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SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 30
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: Previous experience with reparations for children, either administrative or court-ordered, has been limited. Past and present initiatives provide useful lessons learned and a sense of the challenges ahead. The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, for example, was the first ad hoc and hybrid court mandated to order reparations to victims, albeit only of a collective and symbolic nature. The Special Court for Sierra Leone had no mandate to award reparations. Instead, the Government established an administrative reparations programme on the basis of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Resource limitations, however, have put a significant strain on the implementation of this reparations process. In Colombia, in the framework of the Justice and Peace Act, the Supreme Court ordered reparations to child victims of forced recruitment in the case against Freddy Rendón Herrera, alias “El Alemán”, who was accused of unlawful recruitment. The Court considered the needs and experience of each victim, in particular girls, to be different, and decided to focus on individual rehabilitation measures rather than collective material reparations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: Children are disproportionately affected by internal displacement not only in terms of the numbers of those affected, but also in the risks that they face. It is important to recall the challenges faced by internally displaced children, as articulated by Graça Machel, in her 1996 landmark report to the General Assembly on the impact of armed conflict on children (A/51/306): “During flight from the dangers of conflict, families and children continue to be exposed to multiple physical dangers. They are threatened by sudden attacks, shelling, snipers and landmines, and must often walk for days with only limited quantities of water and food. Under such circumstances, children become acutely undernourished and prone to illness, and they are the first to die. Girls in flight are even more vulnerable than usual to sexual abuse. Children forced to flee on their own to ensure their survival are also at heightened risk. Many abandon home to avoid forced recruitment, only to find that being in flight still places them at risk of recruitment, especially if they have no documentation and travel without their families.”
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 19
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 13
- 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
- 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
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 55
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 128
- Paragraph text
- Either as victims, witnesses or alleged offenders, those girls are in desperate need of care, treatment and protection, and gender-sensitive approaches to promote their social reintegration. Sadly, many of them may be at risk of ill-treatment and re-victimization by the justice system itself.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Health
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 126
- Paragraph text
- In many parts of the world, there is a lack of alternative non-custodial measures and community-based programmes tailored to girls' developmental needs. Restorative justice approaches are rare and there is a lack of investment in programmes that promote girls' health and education and long-lasting reintegration.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 124
- Paragraph text
- Driven by fear and superstition, incidents of violence are seldom reported or followed by investigation or prosecution. Girls may conceal them too, fearing further harassment and reprisals. Overall there is a pervasive culture of impunity.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Gender discrimination and stereotyped gender roles increase the risk of violence against girls, including rape, forced marriage and crimes in the name of honour. Those misperceptions may lead to punitive approaches in legislation, policy and implementation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 42
- Paragraph text
- In this regard, the High-level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda recommended the inclusion in the future agenda of dimensions such as eliminating all forms of violence against children and in particular against girls, and ending child marriage.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- Particularly worrisome is the fact that child trafficking has been on the increase: between 2007 and 2010, 27 per cent of detected victims were children. Of every three child victims, two are girls and one is a boy and, in some regions, children's exposure to this form of violence is particularly high.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 26a
- Paragraph text
- [The consultation highlighted the following issues:] The critical role of legislation, which constitutes a core dimension of States' accountability for the protection of children from violence and makes a decisive contribution to the abandonment of harmful practices against girls and boys by communities concerned;
- 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
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 63
- Paragraph text
- In 2011, 22 incidents were reported of children being used by armed groups to carry out suicide attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, including one 8-year-old girl and one 9-year-old girl. Some of those children were victim bombers, unknowingly carrying explosive packages.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- It should be noted that the focus of international criminal justice and mixed tribunals specifically on crimes against children has also raised the stakes in the fight against impunity. The Special Court for Sierra Leone paved the way for sanctioning individuals for child-specific violations by including such crimes in the indictments of all the individuals charged by the Court. This includes former President of Liberia Charles Taylor on counts of recruitment and use of children. In addition, despite the challenges in the trial of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo by the International Criminal Court for recruiting and using children, that case has symbolized the will of the international community to act for children and as such has sent a powerful message to perpetrators. As this is the first case before the International Criminal Court on the issue of children and armed conflict, and having filed an amicus curiae, the Special Representative gave testimony before the Court on the need to adopt a case-by-case method in deciding on what constitutes enlistment and conscription in terms of the statute. The Special Representative urged an interpretation that would not exclude girl children, who play multiple roles in many groups, not only as combatants but as wives and domestic aides.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 60
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative encourages all actors to renew their efforts to address the impact of conflict on girls. In this regard, the Special Representative calls upon Member States to ensure that appropriate services are in place to reintegrate girls associated with parties to conflict as well as supporting communities for the return of those who have been forcibly married and/or have suffered sexual violence and/or have borne children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 16b
- Paragraph text
- [The agenda of the Special Representative has been guided by four strategic priorities: consolidating progress and mainstreaming implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study; ensuring that violence against children is given prominence on the global agenda; reinforcing regional processes to enhance the protection of children from violence; and addressing emerging concerns. Significant results have been achieved, including:] Enhancing awareness and consolidating knowledge to prevent and respond to violence against children through international expert consultations, the development of research and the release of strategic thematic studies. As noted above, in 2016, two major studies Protecting Children Affected by Armed Violence in the Community and Ending the Torment: Tackling Bullying from the Schoolyard to Cyberspace were released. Previous studies by the Special Representative have addressed violence in schools and in the justice system; restorative justice for children; the rights of girls in the criminal justice system; child-sensitive counselling, and reporting and complaint mechanisms; protection of children from harmful practices; and the opportunities and risks for children associated with information and communications technologies. Child-friendly materials were also produced to inform and empower children concerning their right to freedom from violence, most recently issued in Braille;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 8
- Paragraph text
- Trafficking in persons continues to increase, and in some regions more than 60 per cent of victims are children. Countless millions of children are involved in exploitative work and slavery-like practices. In developing countries, one in every three girls is married before age 18 and one in nine is married before age 15, and children below 15 years represent 8 per cent of victims of homicides globally.
- 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
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 18
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 90
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 134
- Paragraph text
- Secondly, the establishment of widely available and easily accessible, safe and confidential mechanisms to support girls to overcome the fear of reporting cases of violence. They need to be supported by child- and gender-sensitive standards to ensure the effective participation of girls in relevant judicial and administrative proceedings, and to safeguard their safety, privacy and dignity at all stages.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 130
- Paragraph text
- Seeking redress through the criminal justice system can also be very intimidating, as girls fear that their credibility may be questioned, or that they may be blamed, rather than protected as victims. In countries where discrimination and stigma against sexual violence is high, it is particularly hard for girls to approach police stations or courts, for fear of verbal intimidation and harassment, and of seeing their testimony dismissed.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 129
- Paragraph text
- Those girls face overwhelming challenges at all stages, including significant barriers to seeking justice. Many are unaware of their rights and even fewer have access to safe, effective and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaints mechanisms. Furthermore, perpetrators are often people they know and trust, or on whom they depend for their survival and protection, raising additional challenges to reporting incidents and preventing the risk of reprisals.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 127
- Paragraph text
- As a result, countless girls end up deprived of their liberty, far away from home and family visits, and placed in units together with adult women. They may find themselves in harsh conditions, in overcrowded cells or in solitary confinement. They may be exposed to sexual violence, harassment, invasive body searches and humiliating treatment by staff in detention centres. In some countries, girls may face inhuman sentencing, including flogging, stoning and capital 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
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 125
- Paragraph text
- Girls may also be criminalized for status offences or on the grounds of "immoral character" or "perverse conduct". Those who are victims of trafficking may end up being arrested and incarcerated as a result of their exploitation by prostitution rings. Girls may also be forced by boyfriends and family members or manipulated by criminal groups to commit offences, such as selling drugs.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 123
- Paragraph text
- In some communities, certain incidents of violence reflect harmful beliefs towards particularly marginalized girls, including those with disabilities or albinism, who may be accused of witchcraft. As a result, those girls endure stigmatization and are the victims of serious acts of violence, neglect, abandonment, mutilation and murder.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 120
- Paragraph text
- In 1995, data from many countries showed that girls experienced discrimination from the earliest stages of life, through their childhood and into adulthood. Owing to violence, sexual abuse and exploitation, harmful attitudes and practices, such as female genital mutilation, son preference and child marriage, many girls do not survive into adulthood. They are neglected and their self-esteem undermined, with the risk of initiating a lifelong downward spiral of deprivation and exclusion.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 119
- Paragraph text
- As the international community reviews progress in the implementation over the past twenty years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including the protection of girls from discrimination and violence, it is crucial to prevent and address the challenges they face when involved with the criminal justice system, as victims and witnesses of violence, and when deprived of their liberty. That is a concern the Special Representative will continue to pursue.
