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Summary: 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.
27 May 2005 Update: West and Central Africa Regional Consultation on
Violence Against Children
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- CLOSING CEREMONY: The West and Central Africa Regional Consultation
Closes
- REGIONAL REPORT: Overview of Main Issues in West and Central Africa
- CHILDREN'S PARTICIPATION: Children Intervene to Address Issues that
Affect Them
- CHILDREN'S RECOMMENDATIONS: List of Recommendations Issued by
Children
- RESOURCES: New Resources on Violence Against Children
- SUBGROUP ON VIOLENCE: Minutes from last meeting
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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.
This update is also available in html format on the website at:
http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=5464
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- OPENING CEREMONY: The West and Central Africa Regional Consultation
Closes
[25 May 2005, BAMAKO] – In her final address to the speakers and
participants, the children's spokesperson said she was worried the
recommendations would be forgotten as soon as the session closes. “We
do our best in participating and much remains to be done…, you have to
implement the recommendations”.
“Last week,” she continued “all of us, met here in Bamako to share ideas
and prepare for our participation and recommendations for the
consultation. When we talk about participation, we do not just mean for us
to read our declaration; but to speak up and give our views and be given
the respect we deserve. Adults must be careful to respect our opinions.
And though we are not angels, we are inspirational, and for us the abuse
of one child, is one child too many. How would you feel if that child was
your daughter, or your son, your sister or your brother, how would you feel
about that? Well think about it, because that’s how we feel because they
are our brothers and sisters”.
In his closing speech, Professor Paulo Pinheiro, Independent Expert
leading the UN Secretary-General’s Study, suggested to government
representatives that someone in their office should hold responsibility for
following up on the recommendations adopted during the meeting.
“The Study”, he explained, “has a time limit for actions and strategies to be
established, which is when it is presented to the UN General Assembly in
2006, however this is not the case for the region”. He hopes the
recommendations will reinforce the huge efforts that have already been
undertaken on many levels in the region, and was pleased to hear that
governments attending the consultation had already been exchanging
experiences and ideas to collaborate in their efforts to eliminate violence
against children.
He thanked religious leaders who took an active part in the consultation to
share their views and will to contribute to making children’s rights a reality.
Finally he said that the recommendations adopted at this consultation will
be fed into the global study, however the secretariat of the study still
welcomes contributions from governments, NGOs and children.
The final recommendations were put together by a drafting committee who
compiled all the recommendations of the working groups on the four
themes that were examined during the consultation: violence in the family,
in the community, in institutions, and in the work place. They were
presented to the participants by Ms. Awa N'Deye Ouedraogo, Member of
the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Comments and suggestions
were noted and the final document will be available shortly.
For more information on the opening ceremony, go to:
http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=5610
For more information on the West and Central Africa Consultation, go to:
http://www.crin.org/violence/regions/region.asp?regionID=1002
For more information on the UN Study on Violence Against Children in
general and upcoming regional consultation, go to:
http://www.childrenandviolence.org
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- REGIONAL REPORT: Overview of Main Issues in West and Central Africa
The Regional Report will focus on the four following issues, which were
discussed during the Consultation:
1. Violence in the family: Violence against children within the family exists,
but more often than not, it remains hidden. The contours of these acts of
violence are multiple: they vary according to the context and the position
of each family member. Although some acts are violent, they not always
considered as such by all. The dialectic of children/parents/society cannot
be simplified and each component interacts. There are no single causes to
violence. There are several cultural, economic, social, geographical and
political factors which determine the different forms of violence in the
family: physical, sexual and psychological.
2. Violence in the community: Each community in West and Central Africa
has its own cultural and traditional practices which constitute the
framework of these societies. The problem is that some of them result in
violence to children, such as excision and early marriage. They are
generally not carried out with the aim of harming the child but are
connected to the socialisation process of the child in society and to
marriage.
