly girls, out of school or to encourage school abandonment as a means of avoiding further violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Schools are an inherent part of the communities in which they are located; violence in the school mirrors social attitudes condoning violence and also reflects the environment surrounding the school, including social unrest, the availability of weapons and criminal gang activities. For this reason, efforts to bring an end to violence in school must not only invest in ensuring a safe and child-friendly environment in educational settings, but also seek to address the cultural acceptance of violence against children, and invest in violence prevention and positive discipline initiatives for families and the community at large.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 57
- Paragraph text
- Schools succeed in their efforts to curb violence in particular when they break away from a strictly sectoral approach in favour of holistic, participatory and child-centred strategies. Such strategies help to involve families in school life and envisage children as crucial actors and agents of change, shaping decisions with their perspectives and experiences. Furthermore, they help to overcome bureaucratic and administrative divisions and operate in a multifaceted way, through investments in teacher and school staff training, curriculum development, school administration, policy development, budgetary allocations and strong legislation to guarantee the protection of children from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58
- Paragraph text
- The protection of children from violence was central to the above high-level discussions. The Beijing Declaration adopted at the Meeting calls for a systematic approach to addressing child protection concerns on the basis of laws and policies that safeguard children from potential harm and ban all forms of violence against children. It also expresses the commitment to strengthen adequately-resourced national child protection and welfare systems and mechanisms, including the prevention of violence, the establishment of timely and appropriate responses and the mitigation of impact on children and their families of such protection concerns. A follow-up process has also been anticipated, and a ministerial meeting will be held in India, in 2013.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58a
- Paragraph text
- [This whole-school ethos informed the significant experiences shared at the Oslo meeting, including experiences with initiatives designed to prevent bullying in schools. The success of such initiatives has been closely associated with the engagement of teachers, staff and students, as well as parents and other members of the community. Reductions in the number of incidents of bullying have also been achieved as a result of a strong commitment, a clear plan and a strategic combination of efforts, namely:] A sincere and widely shared commitment to address this phenomenon, with the formal adoption and wide dissemination of anti-bullying rules, and their launching at an official school event;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58b
- Paragraph text
- [This whole-school ethos informed the significant experiences shared at the Oslo meeting, including experiences with initiatives designed to prevent bullying in schools. The success of such initiatives has been closely associated with the engagement of teachers, staff and students, as well as parents and other members of the community. Reductions in the number of incidents of bullying have also been achieved as a result of a strong commitment, a clear plan and a strategic combination of efforts, namely:] The establishment of a governance system in which all stakeholders participate;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58c
- Paragraph text
- [This whole-school ethos informed the significant experiences shared at the Oslo meeting, including experiences with initiatives designed to prevent bullying in schools. The success of such initiatives has been closely associated with the engagement of teachers, staff and students, as well as parents and other members of the community. Reductions in the number of incidents of bullying have also been achieved as a result of a strong commitment, a clear plan and a strategic combination of efforts, namely:] The development of a monitoring system, with the periodic review of incidents and issues of concern;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 58d
- Paragraph text
- [This whole-school ethos informed the significant experiences shared at the Oslo meeting, including experiences with initiatives designed to prevent bullying in schools. The success of such initiatives has been closely associated with the engagement of teachers, staff and students, as well as parents and other members of the community. Reductions in the number of incidents of bullying have also been achieved as a result of a strong commitment, a clear plan and a strategic combination of efforts, namely:] The dissemination of anti-bullying messages in the community at large.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- On 17 November 2010, the Committee of Ministers of the Council adopted the Guidelines on Child-Friendly Justice, to ensure children's access to a justice system that is age-sensitive, speedy, diligent and respectful of the rights of the child, and to protect those involved from harm, intimidation and secondary victimization. The Guidelines establish important standards to inform counselling, reporting and complaint mechanisms for incidents of violence. They provide a key reference for the Council's Campaign to Stop Sexual Violence of Children, launched with the Special Representative in late November 2010. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and offer knowledge and advice to families and children on the prevention and reporting of incidents of sexual violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 68
- Paragraph text
- Although statistical information on violence in schools is scarce and fragmented, available data confirm the serious magnitude of this phenomenon and its long-lasting consequences, both for children and their families and for the education system as a whole. Surveys conducted in a number of countries have confirmed this pattern and, in some cases, have assisted in the reporting of emerging forms of violence, including a new form of sexual abuse in schools, referred to as "sex for grades".
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 102
- Paragraph text
- The conference addressed critical issues for the Central and Eastern European region, including strengthening violence prevention through the revision of national childcare standards and policies; providing family-friendly services to prevent violence and the separation of children from their families as a result of violent behaviour; promoting child-friendly counselling, reporting, complaint and referral systems and mechanisms within institutions hosting children; and developing comprehensive reintegration and rehabilitation programmes for child victims, witnesses and perpetrators of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 110
- Paragraph text
- Violence is a key concern of children; in some regions, the phenomenon was identified as their most critical concern. Despite the fact that they are exposed to widespread violence, children show a remarkable resilience. Through school debates and community events, radio programmes and street theatre, cartoons, blogs and social media, they help to raise awareness among other children and their families about violence and its impact, create solidarity and support for child victims, and can instil the confidence to report incidents of violence and press for speedy and lasting solutions.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Thirdly, 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 of the imperative to safeguard children's right to freedom from violence, everywhere and at all times. Through constitutional reform, or the introduction of new provisions in family and criminal codes, 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
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 26
- Paragraph text
- Similarly, law enforcement has been more effective when legislative processes have been supported with social mobilization initiatives and awareness-raising campaigns (both for the public at large, and children and their families in particular) and supported by the development of ethical standards, capacity-building activities and concrete guidance for professionals and institutions working for and with children. With this in mind, law reform initiatives should include a clear plan of implementation, with an estimation of costs, and an anticipated allocation of resources to meet them.