- 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
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 118
- Paragraph text
- According to UNICEF, one in three adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide have been the victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence committed by their husbands or partners at some point in their lives. Taking place behind closed doors, incidents of violence are often associated with a culture of silence that inhibits girls from speaking out, from seeking help, accessing justice and bringing perpetrators to justice.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 117
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 65
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 64
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 41e
- 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
- 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
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 19
- 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
- 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
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 14
- 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
- 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
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 82
- Paragraph text
- The United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) provide an important reference in this regard as they address gender-based discrimination in the criminal justice system and call for gender-specific options for diversionary measures and the development of pretrial and sentencing alternatives for girls and women (rule 57).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 81
- Paragraph text
- Girls constitute a particularly vulnerable group, and their offending is often closely related to various forms of discrimination and deprivation: girls living in poverty may be easy targets and manipulated by criminal networks for sexual exploitation and drug dealing. Girls are also at risk of being arrested for prostitution or rounded up on the assumption that they are sex workers.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 38
- 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
- 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
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 35
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- The most vulnerable children are at the greatest risk of violence, including girls, children with disabilities, children who migrate, children who are confined to institutions, and children whose poverty and social exclusion expose them to deprivation, to neglect and, at times, to the inherent dangers of life on the streets.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 17
- 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
- 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
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Adolescent boys are at high risk of homicide as a result of participation in violence-prone activities, such as street fighting, street crime, gang membership and possession of weapons. For girls, the incidence of inter-partner violence is particularly high, and in many nations, family-related homicide is the major cause of female deaths.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- In the same publication, ILO expresses special concern at the largely hidden nature of domestic work and its strong association with incidents of violence. Name-calling, threats, shouting and screaming, beating, kicking, whipping, scalding, overwork and denial of food, and sexual harassment and abuse are some of the incidents acknowledged in the report. If they become pregnant, girls may be dismissed and find themselves on the streets, afraid to return home.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 105
- Paragraph text
- An estimated 526,000 people die violently every year; in the large majority of cases, in non-conflict settings. Young males are at high risk of homicide owing to their participation in street fighting, street crime, gang membership, possession of arms and other violence-prone activities. Women and girls are predominantly targeted by intimate and gender-based violence and in many nations family related homicide is the major cause of female deaths.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 33d
- Paragraph text
- [The meeting called for a multidimensional strategy and:] Data and research on violence in schools to capture the hidden face of violence and address its root causes; assess perceptions and attitudes, including among girls and boys of different ages and social backgrounds; identify children at greater risk; and assess the economic cost of violence and the social return that may be achieved with investment in prevention;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- An estimated 526,000 people die violently every year; in the large majority of cases, in non-conflict settings. Young males are at high risk of becoming the victims of homicide owing to their participation in street fighting, street crime, gang membership, possession of arms and other violence-prone activities. Women and girls are predominantly targeted by intimate and gender-based violence and in many nations family-related homicide is the major cause of female deaths.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Less than 30 per cent of respondents indicate 18 as the minimum age for marriage, with younger ages and different thresholds for boys and girls prevalent in a large number of countries. This is an area to which the Special Representative has paid special attention, including through the consultation on children's protection from harmful practices (see paras. 17-20 above).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 56
- Paragraph text
- Urgent efforts remain essential, including to capture the hidden face of violence and address its root causes; to understand perceptions and attitudes, including amongst girls and boys of different ages and social backgrounds; to help identify children at greater risk and effectively support them; and to assess the economic cost of violence and the social return that may be achieved with investment in prevention.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- For vulnerable groups of children, including girls, children with disabilities, children belonging to minorities or indigenous groups, or affected by HIV, these efforts need to be redoubled. They face particular challenges in gaining access to schooling and in remaining in school. They are more likely to be subjected to violence, or disregarded when they seek advice or report incidents of violence. As a result, they may end up choosing not to report violence for fear of drawing attention.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 51
- Paragraph text
- Unfortunately, this unique potential is in marked contrast to the daily reality of millions of children. Within and around educational settings, both girls and boys continue to be exposed to violence, including verbal abuse, intimidation, physical aggression and, in some cases, sexual abuse. At times they are also victims of gang violence and assault.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 94
- Paragraph text
- Violence not only has a negative impact on child victims; beyond those directly affected, it also generates fear and insecurity among students, hampering their learning opportunities and overall well-being. This situation raises families' anxiety and concerns, at times fuelling pressure to keep children, particularly girls, away from school and encouraging dropping out of school as a means of preventing further violence and harm.
- 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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 93
- Paragraph text
- Unfortunately, however, this unique potential stands in stark contrast with the daily reality of millions of children. Within and around educational settings, both girls and boys continue to be exposed to violence, including verbal abuse, intimidation, physical aggression and, in some cases, sexual abuse. At times, they are also victims of gang violence and assault.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 89
- Paragraph text
- As noted in the United Nations study, and confirmed during the Special Representative's missions to all regions, violence against children knows no geographic, cultural or economic bounds; it affects boys and girls of all ages, and occurs in all settings, including where children are expected to benefit from special care and protection.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- In November 2010, the Special Representative met the Vice President of the European Commission, Viviane Reding. The meeting was a strategic opportunity to address areas of shared concern, including the inclusion of children's protection from violence in the above-mentioned strategy on the rights of the child, the consolidation of legislation and other actions for the protection of girls from harmful practices, and the safeguard of the rights of child victims of 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
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 77
- Paragraph text
- Recalling that the issue of the reintegration of children is crucial to ensure the long-term sustainability of peace and security, the Special Representative encourages the Member States concerned to take appropriate measures to reintegrate those children, giving special attention to the needs of girls. She also calls on all Member States to provide the necessary political, technical and financial support to reintegration programmes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2015, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Recalling that the issue of the reintegration of children is crucial to ensure the long-term sustainability of peace and security, the Special Representative encourages the Member States concerned to take appropriate measures to reintegrate those children, giving special attention to the needs of girls. She also calls on all Member States to provide the necessary political, technical and financial support to reintegration programmes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2015, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Attacks on schools and hospitals are becoming an all-too familiar aspect of conflict, depriving millions of children of their right to education and health. The Special Representative remained deeply concerned by the increasing number of attacks on schools and hospitals, despite their protected status under international law. In almost every situation relating to the children and armed conflict agenda, the right to education and health was gravely affected by attacks on and the widespread military use of schools and hospitals as well as by attacks and threats of attacks against teachers and doctors. In many situations, such as in Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria, Israel and the State of Palestine and the Syrian Arab Republic, parties to conflict destroyed schools and hospitals by indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas or in targeted attacks against education facilities, teachers, school children, health workers and clinics. In 2014, we witnessed attacks on schools and ideological opposition to standard school curricula in places as varied as Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, southern Thailand, Somalia and the Syrian Arab Republic. Attempts by certain groups to radicalize teachings or exclude girls or minorities from education pose an even greater risk to the fundamental right of all children to an education. Health centres and health workers were also targeted, leading to the resurgence of preventable diseases, such as polio.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2014, para. 83
