CRINMAIL 65
In this issue:
Problems viewing this CRINMAIL? Click here.
CAMPAIGN UPDATE:
Combatting sexual violence against children
The launch in 2010 of the Council of Europe's One in Five campaign, aimed at combatting all forms of sexual violence against children, signalled an important step towards recognising that child abuse is largely perpetrated at the hands of family members and relatives and people in positions of trust. Two years on, the campaign now has the official support of numerous Member States, making the regional movement against child abuse stronger, and the legal protection of children against sexual violence less of an ideal, and more of a reality.
The One in Five campaign finds its premise – and its title – in that one child in every five in Europe is thought to be a victim of sexual violence. Furthermore, in as many as 85 per cent of cases child victims know their aggressors, and in 90 per cent of cases sexual offences are not reported to the authorities. Much of the violence also occurs in the home, a place where legislation often fails to act. In effect, the One in Five campaign seeks to bring sexual abuse of children out of the shadows.
To this end, the campaign's main objective is to obtain ratification and implementation by all Member States of the CoE's Convention on the protection of children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (the Lanzarote Convention). As of June 2012, 43 out of 47 member States have signed the Convention, while 19 have ratified it. See if your country signed and ratified the Convention here.
On the ground, however, the campaign also seeks to raise public awareness about the scale of the problem through educational measures. Its materials are aimed at all people in contact with children, including parents and teachers, as well as children themselves, and aim to provide them with the knowledge they need to prevent sexual abuse and to report it.
At the heart of this objective is a simple rule: the Underwear Rule. Its purpose is to help parents explain to their children where others should not try to touch them, their right to set limits, and the need to express their feelings and speak up against abuse. The Underwear Rule is explained in a TV spot suitable for all ages, a children’s book, a website and other support materials featuring a character called Kiko.
Responding to a global issue: Campaign partnerships
The Council of Europe hopes to reach out to the widest possible audience with the campaign, both to Member States and beyond, and it therefore welcomes a broad partnership base: from governments, national ministries and parliaments to local and community-based civil society associations and professional networks.
Beyond Europe
Even though the One in Five campaign has been designed by a regional European mechanism, sexual violence against children is a problem of global concern, and therefore the campaign's relevance extends beyond the continent.
Accordingly, the Council of Europe welcomes non-member States to make full use of the campaign materials. Mexico's Senate, for instance, supports the campaign and has set up a dedicated page in Spanish on the issue, in which it promotes the Lanzarote Convention as a progressive piece of legislation.
For details on how non-member States can collaborate in the campaign or start up a national or regional one, contact: [email protected] A list of CoE contacts is available here.
National Campaigns
Since the campaign was launched in 2010, the number of Council of Europe member and non-member States to enter into agreement with the CoE has continued to grow. The following are just some of the campaign partners:
Among the other campaign partners we also find Armenia, Azerbaijan, Croatia, Georgia, Italy, Montenegro and San Marino.
The campaign has also been promoted in Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden, Monaco and Romania.
Other campaigns and initiatives
– Global campaigns and initiatives
– Campaigns and initiatives in Europe
– Campaigns and initiatives in the United States
– Other regional and global initiatives
What civil society can do
The Council of Europe will also collaborate with NGOs, INGOs and civil society networks in sharing information, policy and legal advice, good practice in child protection, and tools for the eradication of sexual violence against children. For more on how civil society and individuals can assist in the campaign, click here.
Back to top
NEWS AND REPORT ROUND-UP
Keeping faith in the courts
Two court rulings on child sex abuse that was covered up by religious officials have set new precedents in the United States.
In the first case, William Lynn, a Philadelphia monsignor, was convicted of covering up allegations of child sex abuse perpetrated by priests, thus becoming the highest-ranking Catholic church official to be charged with the crime in the US. Philadelphia District Attorney, Seth Williams said, “This monumental case...will change the way business is done in many institutions...where people will not protect predators any longer.” But Williams reiterated the importance that "victims report these crimes to law enforcement, not just to the institutions [that] may be culpable in the crime". Full story.
In the second case, a North Carolina jury awarded $28 million in damages to a woman who claimed that Jehovah's Witnesses failed to prevent a member of her local congregation from molesting her as a child. It has become the largest jury verdict in favour of a single victim in a religious child sex abuse case in the US. The complaint maintained that the religion's national leaders allegedly created a policy in 1989 instructing that child sex abuse accusations be kept secret, which congregation elders followed when Jonathan Kendrick was charged with child molestation in 1994 – a year before the claimant, Candace Conti, was abused. Full story.
Meanwhile in the United Kingdom, the Court of Appeal has ruled that a Roman Catholic diocese can be held accountable for child abuse perpetrated by its clergy, thus recognising it as an entity that is liable for the actions of individuals working under its authority. Full story.
A boy's body is his own temple
In Germany, a Cologne state court has set an important precedent by ruling that religious circumcision of infants and boys should be made illegal, as the practice inflicts bodily harm on individuals who do not consent to it. Religious groups have criticised the ruling, saying that it violates parents' freedom of religion. But the Court reasoned that a child's right to bodily integrity is above parents' freedom of religion, meaning that parents' freedoms cannot be upheld at the expense of other people's (boys') rights. Full story.
