20 October 2006 - Update: Children and Violence Issue 23
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- VIOLENCE STUDY: Campaigning Continues [news]
- Regional Launch of the Study in East Asia Pacific [news]
- Latest Resources
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This list is the primary means of communication for NGOs interested in the UN Study on Violence Against Children and for the Subgroup on Children and Violence. Updates are sent approximately once a month. Please feel free to forward these updates to others who may be interested.
If you do not receive this email in html format, you will not be able to see some hyperlinks in the text. At the end of each item we have therefore provided a full URL linking to a web page where further information is available.
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VIOLENCE STUDY: Campaigning Continues [news]
Following the launch of the Violence Study that took place last week in New York, a number of regional events have taken place or will be taking place in the coming weeks and months. In the meantime, negotiations for a resolution on children's rights of the UN General Assembly are underway.
Pinheiro at the Organisation of American States (OAS)
On Friday 13 October, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro went to Washington DC to present the Violence Study report to the Organisation of American States (OAS). The meeting was organised by the Committee on Juridical and Political Affairs and was an opportunity for Members of the OAS to ask questions about the report.
Professor Pinheiro was speaking as the Independent Expert for the Violence Study, but also as the Rapporteur on Children's Rights for the Inter American Commission for Human Rights. Maud de Boer Buquicchio, Deputy Secretary-General of the Council of Europe was also addressing the OAS and talked about the importance of promoting children's rights as well the importance of regional human rights mechanisms. The meeting was also attended by members of civil society, including Save the Children and CEJIL.
The date for the launch of the Violence Study book has been confirmed for 20 November and will take place in Geneva. Further information will be available shortly.
NGO Advisory Panel
Members of the NGO Advisory Panel who were attending the launch of the Study last week met to discuss the status of advocacy efforts around the rights of the child resolution, as well as next steps. It was decided that the Advisory Panel as it currently stands would cease its activities in its current format, however, depending on the outcome of the resolution and the potential decision for appointing a Special Representative to the Secretary-General (SRSG) on violence against children, NGOs would continue to work together to strengthen their efforts.
If the decision for the SRSG is postponed for a year, as has been suggested by some governments, an ad hoc group of NGOs would continue to coordinate advocacy efforts. The NGO Group subgroup on Children and Violence, which is based in Geneva will continue its activities for the time being and will continue to work in close collaboration with the NGO Advisory Panel.
For more information about the Subgroup, contact: Roberta Ceccheti , Convenor of the subgroup on [email protected]
For more information about the NGO Advisory Panel, contact: Jo Becker on [email protected]
More information about both is available at: www.childrenandviolence.org
A Resolution on Children's Rights
Resolution on Children's RightsNegotiations by governments on the rights of the child resolution are on-going. A Resolution was due to be tabled on Friday 13, but has been postponed. The two most controversial issues are references to corporal punishment and the proposal for a Special Representative to the Secretary General on violence against children.
Governments are split on both issues, and it is not yet known how the negotiations—which will continue for several weeks—will turn out. While some countries are supportive of a SRSG, others are suggesting that Pinheiro’s mandate be extended for another year, and that a report specifically on the proposal for an SRSG be submitted to next year’s GA, which would essentially postpone the decision for a year.
Events and campaigns
Save the Children International Day of Action
Save the Children, which has played an instrumental role in the process of the Violence Study, including in facilitating children's involvement, is planning an international day of Action on 19 October. Activities are being organised by regional and country offices in over 60 countries.
The aims of the Day of Action are to help build political commitment at regional and national levels, to mobilise governments to endorse the Study's recommendations, to generate media coverage, and to promote children's participation by involving thousands of children across the globe.
Specific activities will include meetings of children and government representatives, linking up with high profile media events, public presentations of reports and films on violence prepared by children themselves, music and theatre events, street marches and processions and presentations of public petitions in support of the Study.
More information to follow. In the meantime, visit: http://www.rb.se/eng
Regional and national events will be taking place to mark the launch of the Violence Study. Go to: http://www.crin.org/violence/regions/index.asp
We are continuing to update the CRIN website with information about some of these, but would be interested to hear about other events that may be taking place regionally, nationally and locally. We would also like to post information about media coverage and outcomes of events.
Please contact us at: Child Rights Information Network (CRIN)
c/o Save the Children, 1, St John's Lane, London EC1M 4AR, UK.
Tel: +44 20 7012 6865; Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.crin.org/violence
Further information about the launch:
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- Regional Launch of the Study in East Asia Pacific [news]
[Bangkok, 19 October 2006] - Leading child-rights organizations urged governments from East Asia and the Pacific to take swift action to prevent and respond to pervasive everyday violence affecting millions of children. The call was made at a symposium held today to highlight the findings of the newly released UN Secretary-General’s Study on Violence Against Children, which sheds new light on the scale and scope of abuse against children in the region and globally.