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2013, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- A growing body of reporting also contributes to an enhanced understanding of the multiple indirect adverse effects of drone strikes on children. Boys and girls have been the victims of drone strikes on schools, funeral processions and other community gatherings. Drone attacks have also led to weakening of the social fabric and of community protection mechanisms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Of growing concern is the use of children — sometimes unbeknownst to them — to carry or wear explosives. The reporting period has seen a steady increase in the number of girls and boys being used by armed groups for such purposes. These children, sometimes as young as eight, are often unaware of the actions or consequences of the acts they are instigated to commit. Such acts often lead to their own death and the killing of civilians, including other children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Girls remain the main victims of sexual violence in armed conflict. However, there are increasing reports of sexual abuse committed against boys. This phenomenon is still not adequately understood, and is yet to be comprehensively addressed in advocacy, monitoring, reporting and response. Knowledge about sexual violence against boys continues to be thin, in part because boys are more reluctant to speak out about sexual violence and there is inherently a bias against questioning boys about such abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 98
- Paragraph text
- The study is guided by international standards and aims to break through the invisibility of violence. Recognizing the cumulative risks of violence faced by girls, adolescents and young women as a result of the convergence of risks associated with ethnicity, gender, age, disability, lack of parental care and other factors, the study reviews positive experiences and offers comprehensive recommendations for accelerating progress and inspiring further debate and action for the protection of indigenous girls and women from violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 23
- Paragraph text
- Around the world, countless numbers of girls and boys fall victim to harmful practices. Often violent in nature, these practices compromise the development and education of the child, have serious and long-lasting health and psychological consequences, and may result in disability or death. At the same time, positive experiences have led to the successful abandonment of these practices and a lasting commitment by concerned communities to prevent their occurrence and safeguard the protection of children's rights.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 76
- Paragraph text
- There has been progress on these issues in Malawi, including the adoption in 2015 of the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act, which increased the minimum age of marriage to 18 years; the Government's commitment, in November 2016, to align the Constitution with that legislation and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child; and the crucial role played by traditional leaders in mobilizing their communities to prevent the early and forced marriage of girls and to ensure their return to school to pursue their education.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 75
- Paragraph text
- In October 2016, in Malawi, the Special Representative promoted the further implementation of the policy agenda launched during her previous visit undertaken in response to the findings of the 2015 violence against children survey. During the follow-up visit, she paid special attention to the prevention and abandonment of harmful practices, helping to focus national attention on the prevalence of child marriage, abuse associated with sexual initiation ceremonies, attacks against children with albinism and other practices compromising the rights of children, particularly girls.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 100
- Paragraph text
- Children on the move, including refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and victims of trafficking or smuggling may be placed in detention centres or cells in military bases or confined in restricted areas in airports, harbour facilities and islands. They may also be subject to involuntary transportation in vehicles, aeroplanes, boats or other vessels. Girls may be deprived of liberty supposedly for their own protection, including when they are at risk of honour crimes, trafficking or other forms of violence and, while detained, exposed to the risk?of?further?abuse and exploitation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 81
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Adolescents
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 14
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 136
- Paragraph text
- Recognizing the relevance of that area, the Special Representative welcomes the call by the sixty-ninth session of the General Assembly for a global study on children deprived of their liberty, and remains fully committed to contributing to its development. The global study will provide a strategic opportunity to prevent girls' deprivation of liberty, and associated risks of stigmatization and violence; safeguard girls' rights as victims, witnesses and alleged perpetrators; and promote their long-lasting recovery and reintegration.
- 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
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 121
- Paragraph text
- The Beijing Declaration includes nine strategic objectives to promote the elimination of all forms of discrimination, negative cultural attitudes and practices, and violence against the girl child. Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made to safeguard the rights of girls, including through strengthened legislation, policy and national plans of actions. However, as noted in the Global Survey conducted by the Special Representative's office, and other important studies, violence against girls, and overall against children and women, remains a global challenge.
- 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
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Young victims are often the target of these practices. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, between 2011 and 2012 there was a 70 per cent increase in child sexual abuse material focused on girls under the age of 10 years, and abuse material involving toddlers or babies is not uncommon. Once online, child abuse images can circulate indefinitely, alongside the risk of perpetuating victims' harm. The circulation of such images contributes to the hypersexualization of children and in turn fuels the demand for sexual abuse material.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Infants
- Youth
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 96
- Paragraph text
- Poverty, vulnerability and economic hardship are factors of stress in the community and the home, generating higher incidence of violence, including domestic violence. As families struggle to meet their basic needs, children may be pressed to drop out from school to contribute to household income; girls may be placed at risk of involvement in hazardous economic activities, including domestic service, begging and sexual exploitation, or forced to marry - the risk of getting married before 18 years is three times higher amongst poor girls.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 90
- Paragraph text
- At the same time, there is a significant gap between these legal and policy frameworks, and implementation and public response. Working with both boys and girls is critical to overcome prejudice and preconceptions and support victims in seeking help and report incidences of violence. This is an area where incremental efforts are being made, including by engaging men and boys to change social norms of masculinity and encompass gender-equal relations free from violence, including more equal sharing of caregiving activities and domestic work within the household.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- Gender influences perceptions and attitudes towards violence, as well as the manner in which violence is perpetrated and experienced. Gender-based violence against girls includes differential access to food and services, domestic or intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, deprivation of inheritance or property and harmful practices, such as child marriage, female genital mutilation/cutting and honour killing. Gender-based violence also includes specific types of violence against men and boys, including bullying, fighting, and assault and gun crime.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Men
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Another significant gap revealed by the survey is the dearth of data on laws, policies and advocacy on the gender dimensions of violence and the legal protection of girls: 40 per cent of the respondents provide no information on this question and less than 30 per cent mention positive initiatives. Legislation in the area remains a challenge, with less than half of Governments indicating the enactment of a legal ban on harmful practices, which may fully or only partially cover female genital mutilation/cutting, child or forced marriage, witchcraft rituals, honour killings and other practices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- Another significant gap revealed by the survey is the dearth of data on laws, policies and advocacy on the gender dimensions of violence and the legal protection of girls: 40 per cent of the respondents provide no information in that regard, and less than 30 per cent mention positive initiatives. Legislation remains a challenge, with less than half of the Governments indicating the enactment of a legal ban on harmful practices, which may fully or only partially cover female genital mutilation/cutting, child or forced marriage, witchcraft rituals, honour killings and other practices.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 14b
- Paragraph text
- [At the consultation, in which governmental experts and representatives of United Nations agencies, international and regional organizations, human rights bodies, academia and civil society participated, a set of practical recommendations to assist States and other actors in the development of a violence-free justice system for children was drawn up. Those recommendations, included in a joint report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/21/25), address the following issues:] Protecting children from all forms of violence within the juvenile justice system. National laws, policies and procedures concerning juvenile justice should be brought into full compliance with relevant international standards, and juvenile justice reforms should pursue a child- and gender-sensitive approach and be guided by child rights principles and safeguards, including (i) the recognition of the deprivation of children's liberty as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate time; (ii) the separation of children from adults and of girls from boys in a child-sensitive environment; (iii) the explicit prohibition of and effective protection of children from violence, including as a form of punishment, treatment or sentencing; (iv) the legal provision of safe and child-sensitive counselling, reporting and complaints mechanisms to prevent and respond to incidents of violence; and (v) the establishment of independent oversight and monitoring mechanisms and accountability systems for the inspection of places of detention and the prompt investigation of incidents of violence against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 70
- Paragraph text
- Data and research are indispensable if we are to expose the hidden face of violence and address its root causes; understand perceptions and attitudes regarding this phenomenon, including among girls and boys of various ages and social backgrounds; identify children at greater risk and effectively support them; and assess the economic costs of violence and the social gains that can be achieved through steady investment in prevention. These are areas where consolidated partnerships and the acceleration of efforts will remain of the essence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 64
- Paragraph text