Similar legal debates have sprung up in other countries, such as Norway, the Netherlands and Denmark. Medical associations around the world have also voiced their opposition to routine male circumcision of infants and boys as a medically unnecessary procedure. There is opposition to the practice even within religious groups that perform it, including:
For further information, the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers based in the United States provides a directory of resources on the issue, including leading articles and publications, affiliate organisations around the world and websites created by medical and legal professionals.
No end in sight
Syrian security forces and pro-government militias are routinely raping women and girls in raids on homes, showing how sexual violence is being used as a tool of war in the country's conflict in a coordinated, orchestrated or systematic way, new data gathered by the Women Under Siege project (WUS) has shown.
In one case, a mother was forced to watch as her three daughters were raped and killed in front of her. But victims also include males, with 75 per cent of cases of reported sexual torture against men and boys occurring in government-run detention facilities.
“[All] these reports indicate that post-conflict intervention will need to address the consequences of sexualised violence for victims,” said one of the WUS project's researchers.
Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has also produced a report documenting that people arrested arbitrarily in Syria are detained and tortured in at least 27 underground detention centres, which it says clearly points to “a State policy of torture and ill-treatment.” Download the report.
The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, set up by the Human Rights Council, has also produced a report with its latest findings. Read it here.
And the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has called for an end to further militarisation of the conflict in Syria, as “the provision of arms to the...government and to its opponents is fuelling the violence.” She has also renewed her call to the Security Council to refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court.
Restraining the violence
In Russia, a new bill that aims to combat domestic violence is calling for restraining orders to be issued against offenders as soon as a case is reported, without first requiring the victim to file a lawsuit before being granted protection, as is currently common practice. Statistics show that over 10,000 women are killed in incidents of violence in the home every year, while 26,000 children are abused by their parents, 2,000 commit suicide as a result, and many others run away from home. Full story.
Meanwhile in Canada, aboriginal groups and politicians have made numerous calls for a national inquiry into the murder and disappearance of hundreds of First Nations women and girls. There are an estimated 600 victims, but First Nations groups highlight that very few cases have been solved owing both to scant and deficient investigations, as well as to government inaction to examine why aboriginal females are at greater risk of violence than any other demographic in the country. In addition, funding to a task force that maintains a database of missing and murdered women and girls was recently cut.
Calls for intervention in torture cases
The International secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) is calling for urgent intervention in two cases of torture and ill-treatment of children at the hands of security forces in China and the Philippines.
In the China case, a 17-year-old girl was arrested for throwing leaflets in the air and holding slogans calling for freedom in Tibet, for the return of the Dalai Lama, and for the release of Panchen Lama and Tibetan political prisoners. The girl's father informs that his daughter was taken to hospital for injuries suffered after her arrest, indicating that she was mistreated or tortured while under detention. Full story.
Meanwhile in the Philippines case, three individuals, two of which are minors, were allegedly approached while on their way home by civilian-clothed soldiers, who blindfolded the individuals and beat them with their guns, before arresting them without giving a reason. Once in detention, the three were asked if they belonged to an armed communist group, and threatened with being killed if they did not provide any information. They are all currently under detention. Full story.
The first of many?
Curaçao, a Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, has become the first overseas territory in the region and the third in the world to ban corporal punishment of children in all settings, including the home!
For more on this story and other developments, download the latest newsletter by the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children here.
The Global Initiative has also jointly produced a report on progress made across the Caribbean towards prohibiting corporal punishment of children in the home, schools, and penal and care settings. Download the report.
Meanwhile in Ecuador, where corporal punishment (CP) of children is prohibited only in schools, around 44 per cent of children are victims of CP at home, a study by a coalition of NGOs has revealed. The report highlights the reasons given for CP of children by their parents, which include disobedience (in 47 per cent of cases), unsatisfactory marks at school (14 per cent), not doing chores (12 per cent), and arriving home late (eight per cent). Meanwhile suicide has become the second leading cause of death among 12–17-year-olds. Full story (in Spanish).
Back to top
UPCOMING EVENTS
Physical integrity: One-day workshop on How to Prevent Unnecessary Male Circumcision
Organisation: Genital Autonomy
Date: 26 July 2012
Location: Keele, United Kingdom
More details here.
Gender: Masculinities, Leadership and Gender Justice in Sub-Saharan Africa
Organisation: MenEngage Africa Training Initiative
Date: 20–30 August 2012
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
More details here.
Abuse & neglect: Every Child Matters – Promoting Partnerships for Protecting Children
Organisation: International Society for the Prevention on Child Abuse & Neglect
Date: 9–12 September 2012
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
More details here.
Self autonomy: Law, Genital Autonomy and Children's Rights
Organisation: Genital Autonomy
Date: 30 September – 2 October 2012
Location: Helsinki, Finland
More details here.
The Last Word
"After the knee-jerk indignation has subsided, hopefully a discussion will kick off about how much religiously motivated violence against children a society is ready to tolerate."
-- Prof. Holm Putzke on the reaction to the German court's ruling against ritual male circumcision
Back to top
|
