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SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 21
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- This is no time for complacency. Around the world, millions of girls and boys of all ages continue to be exposed to appalling levels of violence, in their neighbourhoods, in their schools, in institutions aimed at their care and protection, and also within the home.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 9
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- An important dimension of the Graça Machel study was the attention given to the distinct effects of armed conflict upon girls as compared to boys. In the past 20 years, there has been progress in addressing the impact of conflict on girls, including through developments in the normative framework and enhanced accountability efforts for the crimes of rape and other forms of sexual violence. However, a significant number of the challenges that were identified in the study two decades ago still remain, as the Human Rights Council acknowledged during the reporting period when it expressed outrage at the persistence and pervasiveness of all forms of violence against girls worldwide.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 19
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Long-standing and well-established principles of detention are also being sidelined and overlooked in the context of armed conflict. For example, in many situations children are being held together with adults, and boys are also being held together with girls. Detaining children in this way exposes them to a range of risks to their physical integrity and can have harmful consequences for their psychological development. The nomenclature regarding detention is also a serious concern, as in some instances, the use of terminology such as a "reintegration", "rehabilitation" or "deradicalization" centre has been used to circumvent the applicability of safeguards and to deny the rights of those deprived of their liberty. In this regard, the Special Representative reminds concerned Member States of the importance of adhering to the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Administration of Juvenile Justice (Beijing Rules) in all instances of the deprivation of liberty of children. In all situations, priority must also be given to maintaining family ties for children in detention, and children should also have access to educational programmes, medical care and psychological support. These provisions will aid a child's reintegration into society once he or she is released.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 22
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- In the reporting period, the Special Representative has engaged in extensive advocacy to protect children who have been deprived of their liberty for association with parties to conflict. Joint endeavours have helped to ensure appropriate protection of the rights of children separated from armed groups. For example, in the Sudan, following the Special Representative's visit and in the light of extensive efforts by many United Nations entities, 21 boys detained for their alleged association with a non-State armed group were released and pardoned by the President on 8 September 2016.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Year
- 2017
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 30
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- This is no time for complacency. Around the world, millions of girls and boys of all ages continue to be exposed to appalling levels of violence, in their neighbourhoods, in schools, in institutions aimed at their care and protection and within the home.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 18
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- The violence-related targets in the 2030 Agenda are achievable, but measuring progress will need to be supported by sound data and stronger national statistical capacity. Along with the consolidation of knowledge and data on children's exposure to sexual, physical and emotional violence, it is crucial to develop enhanced tools and methodologies that can capture the full magnitude and incidence of all forms of violence against all girls and boys under 18 years of age.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 13
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- There is no time for complacency. Around the world, millions of girls and boys of all ages continue to be exposed to appalling levels of violence, in their neighbourhoods, in their schools, in institutions aimed at their care and protection and within the home.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 3
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- The effect of armed conflict on children during the reporting period was unyielding, with the Central African Republic, Israel and the State of Palestine, Libya, South Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen serving as regrettable examples where the situation worsened to a significant degree or saw no improvement. In the Central African Republic, a breakdown in law and order led to more intense violence between armed groups and the large-scale forced displacement of children, particularly since September. Nearly 2,000 children have been separated from armed groups by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners in the Central African Republic in 2015. These children are now at risk of being re-recruited owing to the persistent instability and lack of appropriate reintegration programmes. In South Sudan, witnesses and survivors of government offensives between May and August 2015 gave horrifying accounts of children being thrown into burning houses, run over by military vehicles and hanged from trees, and of girls being killed if they resisted rape. In several instances, boys were reportedly found castrated and killed after attacks. In Yemen, heavy aerial bombardments and ground operations since the end of March 2015 have dramatically increased the number of child casualties and had a devastating impact on access to education in an already highly precarious environment. Nearly all parties to the conflict on the ground in Yemen have engaged in widespread child recruitment, with information indicating that four times as many children were recruited in the six-month period from March to September 2015 than in the whole of 2014. In the Syrian Arab Republic and Iraq, the increasingly complex conflict and persistent violations of international law are taking an ever-increasing toll on the civilian population, as evidenced by rising displacement and refugee outflows. Libya is also facing worsening instability, violence and localized conflicts, and the rising tensions and violence in the State of Palestine and Israel show no signs of abating at the end of the reporting period.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2015, para. 35
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence continues to be a prominent violation of children's rights in most situations of conflict, affecting both girls and boys dramatically. Rape and other forms of sexual violence are committed in the context of attacks against the civilian population and children are usually targeted due to their vulnerability and frequently because of their ethnicity. Violations are also committed in the context of recruitment and use of children and abductions. Girls are particularly vulnerable to abduction or recruitment by armed groups to be used for sexual purposes. Parties to conflict use sexual violence against children as a tactic to instil fear so as to assert control over people and land. It is also an increasing trend used by extremist groups to terrorize populations. For example, Boko Haram has been abducting girls from schools, and reports indicate that those girls have been forcibly married to local commanders.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 81
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- The drugs trade typically uses children and adolescents for the most dangerous activities, such as monitoring territory, the transport and retail sale of drugs, or theft. Some children may end up being associated with criminal activities, including human trafficking, kidnapping and extortion and contract killings. Boys and girls may participate in human trafficking from an early age, as guides, lookouts or informants. Thereafter, they may be required to take care of safe houses and prevent escapes and later they may be armed and become involved in more dangerous tasks.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 117