- For vulnerable groups of children, including girls, children with disabilities, children belonging to minority or indigenous groups, and children affected by HIV and AIDS, these efforts must be redoubled. Such children face particular challenges in gaining access to schooling and in remaining in school. They are more likely to be subjected to violence or to be disregarded when they seek advice about or report incidents of violence. As a result, they may end up choosing not to report violence for fear of drawing attention to themselves.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- In her previous reports, the Special Representative has consistently noted with concern the increasing trend of attacks on education. Such acts include the partial or total destruction of schools and other education facilities and threatened or actual targeting of education personnel. Attacks on education undermine the establishment of a protective environment for children and their chances for a better future. In addition, violent attacks on girls and targeted attacks on their education undermine their role in society and prevent them from exercising their rights.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Another aspect that tends to be underestimated is the trauma boys face as perpetrators or witnesses of sexual violence. They may be forced to commit rapes either directly by their commander or indirectly through peer pressure. Many may be forced to witness sexual violence perpetrated by others. It should be noted that through the jurisprudence of the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (1998, Furundzija case), forcing an individual to witness acts of rapes and other sexual violence is considered as sexual torture under international law.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Beyond the destruction of educational facilities through deliberate targeting or as collateral damage during armed confrontation, attacks against education also present other faces. For instance, there are reports of the use of acid and gas on girl students on their way to or at school, as well as shootings and suicide bombings in school premises. In some contexts, schools are a prime recruiting ground of children by armed groups. Elsewhere, school buildings are used as training centres or as military bases, turning them into high-value military targets.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2013, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence remains widespread in many conflict situations, affecting both girls and boys. Although underreported, sexual violence and the forced marriage of girls to members of armed groups continued to be a pervasive threat.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 21
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 30
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 66
- Paragraph text
- Recalling that the sustainable reintegration of children is crucial for allowing children formerly associated with armed groups to exercise their human rights, the Special Representative encourages Member States to provide appropriate resources to the reintegration of the children recruited and used by any party to a conflict, giving special attention to the needs of girls.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 15
- Paragraph text
- Throughout the world, countless numbers of girls and boys fall victims to harmful practices, including female genital mutilation or cutting, early and forced marriage, degrading initiation rites, breast ironing, son preference, stoning, honour killings, forced feeding, witchcraft rituals and many other less-known forms of harmful practice. Often violent in nature, these practices compromise the development and education of the child, have serious and long-lasting health and psychological consequences, and may result in disability or death.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Goal 5 of the Sustainable Development Goals aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. Education is a key component of empowerment, however in times of conflict, children's access to education is often severely restricted, with a particular effect on girls as their schools are often directly targeted by attacks. Even when schools are operating in situations of armed conflict where girls' enrolment rates were high prior to the conflict, some parents prevent girls from going to schools due to insecurity, or because the facilities have been used by armed actors. The military use of schools exposes girls to an increased likelihood of sexual violence by armed elements and also increases the likelihood of attack by other parties to the conflict. In addition, girls are sometimes given extra household responsibilities that oblige them to stay home. There is also increased vulnerability to forced early marriage in situations of conflict, which is at times encouraged by families with the aim of providing their child with physical and financial security and results in girls withdrawing from schooling. Forced marriage is another practice that has increasingly been used by armed groups as an expression of power and control over populations. Given these susceptibilities, it is important to develop protection and education programmes for conflict-affected girls in order to provide them with support and avoid long out-of-school interruptions. In this regard, the Special Representative welcomes the call by the Human Rights Council for all States to strengthen and intensify their efforts to realize progressively the equal enjoyment of the right to education by every girl and encourages a focus on girls affected by armed conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 13
- Paragraph text
- Girls are also significantly affected by recruitment and use, with some estimates indicating that as many as 40 per cent of children associated with armed forces or armed groups are female. In addition to the use of girls in support functions, for sexual purposes or to be forced into marriage, they are also used for combat and to commit violent acts. For example, in a particularly grave example, in Nigeria in 2016, girls were increasingly being forced by Boko Haram to be suicide bombers, and were used for the purpose of avoiding detection by security personnel. Although the advocacy that has taken place since the Machel study has led to increased recognition of the plight of girls associated with parties to conflict, they still face significant obstacles in the process of being released and separated from parties to conflict. For example, it was noted in a recent report on the Democratic Republic of the Congo that out of the 1,004 children who had escaped or been separated from one armed group between 2009 and 2014, only 19 girls had been documented. While there was a significant number of young girls present in camps who were allegedly used as wives, concubines, cooks, and combatants in the ranks, male members of the group claimed that these girls were their daughters. In the light of this repudiation of their role, girls are often less visible and are frequently neglected in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes. When their role is recognized, societal factors have an impact, as girls are sometimes reluctant to join disarmament, demobilization and reintegration programmes, fearing rejection by their families and communities. Further action is required in order to raise awareness of the needs of girls in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration processes and also of the risks that they face after separation from armed groups, with special attention needing to be given to their reintegration into families and communities.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- The risk of trafficking from situations of armed conflict is a related issue of concern for the protection of girls, including during displacement. The Special Representative welcomes the Human Rights Council's call to Governments in June 2016 to ensure that the prevention of and responses to trafficking in persons continue to take into account the specific needs of women and girls and their participation in and contribution to all phases of preventing and responding to trafficking, especially in addressing specific forms of exploitation, such as sexual exploitation. The Special Representative has also undertaken a number of initiatives to support that aim, including contributing to the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of measures to counter trafficking in persons and addressing an event on the role of the United Nations in combating modern slavery and human trafficking in conflict, which was hosted in New York in November by the United Nations University.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- In situations of displacement, girls are particularly vulnerable. In addition to discrimination related to race, religion or ethnicity, girls are also often subject to abuses based on their sex, and therefore to multiple forms of discrimination. For example, displaced women and girls face high risks of sexual and gender-based violence, as highlighted in the 2016 report of the Secretary-General to the General Assembly entitled "In safety and dignity: addressing large movements of refugees and migrants" (A/70/59). These specific protection challenges must be recognized in order to mitigate the risks that girls are exposed to in situations of displacement. Member States are therefore urged to ensure that the needs of girls are addressed as part of their response both to refugees and to internally displaced persons. Protection measures should be implemented at all stages of the displacement cycle and girls who have suffered violations should be prioritized in refugee resettlement programmes.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Person(s) affected
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- Despite the significant efforts to end impunity, girls continue to be targeted in incidents of rape and other forms of sexual violence, often in order to terrorize, humiliate and weaken their communities. Armed conflicts are also characterized by a breakdown of the rule of law as well as of community structures; this exacerbates the vulnerability of girls to sexual violence, as armed elements can take advantage of the vacuum to commit human rights abuses. Violations of this nature are frequently compounded by an inadequate response to help survivors as well as children born of war. While the provision of dedicated services for girls has improved in recent years, there are still significant gaps in the form of non-existent, limited or disrupted access to essential services in some situations of armed conflict, as a result of a lack of medical workers, supplies and the necessary infrastructure and also due to insecurity and restrictions on movement. For example, the Special Representative notes that in 2016 in Iraq and the Syrian Arab Republic, girls who have been abducted and suffered sexual violence by armed groups have rarely been able to access services, due to ongoing conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 9
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2017, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- In Afghanistan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen, the right of children to health has been severely compromised by attacks on hospitals and health-care professionals. A number of highly publicized attacks have taken place in 2016, which are indicative of trends that have seen increasing numbers of attacks and threats of attacks on health care in recent years. The right of girls to education has also continued to suffer, with attacks or threats of attacks on schools, teachers and female pupils in situations such as in Iraq, Nigeria and the Syrian Arab Republic, as well as in Afghanistan and Mali.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Health
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 74
- Paragraph text
- In February 2016, the Special Representative supported the launch of the results of the survey in Nigeria, conducted by the Government in cooperation with UNICEF and the Together for Girls partnership. Nigeria was the first country in West Africa to conduct a national survey on such a large scale. In response to its findings, the Year of Action to End Violence against Children was launched, along with a call to action to federal and state ministries and agencies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, the media, communities, parents and children to join together to prevent and respond to violence against children. As a key contribution to this process, the Special Representative participated in the launch of the campaign and policy agenda to end violence against children in Lagos State; Cross River State launched its campaign to end violence against children on 16 June 2016, the second state in Nigeria to respond to the call to action.