3. Violence in institutions: Two main areas are being looked at here:
violence in schools and violence for children in conflict with the law. In
schools, views on the educational virtues of corporal punishment have
been echoed. All pupils questioned say that they have witnessed, at least
once in their school life, physical violence towards one of their schoolmates
or that themselves have been victims of violence. Girls are also victims of
sexual abuse and harassment in the classroom. The Ministries of Education
in the different countries recognise the existence of such criminal acts but
do not take all appropriate measures to make schools somewhere where
children are protected.
4. Child labour: The supply of child labour has been growing over the past
two decades. In West and Central Africa, child work mainly takes place
within family-type framework (informal activities, domestic work,
agriculture, etc.). But for several years, there has been a progression in
activities which are particularly dangerous for children.
For more information, contact:
UNICEF West and Central Africa Regional Office
Immeuble Maimouna II, Route de l'aéroport
BP 29720 Dakar-Yoff Dakar, Senegal
Tel: + 221 869 5858; Fax: + 221 820 3065
Website: http://www.unicef.org
Visit: http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=5608
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- CHIDLREN'S PARTICIPATION: Children Intervene to Address Issues that
Affect Them
[BAMAKO, 25 May 2005] - Twenty children from 15 countries in West and
Central Africa, representing both school attending children, as well as
working children, gathered in Bamako for the Regional Consultation on
violence against children. The forum was facilitated by Save the Children
Sweden Regional Office for West Africa.
Prior to meeting in Mali for the actual consultation, Save the Children
Sweden identified 58 child-led associations, child parliaments, children's
clubs in schools, associations of working children to prepare for their
participation at the regional consultation. There was then a meeting in
each country to inform children about the UN Study on Violence against
children and the upcoming regional consultation.
During these meetings, children decided they wanted to conduct their own
studies in their countries as a way of contributing to the consultation.
Children's clubs of school-attending and non-school attending children,
together with children's parliaments, decided to work on corporal
punishment in the home and in schools. Associations of working children
decided to work on violence affecting children in the work place, and a
mixed group decided to work on sexual abuse in schools and in the family.
Children then met for the first time last week in Bamako to bring together
all their studies and plan their presentations for the consultation. However
some of the children attending this consultation, also attended the UN
Special Session on Children in New York in 2002, and having seen little
follow-up to the outcome document, A World Fit for Children, were sceptical
about the use of the consultation and elaborating recommendations that
would have no follow-up. They therefore decided to request that their
recommendations would become part of the programme plans of
organisations and NGOs they are associated with. Save the Children
Sweden, who financed this project, have now prepared their workplans
based on children's recommendations.
Furthermore, children were concerned about their participation at the
consultation, knowing full well that children's participation is often more
symbolic than meaningful. So for them, the regional consultation is just the
beginning of their work. Once the consultation is over, children will then go
back to their respective countries and present their studies and
recommendations to their organisations, NGOs, children, schools,
governments and the media and start working on methods of
implementation and follow-up.
On Wednesday 25th, children were given the opportunity to react to
discussions on the four main themes of the Consultation. A child from a
working children's movement in Guinea was upset about some of the
comments in the presentations saying; "I don't agree that the place of
children is only in schools. Sorry! The place of a child can be at school and
at work. With everything that happens in schools and the bad quality of
education, corrupt diplomas, to prepare for life, or one's family, you must
know something. When someone says our place is not at work we do not
like that. I don't want to work all my life, but work has helped me, nobody
has helped me, I didn't get help from UNICEF or Plan, or whatever, my
work helped to pay for myself to go to school. What's also clear is that girls
who work as domestics, if they don't work there, it will be sexual tourism.
Finally, if you say that chores done at home is not work, then what is the
name of those doing that?"