“Much violence against children is shrouded in shame and secrecy, yet as this landmark study reveals, it is pervasive”, said Anupama Rao Singh, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Director. “Under the Convention on the Rights of Child every child has right to be protected from violence and abuse. Governments must act to fulfill their obligation to prevent and eliminate violence against children.”
The UN Secretary-General’s Study is the first to provide a comprehensive global view of the range and scale of everyday violence against children. It combines human rights, public health and child protection perspectives in five different settings where abuse occurs: the home and family, schools and educational settings, institutions (care and judicial) the workplace and the community.
Power relations between children and adults, deeply embedded hierarchal traditions and gender inequality contribute to the physical and psychological violence against children, the study notes.
“While we often think that violence against children is inflicted by violent people, in fact, it is often practiced in many areas of a child’s life by family, society and the state,” said Laurence Gray, Regional Advocacy Director for World Vision. “It is unacceptable to beat, to strike and to emotionally or psychologically crush any child in any setting.”
Children with disabilities, children belonging to minority groups or living on the streets, children in conflict with the law and those who are refugees or displaced from their homes are particularly vulnerable to violence.
According to Speaking Out!, a 2001 UNICEF survey of children in East Asia and the
Pacific, almost one quarter of the young respondents reported that their parents beat them when they did something wrong. A 2005 Save the Children survey conducted in eight countries cited hair pulling, ear twisting, pinching, smacking, beating, burning and verbal assaults - plus a high level of kicking and punching - as common forms of punishment.
The use of corporal punishment in schools is prohibited by law in China, Thailand, Philippines and Viet Nam, however it is still widely practiced and culturally accepted as a form of discipline in most countries in the region, including those that have outlawed it.
"Corporal punishment is a regular part of the school experience. Think back to your own schooling. Were you or any of your friends ever physically or emotionally punished? Chances are you will say "Yes" because corporal punishment is a common practice throughout the world, "says Hameed Hakeem, Coordinator of UNESCO's Asia-Pacific Programme of Education for All.
“No form of corporal punishment against children is acceptable” said Herluf Madsen, Regional Representative for Save the Children Sweden. “Children often say they are punished for no reason, yet we know the effects can be devastating, long lasting and all too often lead to learning difficulties, emotional problems and even depression and delinquent behavior.”
A growing area of concern in the region is the threat of violence against children as a result of new technologies in cyberspace. According to ECPAT an estimated 1 billion people will be mobile phone subscribers by 2010 (up from the 230 million in 2000), whilst Asia leads the way with the most number of people now using the internet. Currently, 12 per cent of children in the region, under 15 years of age, have a mobile phone.
“We have been late in recognizing that the benefits of new technologies are increasingly offset by adverse effects on children,” said Carmen Madrinan, Executive Director of ECPAT. “The shocking reality is that such new technologies are increasingly employed by networks of child traffickers, sex tourists and paedophiles to facilitate organized sexual abuse and violence. Better understanding of the forces that affect children in cyberspace will result in better protection of their right to live free from exploitation".
The study’s findings, informed by consultations, questionnaires and interviews were enriched by the participation of children who made key contributions by helping to understand the various forms of violence and its effects upon them.
Representing young people from the region, Michael Sheehan-Bendall from New Zealand, Lorelie Limbang from the Philippines, and Hoang Thi Hue from Viet Nam told the symposium’s audience of ambassadors and agency heads that it is crucial to involve young people in addressing violence in their communities and urged governments to ensure that they are integral to strategies that resolve to end violence against children.
The UN Study, led by Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Independent Expert appointed by the Secretary-General, calls for a wide range of actions to be taken to prevent and respond to violence against children across all settings where it occurs. Twelve overarching recommendations address areas such as national strategies and systems, data collection and ensuring accountability. Member states will have to report their progress to the General Assembly in 2009.
More information: Download the following factsheets prepared for the Regional Launch
Anthony Burnett, ECPAT International, Tel: +66 2 215 3388; 611 0972 (Ext 112), Email: [email protected]
Arunee A chakulwisut, Plan International, Tel: +66 2 576 1972-4 ext.115,
Email: [email protected]
James East, World Vision International, Tel: +66-2-3916155; +66-2-381-8861 (office) +66-898-121-402 [cell] Email: [email protected]
Shantha Bloemen, UNICEF EAPRO, Tel: +66 2 356 9407 or +66 1 906 0813, Email: [email protected]
Dominique Pierre Plateau, Save the Children Tel: + 66 02 684 1046, 02 6841047
Email: [email protected]
Alida Pham, UNESCO, Tel; 66 2 391 0577 Email: [email protected]
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- Latest Resources
Children and Drugs: Special Feature, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Go to: http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=10763
Transnational Protection of Children: The case of Albania and Greece 2000-2006, Terre des Hommes, ARSIS, UNICEF. Go to: http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=10732
Preventing Child Maltreatment: A guide to taking action and generating evidence, World Health Organisation and IPSCAN. Go to: http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=10702
** It's QUIZ Time: Take the quiz on the Violence Study!! **
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