- 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
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- Surrounded by such a devastating reality, children feel ready to embark on a perilous journey of uncertainty and to confront serious risks in the hope of finding a place of safety and security. Girls undertaking this journey face particularly serious risks of abuse and exploitation owing to their youth and gender. Some may be lured by traffickers with false promises of safety, an education or a future job. Others may be fleeing sexual abuse or the threat of a forced marriage; they may even have been sold into marriage by their desperate families, both to avoid the risk of rape and with the hope that the girl will acquire the citizenship of her husband.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2017, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The year was also marked by the adoption by the World Health Assembly of resolution WHA69.5, in which the Assembly endorsed the World Health Organization (WHO) global plan of action to strengthen the role of the health system within a national multisectoral response to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls, and against children. WHO also released INSPIRE, a package of evidence-based strategies to prevent and respond to violence against children. Furthermore, a global study led by ECPAT-End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking in Children for Sexual Purposes was issued to shed light on and reinforce collective efforts for the protection of children from sexual exploitation in travel and tourism. And the Terminology Guidelines for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse, adopted by an inter-agency working group meeting in Luxembourg, were released to provide conceptual clarity to actions aimed at the protection of children, close legal loopholes and address misinterpretations that may put their safety at risk .
- 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
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2017
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 73
- Paragraph text
- Developed by the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, the Model Law has the potential to inform action to end child marriage. This is an area where incremental progress is being achieved, for example with recent legislative developments in the Gambia and the United Republic of Tanzania. In 2015, Malawi adopted the Marriage, Divorce and Family Relations Act, which raised the minimum age of marriage to 18 years. The social mobilization around that process and the important partnership developed with traditional leaders helped to raise awareness of the new law and achieve important results, including a landmark initiative led by a female traditional chief that resulted in the initial annulment of 330 child marriages in a single district and since then has broken up 850 child marriages and banned the sexual initiation of girls.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- The First African Girls' Summit on Ending Child Marriage in Africa was held in Lusaka in November 2015. Hosted by the African Union and the Government of Zambia, the Summit gathered Heads of State and Government, ministers responsible for gender and children, United Nations entities, development partners, civil society organizations and religious and traditional leaders, as well as young people who have experienced child marriage. The participants took stock of the progress made to end child marriage across the continent, shared evidence and good practices and renewed their commitment to bringing an end to this and other harmful practices in Africa.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 69
- Paragraph text
- In February 2016, the Special Representative supported the launch of the results of the Nigeria survey, conducted by the Government in cooperation with UNICEF and the Together for Girls partnership. Nigeria was the first country in West Africa to conduct such a large-scale national survey. In response to its findings, the Year of Action to End Violence against Children was launched, along with a call to action for federal and state ministries and agencies, non-governmental organizations, faith-based organizations, the media, communities, parents and children to join together to prevent and respond to 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
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 24b
- Paragraph text
- [The agenda of the Special Representative has been guided by four strategic priorities: consolidating progress in and mainstreaming the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study; enhancing awareness and consolidating knowledge on violence against children; reinforcing regional processes and national implementation efforts; and addressing emerging concerns. The following significant results have been achieved:] Enhanced awareness and consolidated knowledge to prevent and respond to violence against children through international expert consultations, the development of research and the release of thematic studies on strategic topics such as violence in schools and in the justice system, restorative justice for children, the rights of girls in the criminal justice system, and child-sensitive counselling and reporting and complaint mechanisms, as well as reports on the protection of children from harmful practices and from armed violence and organized crime and on opportunities and risks associated with information and communications technologies. Child-friendly materials were also produced to inform and empower children about their right to freedom from violence, most recently in Braille;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 75c
- Paragraph text
- [Recent research on this topic has revealed a number of significant and worrying developments:] Of the content depicting children 15 years of age or younger, 93.1 per cent featured girls;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 34
- Paragraph text
- The First African Girls' Summit on Ending Child Marriage was held in Lusaka in November 2015. Hosted by the African Union and the Government of Zambia, the summit gathered Heads of State and Government, ministers responsible for gender and children, United Nations agencies, development partners, civil society organizations and religious and traditional leaders as well as young people who have experienced child marriage. The participants took stock of the progress made to end child marriage across the continent, shared evidence and good practices and renewed their commitment to end child marriage and other harmful practices in Africa.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2016, para. 9b
- Paragraph text
- [The following strategic dimensions of this important agenda in which significant progress has been made are highlighted in the report:] Enhancing awareness and consolidating knowledge to prevent and respond to violence against children by hosting international expert consultations, developing research on strategic topics and publishing studies. The publications included Toward a World Free from Violence: Global Survey on Violence against Children; 10 thematic studies on topics such as violence in schools and in the justice system, restorative justice for children, the rights of girls in the criminal justice system and child-sensitive counselling, and reporting and complaint mechanisms; reports on protecting children from harmful practices and from armed violence and organized crime; and a report on opportunities and risks associated with information and communication technologies (ICTs). In addition, child-friendly materials were produced to inform and empower children about their right to freedom from violence;
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- Cooperation with African nations and institutions has been further pursued, including through the support of the Special Representative for the African Union campaign to combat child marriage. Marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the adoption of the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, the Special Representative joined the African Union, the African Child Policy Forum and UNICEF in the development of the African Report on Violence against Children. The report reviews regional progress on the study on violence against children and recommends an agenda for action to address persisting challenges. It draws on the research initiatives and household surveys undertaken in the region and it will make a significant contribution in to the Conference on the Status of Children's Rights in Africa, and the African Girls' Summit on Ending Child Marriage, both to be held in late 2015.
- 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
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 4
- Paragraph text
- Those are promising developments, yet progress remains slow and uneven and the urgency of protecting children from violence has not diminished. As highlighted by recent United Nations reports, every year almost 1 billion children between the ages of 2 and 14 are subject to physical punishment by their caregivers; 84 million girls are victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands or partners; child trafficking continues to increase, in some regions reaching more than 60 per cent of identified victims; and 8 per cent of global homicides affect children under the age of 15, while more than 50 per cent affect young people below the age of 30.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Youth
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 135
- Paragraph text
- Thirdly, ending impunity and tolerance of violence against girls. That calls for information and social mobilization initiatives to overcome social norms compromising girls' protection from violence. It also requires strong accountability mechanisms in places of detention and effective training of professionals in the formal and informal justice system. Solid skills are indeed indispensable to address the complexities and sensitivities of violence against girls, to be effective in the prevention, investigation and prosecution of cases, and to safeguard girls' safety and protection, including when girls are deprived of their liberty. In that regard, it is important to promote special measures to protect girls' dignity and physical integrity through the use of alternative screening methods to replace strip and invasive body searches.
- 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
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 122
- Paragraph text
- Girls are often exposed to violence and discrimination owing to their gender, young age and powerlessness. They endure the detrimental impact of physical, mental and sexual violence in the home, at school, in the community, in institutional care and in justice institutions. Child trafficking is a crime that is on the rise and the majority of victims are girls. Despite the criminalization of female genital mutilation/cutting in many parts of the world, every year 3 million girls are at risk of enduring that practice and around 14 million girls are forcibly married, often with much older men, and exposed to high risks of sexual abuse and other forms of violence.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Harmful Practices
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 39
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- The third message strongly conveyed by children was that violence constitutes not only a crucial priority that the post-2015 development agenda should specifically address, but also a cross-cutting concern that other development goals need to take into consideration. Thus, while placing special emphasis on the role of education in preventing and addressing violence, they highlighted the fact that violence is widespread in schools, compromising child development and well-being. Violence prevention was a dimension that, in their view, public health systems should consider. Violence was equally felt to undermine gender equality and empowerment, and social practices and beliefs compromise girls' confidence and ability to report incidents of violence, at times leading to school dropout. Moreover, children recognized that violence and poverty are closely related and both can lead to high risks of poor child health, failing school performance, social exclusion and welfare dependency.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Poverty
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 33
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2015, para. 9
- Paragraph text
- As highlighted by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report "Hidden in Plain Sight", the World Health Organization Global status report on violence prevention 2014, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Global Study on Homicide 2013 and its Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2014, the risk of violence remains widespread and deeply concerning. Almost a 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, emotional or sexual violence at the hands of their husbands or partners; 8 per cent of global homicides affect children under the age of 15; and child trafficking continues to increase, in some regions reaching more than 60 per cent of detected victims, most of whom are girls.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 31d
- Paragraph text
- [The urgency of safeguarding children's freedom from violence has certainly not diminished and the magnitude of this phenomenon remains high and deeply distressing. Significant United Nations reports illustrate this well:] Early and forced marriage affects countless children around the world. Girls are particularly at risk. According to the 2014 UNICEF publication Ending Child Marriage: Progress and Prospects, more than 700 million women worldwide were married before their eighteenth birthday; and more than one third entered into union before the age of 15. Girls living in rural areas or belonging to the most impoverished families face the highest risk.
