29 October 2007 - Update: The Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children 33
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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.
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VIOLENCE: Time to deliver - talks to appoint a Special Representative underway [news]
The numbers are staggering
Every day around the world, millions of children experience violence. Consider the following. In one year, 53,000 children die of homicide, 150 million girls and 73 million boys are sexually assaulted, 126 million children are employed in hazardous work, almost 2 million more are exploited in prostitution and pornography, and around 200 million children witness frequent violence between their parents. And the list goes on. A majority of children around the globe report receiving corporal punishment from their parents and a substantial number report receiving severe corporal punishment with the use of objects. And in many countries children report being bullied or caned in schools, being whipped or caned in penal systems, experiencing widespread community violence of all kinds, and girls report suffering female genital mutilation or cutting.
The Study findings
The shocking scope of violence was brought to light in last year’s UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children. The study describes a global comprehensive assessment of children’s experiences with violence in the five settings in which they grow and learn: their homes and families, their schools, their workplaces and communities, their care and their justice systems. The study reveals that violence against children is not only pervasive in the lives of children, but often it is justified on the basis of traditional practice and discipline.
Urgent action and follow up needed
No country has denied the existence or seriousness of violence against children. When children grow with violence they are at risk of becoming violent themselves. Understanding the urgency of change, 47 countries have now identified national planning on preventing or responding to violence against children as a priority. Some countries have drafted or passed new legislation. But progress is slow and incommensurate with the problem. Ending violence against children requires high-level focus and leadership.
A Special Representative on Violence Against Children
Among the study’s key recommendations to protect children from violence is the call for the appointment of a Special Representative to the Secretary General. It is a call that has been endorsed by over 1000 non-governmental organizations from 134 countries. It is a call that the international NGO Advisory Council for the UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children – a group representing leading international and national NGOs who work with or for children – believes to be of urgency.
The Special Representative would act as a global advocate to promote the prevention and elimination of all violence against children. Collaborating with existing mechanisms and treaty bodies, NGOs, civil society, and children, the Special Representative can foster international commitment, cooperation, and concrete action to end violence against children.
Negotiations underway
Governments are currently negotiating the proposal for a Special Representative at the UN in NY and should act swiftly to approve it. As noted in the Study, all violence against children is preventable and no violence against children is justifiable. Leadership is necessary for action.
With the publication and dissemination of the study, violence against children is no longer hidden. We must now ensure that it no longer remains accepted.
Further information:
For more information, contact:
NGO Advisory Council for the UN Study on Violence Against Children
Cristina at [email protected]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=15263
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GENERAL ASSEMBLY: NGO Statements [news]
[NEW YORK, 19 October 2007] - Regional Representatives for the NGO Advisory Council presented a petition signed by over 1,000 NGOs calling for States to appoint a Special Representative on Violence Against Children during the 62nd session of the General Assembly.
The following statements were delivered:
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Statement delivered by the Regional Representative for
Africa:
The statement will posted here:
www.crin.org/violence shortly
For more information, contact:
NGO Advisory Council for the UN Study on Violence Against Children
Cristina at [email protected]
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=15263
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CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: Ending Legalised Violence against Children - Global Report 2007 [publication]
[17 October 2007] - More and more States worldwide are reforming their laws to prohibit all corporal punishment of children, including in their homes. A new report by the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children analyses the progress made towards prohibiting all corporal punishment and realising children’s right to equal protection from assault.
The Global Report 2007 – Ending Legalised Violence against Children – is published as a follow up to the UN Secretary General’s Study on Violence against Children. It contains a table of legality of corporal punishment in the home, schools, penal systems and alternative care in every state in the world.
Since the UN Study got under way in 2005, laws have come into force in six States worldwide which prohibit corporal punishment by parents within the family home and in all other settings. This brings the total number of States with full prohibition in legislation to 19. Two other States have prohibited corporal punishment in childrearing through Supreme Court rulings. A further 17 States have publicly committed themselves to pursuing law reform, and in a further seven, draft laws which would achieve full prohibition are under discussion. If these commitments are carried through, a fifth of the Member States of the UN will have banned all corporal punishment. Many more States have prohibited corporal punishment in settings outside the home.
But there is still a long way to go. Introducing the 2007 Global Report, Professor Yanghee Lee, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child says:
“Five years ago, many Heads of State and high-level State officials made a promise to children all over the world: To make a World Fit for Children. I believe that a world that condones violence against children is not a world fit for children. We must not, and cannot, waste another minute in building a world free of violence, free of inhuman and degrading treatment, and free of corporal punishment.”
Professor Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, the Independent Expert appointed to lead the UN Study, refers in the Global Report to the target date of 2009 set by the Study for the prohibition of all violence against children, including all corporal punishment:
“Surely this is not too much for children to expect? The Study has made visible the scale and impact of this most common form of violence – in children's homes, schools, care institutions and other places. So how can we as adults - as human rights activists or parliamentarians or government ministers and officials - tolerate its continued legality and social acceptance in so many States?”
And Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu writes:
“Millions of the world’s children still suffer from humiliating acts of violence and these violations of their rights as human beings can have serious and lifelong effects. Violence begets violence and we shall reap a whirlwind. Children can be disciplined without violence that instils fear and misery, and I look forward to faith communities working in solidarity with others and using the context of the Study to make further progress towards ending all forms of violence against children.”
The 2007 Global Report is also available on the website of the Global Initiative at www.endcorporalpunishment.org
A limited number of hard copies is available by contacting
[email protected]
Further information
For more information, contact:
Global Intitiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
94, White Lion Street
London, N1 9PF
Tel: +44 20 7713 0569; Fax: +44 20 7713 0466
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.endcorporalpunishment.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=15189
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This Update is an electronic mailing list of the Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) in collaboration with the NGO Advisory Council for follow up to the Violence Study. CRIN does not accredit, validate or substantiate any information posted by members to this Update. The validity and accuracy of any information is the responsibility of the originator.
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