A/70/289
I. Introduction
1.
The present report reviews key developments promoted by the Special
Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children at the global,
regional and national levels and provides an overview of the results achieved in
protecting children from violence.
2.
In her role as a global independent advocate for the prevention and elimination
of all forms of violence against children, the Special Representative remains
strongly committed to further enhancing efforts to accelerate progress in that
process.
3.
Over recent years the protection of children from violence has evolved from a
largely hidden and neglected topic into a growing global concern. Framed by
international human rights standards, including the Convention on the Rights of the
Child and its Protocols, and guided by the United Nations study on violence against
children, there has been a growing understanding of children’s exposure to violence,
strengthened commitments to secure their safety and protection, and significant
national implementation efforts to mobilize support for prev ention and response and
to help change attitudes and behaviour which condone violence against children.
4.
Those are promising developments, yet progress remains slow and uneven and
the urgency of protecting children from violence has not diminished. As hi ghlighted
by recent United Nations reports, every year almost 1 billion children between the
ages of 2 and 14 are subject to physical punishment by their caregivers; 84 million
girls are victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence at the hands of the ir
husbands or partners; child trafficking continues to increase, in some regions
reaching more than 60 per cent of identified victims; and 8 per cent of global
homicides affect children under the age of 15, while more than 50 per cent affect
young people below the age of 30.
5.
As underscored by the global survey on violence against children Toward a
World Free from Violence, 1 conducted by the Special Representative in 2013, there
is no time for complacency. It is crucial to consolidate the gains that have been
made, grasp the lessons learned and redouble efforts to shape a dynamic process of
change and build a world where all children can grow up free from violence. The
cost of inaction for every child and for the social progress of humanity is too great
to be borne. The opportunity for change is too close to let slip. In 2016, as the
international community commemorates the tenth anniversary of the study and
embarks on implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, the protection of
children from violence needs to be at the front and centre of the policy actions of
every nation.
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1
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Available from srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/page/Global_Progress_Survey_2011.
15-13244