- 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
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 31c
- Paragraph text
- [The urgency of safeguarding children's freedom from violence has certainly not diminished and the magnitude of this phenomenon remains high and deeply distressing. Significant United Nations reports illustrate this well:] Exploitation through labour remains particularly worrying. As stressed by the International Labour Organization in the 2013 report Marking progress against child labour - Global estimates and trends 2000-2012, 168 million children worldwide are involved in exploitative work; almost half of them are of primary school age and more than 11 million are girls involved in domestic work, often exposed to excessive working hours and hazardous tasks, as well as to violence, abuse and exploitation.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 31b
- Paragraph text
- [The urgency of safeguarding children's freedom from violence has certainly not diminished and the magnitude of this phenomenon remains high and deeply distressing. Significant United Nations reports illustrate this well:] In the past few years there has been a marked increase in trafficking in children. From 2007 to 2010, numbers rose from 20 to 27 per cent; in some regions more than 60 per cent of detected victims are children, as indicated in the UNODC 2012 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons and girls are particularly affected. Child trafficking is a serious form of violence; but it is also a source of incidents of abuse, as children are enslaved into prostitution, sold into marriage, coerced to work in plantations or deep-sea fishing, forced to beg on the street, or recruited by criminal networks.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 29
- Paragraph text
- Cross-fertilization of knowledge and national experiences has been an important factor of progress. For this reason, in 2014, Swaziland in cooperation with UNICEF and the Together for Girls Partnership, hosted an important meeting at which 20 countries involved in this process gathered to share evidence and reflect on ways of translating national data and research into a multisectoral policy agenda to protect children from violence. The Special Representative will continue to support this process and will join the launch of national data surveys to support the consolidation of the policy agenda and accelerate progress in violence prevention and response.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- Violence against children is not a new topic in the development agenda. It is a core dimension of the right to freedom from fear, proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and emphasized by the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the process generated thereafter. In the Millennium Declaration, Member States reaffirmed the right of children to be raised in dignity and free from fear of violence, and expressed determination to "spare no effort in the fight against violence" (para. 8); moreover, they resolved to encourage the ratification and implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, which set out the normative foundation for children's right to freedom from violence. Furthermore, during the Millennium Summit of the United Nations, States expressed their commitment to strengthen child protection systems, to enhance accountability, and to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women and 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
- Women
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 25
- 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
- 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
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 21
- 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
- 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
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 20
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2014, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Children engaged in domestic work, most of them girls, are also highly vulnerable to violence. According to the most recent figures published by the International Labour Organization (ILO), at least 52.6 million people are employed as domestic workers across the world, 15.5 million of whom are children. Most of them work as housekeepers, nannies or caregivers, and many are also migrants who hope to support their families through their remittances. Often isolated, with no formal protection structure, child domestic workers are highly vulnerable to labour exploitation, working long hours without rest, being denied holidays or deprived of wages, and enduring serious manifestations of violence and abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 97
- Paragraph text
- In response to a call made by the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues for consolidation of knowledge on violence against indigenous children, the Special Representative joined hands with UNICEF, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Labour Organization in the development of the study entitled "Breaking the silence on violence against indigenous girls, adolescents and young women: a call to action based on an overview of existing evidence from Africa, Asia Pacific and Latin America" (May 2013).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Gender
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Ethnic minorities
- Girls
- Women
- Youth
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 87
- Paragraph text
- The promotion of children's freedom from violence remained a priority for the Special Representative in United Nations intergovernmental forums. In 2013, she joined policy discussions in three important bodies: the Human Rights Council, at its annual day of discussion on the rights of the child, devoted to the right to health, including prevention of violence; the Commission on the Status of Women, with its important commitments to addressing violence against women and girls; and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which called for the drafting of model strategies and practical measures on violence against children in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. These discussions were critical to further mainstreaming children's protection from violence in the United Nations 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
- Girls
- Women
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- The study on harmful practices was released to mark the first anniversary of the International Day of the Girl Child, observed on 11 October 2012. Jointly developed with Plan International, in cooperation with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and the African Union, it served as a reference with a sound perspective during the 2013 celebration of the Day of the African Child, devoted to the theme: "Eliminating harmful social and cultural practices affecting children: our collective responsibility". The study will frame additional regional initiatives to support the abandonment of harmful practices, including the consultation organized with the South Asia Initiative to End Violence against Children (SAIEVAC) (an apex body of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)) in September 2013 in Bhutan.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- Children engaged in domestic work, most of them girls, are highly vulnerable to violence. According to ILO estimates contained in the publication Ending Child Labour in Domestic Work and Protecting Young Workers for Abusive Working Conditions, there may be as many as 100 million domestic workers worldwide, 15.5 million of whom are children. Most of them work as housekeepers, nannies or caregivers, and many are also migrants who hope to support their families through their remittances. Often isolated, with no formal protection structure, child domestic workers are highly vulnerable to labour exploitation, through having to work long hours without rest, being denied holidays or being deprived of wages, as well as to serious manifestations of violence and abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- The urgency of protecting children from violence has clearly not diminished. Indeed, the magnitude and impact of this phenomenon remain high level and deeply distressing. For countless 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 within the home. Armed and community violence undermines their daily life and development; millions of children experience violence in work settings, including domestic work; trafficking is on the increase; in some countries, inhuman sentencing is still imposed on boys and girls; and harmful practices persist, with long-lasting consequences for children's rights.
- 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
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 121
- Paragraph text
- Violence is a frequent dimension in children's lives. It occurs in various forms and contexts and has serious and long-lasting consequences on their well-being and development. Prevention and elimination efforts need to address these dynamics and invest in the social inclusion of girls and boys at special risk, for whom the multiple dimensions of deprivation go hand in hand with a cumulative exposure to violence. Enhancing families' capacity to protect and care for their children, and preventing child abandonment and placement in residential care remain crucial dimensions of this process.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2013, para. 71
- Paragraph text
- Less than 30 per cent of respondents indicate 18 as the minimum age for marriage, with younger ages and different thresholds for boys and girls prevalent in a large number of countries.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 108
- Paragraph text
- Violence is a frequent dimension of children's lives. It occurs in various forms and contexts and has serious and long-lasting consequences on their well-being and development. Prevention and elimination efforts need to address those dynamics and invest in the social inclusion of girls and boys at special risk, for whom the multiple dimensions of deprivation go hand in hand with a cumulative exposure to violence. Enhancing families' capacity to protect and care for their children and preventing child abandonment and placement in residential care remain crucial dimensions of that process.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 80
- Paragraph text
- Second, the work conducted over the past three years has also helped to gain a better understanding of the multidimensional nature of violence and of the need to maintain a holistic view of the child when initiatives for the prevention and elimination of violence are pursued. It is critical to address the cumulative exposure of girls and boys to various manifestations of violence in different contexts, and throughout the child's life cycle. Indeed, for children at risk, violence in the home, in the school and in the community is a continuum, spilling over from one setting to another, and at times persisting across generations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative participated in key policy discussions to promote the consideration of violence against children as a cross-cutting concern on the United Nations agenda. This included cooperation with UNODC on violence against children in the justice system, during the thematic debate held by the Human Rights Council, and with UN-Women on gender-based violence and the legal protection of girls from violence and harmful practices, during the Commission on the Status of Women and in the lead-up to the International Day of the Girl Child. Strategic cooperation was also pursued with United Nations partners to prevent and minimize the impact of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce the availability of and access to small arms.