A girl from the Children's Parliament of Mali gave an example of a personal
story where her family hired a young girl to work in the house for three
months during the summer, and it helped her a lot as she could then buy
materials to go to school. A member of a working children's movement
said "I wish to see all children in school so we all have a chance, but it's
not the case. But we recognise the value of learning to read, so we set up
an organisation for child workers to improve our situation. This is where
partners can help, they can listen to what we want. We should also value
alternative education, sensitise employers about rights and corporal
punishment. But saying no to child work that hurts"
For more information, visit:
http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=5614 and
http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=5618
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- CHILDREN'S RECOMMENDATIONS: List of Recommendations Issued by
Children
After analysis of the various forms of violence against children at the
preparatory session where they exchanged experiences, discussions, as
well as workshops, the child delegates made the following
recommendations:
Corporal punishment in the home:
- sensitise parents about the consequences of violence against children
(media campaigns using fairy tales and proverbs)
- teach parents how to communicate with their children (parents' school)
- prioritise dialogue with children
- train them on education without violence
- offer alternative disciplining methods
- inform parents about child rights and laws that ban corporal punishment
- alleviate poverty and increase family benefits for children
- parents must get to know their children better and reasons for them
misbehaving
- adopt and implement laws on violence against children
Corporal punishment in the school:
- increase the number of education advisers and sensitise teachers about
corporal punishment
- create councils for discipline in schools that can work in partnership with
children's organisations
- establish and disseminate internal rules of conduct
- sensitise education inspectors about corporal punishment
- ensure children's security in schools
- parents have to accompany younger children to school
- offer alternative punitive measures
Corporal punishment in the work place, in the streets and in institutions:
- sensitise employers about child rights and consequences of corporal
punishment to children - respect children
- educate employers to listen to children
- ensure children's safety at work
- value alternative education methods
- encourage and support the development of child led organisations
Sexual violence:
- get rid of taboos
- sexual education for children
- punish those who commit the acts and those who are quiet about them
- create support centres for victims (free)
- set up free phone lines to break the silence
- ensure children's safety
- educate children about sexual violence
- countries have to ratify and conform to laws protecting children
- create preventative laws and disseminate information about them
- create committees for eliminating violence against children, particularly
sexual violence
- find healthy ways for children to spend their free time
- limit video clubs
Traditional and cultural practices:
- forbid harmful traditional practices by law
- launch awareness campaigns for the community
- create local committees for child protection
Visit: http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=5617
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- RESOURCES: New Resources on Violence Against Children
Violence Against Children in Conflict with the Law - NGO Advisory Panel for
the UN Study on Violence Against Children
At the request of the secretariat for the United Nations Secretary-General’s
Study on Violence against Children, the NGO Advisory Panel for the Study
convened a group of eighteen international experts on children in conflict
with the law for a two-day meeting in Geneva, as one of several thematic
meetings convened specifically for the Study.
The report is available at the following:
http://www.crin.org/violence/search/closeup.asp?infoID=5552
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The Protective Environment: Development Support for Child Protection
[article]
Children's protection from violence, exploitation, and abuse is weak in
much of the world, despite near universal ratification of the Convention on
the Rights of the Child. Often, improved legislation is not accompanied by
significant changes in state or private practices and capacity. The types of
programmatic response supported have tended to be curative rather than
preventative in nature, addressing symptoms rather than the underlying
systems that have failed to protect children. This article proposes a
conceptual framework for programming, identifying elements key to
protecting children in any environment as well as the factors that
strengthen or undermine the protection available. Using this shared
platform for analysis, human rights and development actors can bring
greater coherence to activities that strengthen child protection.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/child_protection.pdf
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New report on child trafficking in Togo:
It is estimated that 12 per cent of children in Togo, West Africa are being
removed from their homes in rural areas and sent to work for little or no
pay. In a practice similar to slavery, children are being trafficked to far-
away cities and across Togo's borders. Nowadays the traffickers are just
as likely to be family friends or relatives. In a new report, published to
mark International Day of Missing Children on 25 May, Plan says that
children and young people are falling prey to traffickers because of lack of
education and employment opportunities. The children recruited - with or
without parental consent - leave their homes in the hope of making
enough money to support their families, continue their education or just to
buy basic material goods.
Visit: http://www.crin.org/resources/infoDetail.asp?ID=5606
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- SUBGROUP ON VIOLENCE: Minutes from last meeting
The minutes from the last meeting, 12 May, are available on the website of
the subgroup on violence against children in word format at the following:
http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/NGOCRC/subgroup-
violence/Update_12-05-05.doc
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