- 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
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- The American survey addressed a wide range of situations where children are exposed to violence, from physical assault, sexual victimization and child maltreatment, to witnessing violence in the family and in the community, and enduring bullying, Internet victimization and dating violence It also considered the cumulative effects of children's exposure over time to various forms of violence, as well as across different age groups. With this far-reaching scope and the promotion of a comprehensive approach beyond individual types of violence, and across disciplines and services, the survey findings are expected to better equip actors to prevent violence, and help child victims overcome the impact of this phenomenon.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 49
- Paragraph text
- Schools are an inherent part of the communities in which they are located; violence in the school mirrors social attitudes condoning violence, and reflects the environment surrounding the school, including social unrest, availability of weapons and criminal gang activities. Hence, efforts to bring an end to violence in school must not only invest in securing a safe and child-friendly environment inside education settings, but also seek to address the cultural acceptance of violence against children, and invest in violence prevention and positive discipline initiatives for families and the community at large.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- Schools succeed better in their efforts to curb violence particularly when they break away from a strictly sectoral approach in favour of holistic, participatory and child-centred strategies. Such strategies help to involve families in school life and children as crucial actors and agents of change, shaping decisions with their perspectives and experience. Furthermore, these strategies help to operate in a multifaceted way, by investing in teacher and school staff training, curricula development, school administration, policy development, budgetary allocations and strong legislation to secure children's protection from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- However, progress remains uneven, with insufficient efforts to develop a cohesive and well-resourced national strategy on violence against children; uncoordinated policy interventions; dispersed and ill-enforced legislation; insufficient investment in family support, in capacity-building for professionals, and in safe and child-sensitive mechanisms to address incidents of violence; and overall, with scarce data and research to break the invisibility of this phenomenon and promote evidence-based decision-making.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 55
- Paragraph text
- Although statistical information on violence in education is scarce and fragmented, available data reveal the serious magnitude and the long-lasting consequences of this phenomenon - on children and their families and on the education system as a whole. Surveys conducted in a number of countries confirm this pattern and in some cases helped to denounce emerging forms of violence, including new forms of sexual abuse in schools referred to as "sex for grades".
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The Round Table was the first of its kind and became a platform to reflect on lessons learnt and support the development of a forward-looking strategy to prevent and eliminate violence against children at the regional and national levels. As highlighted by the Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe, "combining the various efforts of regional organizations with the critical contribution of the UN family is the best chance we have to create a world fit for children".
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 84
- Paragraph text
- Poverty, vulnerability and economic hardship are factors of stress in the community and in the home, generating a higher incidence of violence, including domestic violence. As families struggle to meet their basic needs, children may be pressed to drop out from school to contribute to household income; girls may be placed at risk of involvement in hazardous economic activities, including domestic service, begging and sexual exploitation; or forced to marry, the risk of getting married before the age of 18 being three times higher among poor girls.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- Children with disabilities are also at heightened risk of abuse, neglect, stigma and exploitation. In their lives, disability, poverty, poor health care and nutrition, and social exclusion often go hand in hand. The incidence of disability is higher among children belonging to poorer households, where they lack access to basic social services of quality, thus compromising opportunities for early detection, treatment and recovery, and for meaningful participation in social life. As families of children with disabilities face extra medical, housing and transport costs, they miss employment opportunities and face marginalization and aggravated vulnerability to violence. When placed in institutions, where they have limited ability to disclose situations of abuse and seek redress, children's vulnerability to violence is further exacerbated.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- As the current economic downturn confirms, in times of economic crisis the impact of those multiple factors increases. Although initially buffered from the financial crisis, low-income countries soon felt its impact, with a slowdown in international trade, severely stretched Government budgets and uncertainty concerning foreign aid. According to some studies, additional numbers of people trapped in poverty in 2009 ranged from 50 million to 90 million. Vulnerable children are particularly affected, with estimates that, in sub-Saharan Africa, as many as 50,000 infant deaths in 2009 were linked to the global financial crisis. At the household level, insecurity in employment and pressure on resources, including as a result of rises in food and fuel prices, have increased the vulnerability of families with a growing risk of tension and violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- Economically advanced countries are also implementing severe cutbacks in social spending and are promoting budgetary austerity measures to reduce national debt and boost their economies. In some cases, cuts in child benefits in the area of education have hampered families' ability to buy schoolbooks and cover the cost of their children's meals and transportation, while child labour in the informal sector and in agriculture may be on the rise as a result of shrinking family income. As recently highlighted by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, increasingly difficult socioeconomic situations for families and high levels of stress and pressure can result in serious risks of domestic violence towards children and need to be carefully monitored.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Year
- 2012
Paragraph