- 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
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20d
- Paragraph text
- [The outcomes of the expert consultation are set out in a thematic report, to be launched during the commemoration of the 2012 International Day of the Girl Child, and include the following overarching recommendations:] Sound data collection and analysis, and cross-country and cross-regional sharing of good practices in legislation and implementation are needed to gain a deeper understanding of, and help to address, the complex dimensions associated with social conventions, beliefs and practices, as well as to inform legislative, administrative, educational, social and other measures to promote the sustained abandonment of harmful practices against children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20c
- Paragraph text
- [The outcomes of the expert consultation are set out in a thematic report, to be launched during the commemoration of the 2012 International Day of the Girl Child, and include the following overarching recommendations:] Law reform is a long-term and ongoing process, necessary to recognize and safeguard children's rights, to fill protection gaps and address emerging practices and manifestations of violence; it needs to be supported by prevention and implementation efforts, including birth registration, awareness-raising, education and training, and mobilization of communities, including religious and local leaders and children, to promote dialogue and positive cultural values, enhance understanding about the detrimental impact of certain practices and support commitment by those concerned to the lasting abandonment of harmful attitudes and behaviour.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20b
- Paragraph text
- [The outcomes of the expert consultation are set out in a thematic report, to be launched during the commemoration of the 2012 International Day of the Girl Child, and include the following overarching recommendations:] National legislation should include a clear and comprehensive prohibition of all harmful practices, secure the protection of children from all forms of violence and remove any justification of such practices that may compromise the safeguard of the best interests of the child, including their promotion in the name of honour or tradition; in this regard, the intent to cause harm is not a prerequisite for the definition of violence.
- 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
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 20a
- Paragraph text
- [The outcomes of the expert consultation are set out in a thematic report, to be launched during the commemoration of the 2012 International Day of the Girl Child, and include the following overarching recommendations:] Legislation plays a crucial role in the social process of abandonment of harmful practices against girls and boys, and is a core dimension of States' accountability for the protection of children from violence; this includes the obligation to ensure harmonization of all legislation, including customary and religious laws, with international human rights standards, and to ensure the establishment of a legal definition of the child in compliance with the Convention 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
- Harmful Practices
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- The Special Representative hosted high-level policy discussions to promote the consideration of violence against children as a cross-cutting concern within the United Nations agenda, including on extreme poverty and violence, during the Commission on Social Development; on gender-based violence and girls' victimization on the occasion of the Commission on the Status of Women; and on violence against children with disabilities during the General Assembly and the meeting of States Parties of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Strategic cooperation was also promoted with United Nations partners to curb violence in the community and minimize the impact of situations of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce availability of and access to small arms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2012, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- Education has a unique potential to generate an environment where attitudes condoning violence can be changed and non-violent behaviour can be learned. Schools are well placed to break patterns of violence and provide skills to communicate, to negotiate and support peaceful solutions to conflicts. However, this potential is in marked contrast with the daily reality of millions of children. Within and around educational settings, both girls and boys continue to be exposed to violence, including verbal abuse, intimidation, physical aggression, and in some cases sexual abuse. At times they are also victims of gang violence and assault.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 83
- Paragraph text
- In 2011, in order to further mainstream into the United Nations agenda the protection of children from violence, the Special Representative has promoted a number of high-level policy discussions. These have taken place in such forums as the Human Rights Council, in discussions on the rights of street children and on child-sensitive mechanisms for addressing incidents of violence; the Commission for Social Development, in discussions on extreme poverty and violence against children; the Commission on the Status of Women, in discussions on tackling violence, including sexual violence, against girls and on quality education and gender discrimination; and in the lead-up to the General Assembly, in discussions on the rights of children with disabilities. In addition, strategic cooperation has been promoted with United Nations partners to curb violence in communities and minimize the impacts of situations of armed and gang violence on children, including through policies that help to reduce the availability of and access to small arms.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Women
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 40
- Paragraph text
- Another area of common concern is the development of new ILO standards to ensure decent work for domestic workers. The Special Representative continues to support this process, which opens avenues for strengthening children's protection from exploitation in domestic service and from any form of violence associated with it. Child domestic workers, especially girls, are highly vulnerable to violence. Working in private households, often far from their own homes and with little or no protection or social support, they are exposed to excessive working hours, hazardous tasks, social stigma and discrimination, physical and emotional violence, as well as sexual abuse.
- 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
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on violence against children: Annual report 2011, para. 38
- Paragraph text
- WHO remains a critical partner in the process of follow-up to the United Nations study. Violence prevention and the promotion of sound evidence, two priority recommendations of the study, are high on the WHO agenda, as illustrated by its work in the prevention of sexual violence against girls, the development of new estimates on the prevalence and health impact of child maltreatment, and the promotion of national surveys in this field. In 2011, collaboration will be pursued in these areas, with particular emphasis on data collection and analysis of violence against children in the home and the community.
- 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
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
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
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2016, para. 3
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2016
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2015, para. 11
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2015, para. 10
- Paragraph text
- During the reporting period, extreme violence rose to an unprecedented level. The impact on children has multiplied in a number of countries, such as Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and the Syrian Arab Republic. Children were victims of grave violations and were often forced to witness or take part in beheadings, immolations and summary executions. They were also indoctrinated, recruited and forced to be suicide bombers or human shields. Girls were subjected to additional abuses, including sexual slavery, abduction and forced marriage. The violations often took place in the context of mass abductions. Such brutal tactics had severe repercussions on children, which will have lasting effects for generations to come.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2015, para. 35
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2015
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2014, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Early consideration of children's issues in peace-making processes can also facilitate the planning and mobilization of resources. For instance, the release and reintegration of children associated with armed forces or groups is strongly linked to security arrangements in peace processes. It is also an integral part of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration process, which requires a specific focus on provisions for children, in particular girls. In that regard, the Special Representative commends the General Assembly for its continued call to States and regional organizations to support the inclusion of such commitments in peace agreements (see resolution 68/147). However, this aspect often remains neglected.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2014, para. 69
- 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
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2014
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2013, para. 86
- Paragraph text
- If a peace agreement exclusively refers to the separation of child combatants, many children and youth, especially girls and those serving in so-called support functions, in particular victims of sexual violence, are at risk of being excluded from adequate reintegration assistance. Peace agreements should acknowledge the special needs of girls and provide for the establishment of rehabilitation programmes, health-care and counselling services for all boys and girls separated from armed forces and groups. Specific consideration should also be given to concerns regarding the protection of vulnerable children, such as refugee and internally displaced children, children separated from their families, unaccompanied minors and children orphaned by war.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2013, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- Attacks on schools, hospitals, teachers, schoolchildren and medical personnel in situations of conflict remain widespread and alarming. Access to education and health care continues to be disrupted by the damage or destruction resulting from targeted attacks on schools and medical facilities and by the use of explosive weapons. Many schools and hospitals are looted by armed groups, used as barracks, operational centres and detention sites, including by governmental forces. Access to education is also hampered, as schools are targeted by armed groups as places for the indoctrination and recruitment of children. In some cases, extremist armed groups also interfere in school programmes. Teachers and medical personnel are often threatened or become victims of targeted killings and abductions. Girls' access to education is particularly affected by all forms of attack on schools.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2013
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 43
- Paragraph text