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Children are particularly vulnerable to those intertwined forms of violence, both as victims and witnesses. While adolescent boys may be at risk of physical aggression and homicide owing to their participation in street fighting, gang membership, possession of arms and manipulation by organized crime networks, girls are more likely to endure violence in the private sphere, in particular sexual violence, which is often associated with shame, fear and distrust.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2015, para. 11
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Extremist groups have benefited from advances in technology, which have facilitated their rapid growth and led to the expansion of their territorial control, often across national borders. The military response to the threat has also raised protection challenges for children. Children caught in the middle of counter-terrorism operations have been killed and maimed and their homes and schools destroyed. In some cases, State-allied militias have been mobilized, resulting in boys and sometimes girls being used in support roles and even as combatants. Despite international calls for due process and respect for the rule of law, counter-terrorism operations often lack those elements. The Special Representative recalls that efforts to counteract extremist groups must be carried out in full compliance with international humanitarian, refugee and human rights law and must ensure that children are treated primarily as victims.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 33
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- In their recommendations, children highlighted three major issues. Firstly, they expressed deep concern at the high levels of violence affecting their lives - in schools, the community, the workplace and the home. Girls underscored the particularly high risk of sexual violence, and boys the special risk of severe forms of physical abuse, crime-related violence and homicide. Children called for their effective protection from violence in all contexts and at all times. They ranked protection from violence as their second highest priority, immediately after education. For them, education is crucial to develop children's talents and skills and to promote healthy lifestyles, and it is important in preventing violence and discrimination, countering intolerance, and enhancing dialogue and critical thinking. As they noted, receiving an inclusive and high-quality education helps prevent fear and abuse, as well as violence-related school dropout, early pregnancy, child marriage and child labour.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 39
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Violence against girls and boys is also a concern echoed by the Secretary-General in his report mentioned in paragraph 3 above.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 55
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Adolescent boys are at high risk of homicide because they are more prone to participating in activities such as street fighting, street crime, gang membership and possession of weapons. For girls, the greatest risk is violence from intimate partners.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 14
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- The results from those surveys press for urgent action. They expose serious levels of violence shaping children's lives and they highlight the gap between the large number of children exposed to violence and the very limited number of victims seeking help and the even smaller number benefiting from the services that are needed. For example, across seven of the countries surveyed, more than 25 per cent of girls and 10 per cent of boys had endured sexual violence, but less than 10 per cent of victims had received support from social services.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 64
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Gender differences also influence how children use ICTs and perceive and respond to online risks. In Europe, boys appear more bothered by online violence than girls, while girls are more concerned with contact-related risks. Teenage girls are slightly more likely to receive nasty or hurtful messages online than teenage boys.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 65
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- There are also indications that boys enjoy more and better quality access to the Internet than girls. That pattern is likely to exist in other regions, especially in contexts where girls may experience discrimination in society. At the same time, ICTs may also provide important tools for those girls to obtain information, participate in social and cultural life, and overcome isolation in their communities.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 90
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- State policies need to address the root causes of armed violence, including deprivation and social exclusion; undertake gender-sensitive approaches to secure boys' and girls' safety and protection, and the recovery and reintegration of victims; and fight impunity. Special protection measures are also needed for children and young people who try to leave gangs and organized criminal structures, to counter the risks they face and promote long-term options for their reintegration.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2014, para. 69
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- However, significant progress still needs to be accomplished in prosecuting crimes of sexual violence, at both the national and the international level. This need was highlighted by Judge Odio Benito in her dissenting opinion in the case against Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, in which she argued that by failing to deliberately include the sexual violence and other ill-treatment suffered by girls and boys within the legal concept of “use to participate actively in the hostilities”, the majority of the Chamber was making that critical aspect of the crime invisible. Sexual violence is recognized and criminalized under the Rome Statute and must be fully acknowledged. The Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, in close cooperation with the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, continues to promote and to advocate for accountability for sexual violence.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 35
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- During the period covered by the present report, important global thematic consultations were held to inform the future development agenda. In Helsinki, Monrovia and Panama City, the consultations devoted to violence and citizen security gave prominent attention to human rights and the elimination of all forms of violence. During the Panama consultation, participants specifically called for the inclusion of distinct goals to safeguard the protection of boys and girls from violence.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 38
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Firstly, it is crucial to mobilize the voice and support of leaders in all areas. In this spirit, on 20 November 2013, the International Day of the Child, the Special Representative together with other United Nations child rights experts issued a call to all Governments to include the protection from violence of all girls and boys, including the most vulnerable and marginalized, as a priority in the post-2015 agenda, and to back this commitment with firm funding.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 14
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Countless children involved with the criminal justice system as victims, witnesses or alleged offenders have a history of exposure to violence. At times, the criminal justice system is used as a substitute for weak or non-existent child protection systems that lead to the stigmatization and criminalization of girls and boys at risk, including those who are homeless and poor, those living or working on the street, and those who have fled home as a result of violence.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 19
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- Secondly, to prevent girls and boys from being targeted by violence or instrumentalized in criminal activities, the Model Strategies call for a strong and cohesive national child protection system, and recognize the need to address the root causes of child social exclusion and promote children's universal access to basic social services of quality (see paras. 12-17).