- Where State institutions are weak, prevention must begin at the community level. Establishing and strengthening community protection mechanisms and raising the awareness of families, communities and their leaders of the issue are other critical factors for prevention. Child protection and recruitment prevention policies are unlikely to work in contexts in which the community promotes the association of children with armed groups. Children are also most vulnerable to recruitment when family and community protection systems are weakened. In some contexts, children join armed groups because they are encouraged to do so by their families and/or communities. Abusive family environments can also propel children on to the streets, where they are more vulnerable to recruitment, or directly into the ranks of an armed group. In Colombia, for example, the decision of children, mainly girls, to run away and join an armed group has been found to be closely linked to domestic exploitation and physical and sexual abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- [Strengthening family and community protection mechanisms]: Establishing and strengthening community protection mechanisms and raising the awareness of families, communities and their leaders of the issue are other critical factors for prevention. Child protection and recruitment prevention policies are unlikely to work in contexts in which the community promotes the association of children with armed groups. Children are also most vulnerable to recruitment when family and community protection systems are weakened. In some contexts, children join armed groups because they are encouraged to do so by their families and/or communities. Domestic violence has also been found to be a central factor in the recruitment of children. Abusive families propel children on to the streets, where they are more vulnerable to recruitment, or directly into the ranks of an armed group. In Colombia, for example, the decision of children, mainly girls, to run away and join an armed group has been found to be closely linked to domestic exploitation and physical and sexual abuse.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- [Reparations for children and the restoration of children’s rights]: Reparations programmes should bear in mind that victims who were children at the time of the commission of the violation may face stigmatization or marginalization as former child soldiers or forced wives, leading to the social exclusion of, in particular, girl child soldiers. Community members may also resent former child soldiers, who they feel are being rewarded for having taken part in hostilities, thus reinforcing existing divisions. The child perpetrator dilemma tends to be confusing for both the child and those who may have been their victims. Reparations, however, could also assist in signalling that past modes of operation will no longer be tolerated and could contribute to dismantling the relationship between former commanders and their victims. A public statement by community leaders on the legal findings of responsibility, followed by an intensive awareness-raising campaign on the judgement and a declaration to the effect that child victims of recruitment should not be held legally or morally responsible for their actions as combatants during the conflict, would be the best guarantee of non-repetition.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- The Chamber also decided to apply a broad interpretation of the term “participate actively in hostilities” to ensure justice and protection for all children associated with armed forces or armed groups. The Court held that the term included a wide range of individuals, from those on the front line (who participated directly) to the boys and girls who were involved in multiple roles that supported the combatants. The Court further refined that interpretation, using a case-by-case determination and adopting a double test: whether support was given and whether the support provided to the combatants exposed the child to real danger as a potential target. The Chamber made a clear distinction between the term “direct participation in hostilities”, which determines combatant status under international humanitarian law, and the term “actively participating in hostilities”, which is the criteria applicable to the use of children in hostilities, holding that the latter was to be interpreted broadly, and without conferring combatant status on those children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2012, para. 24
- Paragraph text
- Trial Chamber I accepted the approach taken by the Pre-Trial Chamber and suggested by the Special Representative, according to which both conscription and enlistment are forms of recruitment, in that they refer to the incorporation of a boy or a girl under the age of 15 years into an armed group, whether coercively or voluntarily. The Special Representative argued in her brief to the Court that the distinction between voluntary enlistment and forced recruitment was a distinction without meaning, as even the most voluntary of acts could be a desperate attempt to survive by children with a limited number of options. In such circumstances, any consent given by a child could not be regarded as truly voluntary in the full sense of the word. Whether the child enlisted or was conscripted, the line between voluntary and involuntary recruitment was legally irrelevant and practically superficial in the context of children’s association with armed forces or armed groups in times of conflict.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2012
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 22
- Paragraph text
- Little is known of the strategies used by armed actors to access children for these acts of violence. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that families are forced to hand over their children to take part in these actions, and there have also been cases of poor families being induced by armed groups to give their children away, through the promise of money. The use of very young children and/or disabled children for such acts is also a horrifying trend of grave concern. There is an urgent need to fill the knowledge gap and to reach a better understanding of how these acts could be prevented. Concomitantly, there is a need to better address the stigmatization of, and prejudice against, children suspected of collaboration with armed actors, which lead to other violations including beatings, threats to children and their families, acts tantamount to torture, arbitrary arrests and detentions. In this context, particular attention must be given to young children, girls and disabled children.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons with disabilities
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- [Attacks on schools and hospitals: an emerging concern]: Armed conflict can either directly or indirectly result in the forced closure or the compromised functioning of civilian facilities. Children, teachers and health-care providers can be subject to direct threats and acts of intimidation by parties, which, for example, target Government institutions or medical personnel assisting the other party to the conflict. In other situations, armed elements are opposed to secular and/or girls’ education, or to girls being seen by male medical personnel. The delivery of health-care services to children is also heavily affected by lack of supplies and manpower caused by looting of the facilities and/or access constraints. A general climate of fear and insecurity as a result of armed hostilities can also prevent children, teachers and medical personnel from attending school or seeking medical help. Parents, for example, may find it too risky to send their children to school in a volatile security situation, or children may be denied timely access to hospitals because of checkpoints and roadblocks.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 28
- Paragraph text
- [Children as victims and witnesses]: In some countries, traditional justice mechanisms are commonly used to resolve disputes and feuds between families and clans and to bring about settlement and reconciliation. For many children in these countries, traditional justice may be the only readily accessible form of justice, meaningful to their families and communities. As with all other forms of justice, however, there are limitations, particularly in the aftermath of armed conflict. Traditional justice relies on oral tradition and customary practice, which can be lost as a result of displacement, dissipation of collective memory and loss of traditional authority in times of breakdown of social structures. In addition, traditional authority often resides with the elder males of the community. This patriarchal structure does not always take into account or reflect children’s rights, and especially the rights of girls and their need for protection.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2011, para. 14
- Paragraph text
- In addition, in November 2010, during the visit of the Special Representative, the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia committed to work towards an action plan to release girls and boys within the ranks of the Government forces and allied militias. In Myanmar, action plan negotiations between the Government and the United Nations to end the recruitment and use of children in the Tatmadaw Kyi are ongoing. In the Sudan, a memorandum of understanding was signed by the Justice and Equality Movement and the United Nations on 21 July 2010, paving the way towards the signing of an action plan. On 22 December 2010, JEM/Peace Wing submitted a draft action plan to the United Nations, to be implemented in West Darfur. In Chad, some 1,000 children were released by 12 armed opposition groups during the reporting period. In April 2011, the Government of Chad prepared an action plan to address the recruitment and use of children by the Armée nationale tchadienne, which is ready for signature with the United Nations.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- Boys
- Children
- Girls
- Year
- 2011
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Sexual violence is often used to achieve military, political and social objectives through, for instance, the targeting of specific ethnicities or terrorizing populations to force displacement. Data indicate that children are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence in and around refugee and internally displaced population settings, and when they are directly associated with armed forces and groups. Child survivors of sexual violence suffer both physical and psychological consequences, which are often debilitating. This is particularly true for girls who have been raped or forced to "marry" combatants, as well as for their children born of rape.
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Humanitarian
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
SRSG on children and armed conflict: Annual report 2010, para. 39
- Paragraph text
- [Vulnerabilities and risks faced by children who are internally displaced during armed conflict – addressing their rights]: The Guiding Principles assert that children, especially unaccompanied minors, as well as expectant mothers and mothers with young children, are “entitled to protection and assistance required by their condition and to treatment which takes into account their special needs” (Principle 4.2). The Principles also affirm the right of families to remain together and to be rapidly reunified (Principles 7 and 17); protection of children from sale into marriage, exploitation and forced labour (Principle 11); protection of children from recruitment or from taking part in hostilities (Principle 13); the right to documentation in their own names, including birth certificates (Principle 20); and the right to education, including the equal participation of girls (Principle 23).
- Body
- Special Representative of the Secretary-General for children and armed conflict
- Document type
- SRSG report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Humanitarian
- Movement
- Violence
- Person(s) affected
- Children
- Families
- Girls
- Persons on the move
- Year
- 2010
- Date added
- Aug 19, 2019
Paragraph
169 shown of 169 entities