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 41e
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- [In some countries, important legislative initiatives have addressed violence against children with albinism and those accused of witchcraft, criminalizing harmful practices and issuing protective measures to secure children's safety and protection. Legislation is, however, insufficient to change superstition and deeply rooted beliefs. To ensure the protection of these children, the Special Representative has called for a comprehensive strategy highlighting, the following measures:] Enacting a clear legal ban against all forms of violence. In many countries, criminal legislation prohibits serious crimes, such as murder and torture. However, owing to the stigma and superstitious beliefs surrounding children with albinism or accused of witchcraft, additional legislative measures are needed to secure their effective protection. National legislation needs to include a clear and comprehensive prohibition of all forms of violence and harmful practices to protect these marginalized girls and boys, and to provide for means of redress and accountability. Clear provisions on reporting, investigation and prosecution of incidents of violence are essential to fight impunity. Information campaigns and awareness-raising initiatives, and capacity-building of relevant professionals, are equally needed to make the provisions of the law known and effectively enforced, and to overcome deep-rooted social conventions condoning violence.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 20
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- At the same time, however, progress has been too slow, too uneven and too fragmented to make a genuine breakthrough in the protection of children from violence. Countless girls and boys of all ages continue to be exposed to the cumulative impact of different forms of violence as a result of reactive, ill-coordinated and ill-resourced national strategies; dispersed and poorly enforced legislation; and low levels of investment in family support and gender- and child-sensitive approaches and mechanisms to support child victims and fight impunity. Overall, data and research remain scarce and incipient - insufficient to overcome the invisibility and acceptance of this phenomenon and to safeguard children's freedom from violence at all times.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 25
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- We must consolidate the gains that have been made, grasp the lessons we have learned, and redouble our efforts to shape a dynamic, forward-looking strategy to ensure children's freedom from violence everywhere and at all times. With this in mind, the global survey sets out eight imperatives which should be vigorously pursued: - All Governments should develop and promote a national, child-centered, integrated, multidisciplinary and time-bound strategy to prevent and address violence against children. - An explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children must be enacted as a matter of urgency, backed by detailed measures for implementation and effective enforcement. - Policy initiatives and legal measures should be accompanied by increased efforts to overcome the social acceptance of violence against children. - There must be an ongoing commitment to strengthen children's meaningful participation. - All Governments must invest in the social inclusion of girls and boys who are particularly vulnerable. - Governments must recognize the crucial importance of building strong data systems and sound evidence to prevent and address violence against children. - A stronger focus is needed on the factors that influence levels of violence and the resilience of children, their families and communities. These include poverty, deprivation and inequality; weak rule of law, organized crime and political instability; mass population movements; and environmental degradation and natural disasters. - As the international community considers the future global development agenda beyond 2015, violence against children, including the most vulnerable and marginalized girls and boys, should be recognized as a priority and a cross-cutting concern.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 21
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- The urgency of this cause has clearly not diminished. Indeed, the magnitude and impact of this phenomenon remains high and deeply distressing. For millions of children, life is defined by one word: fear. In their early years and throughout adolescence, children endure violent disciplinary practices in schools, in care and justice institutions and also within the home. Community violence and organized crime undermines their daily life and development; millions of children experience violence in work settings, including domestic work; child trafficking is on the increase; and in some countries, boys and girls face the risk of inhuman sentencing and harmful practices persist, with long-lasting consequences for the enjoyment of children's rights.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2014, para. 83
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative calls upon Member States and civil society to ensure that particular attention is paid to the plight of girls and boys and to promote specific provisions for children in global efforts to end, prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 17
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Paragraph text
- As the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child draws closer and discussions on the post-2015 global development agenda intensify, the report on the global survey provides strategic insight into how far the international community has come towards ensuring children's protection from violence and, crucially, what still needs to be done to give every girl and boy the opportunity of enjoying a childhood free from violence.
- Body
- SRSG: Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph