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Summary:
Data gaps make the issue “invisible”, says
UNICEF[GENEVA, 31 May 2005] - Violence against children in residential
institutions can be found across Europe and Central Asia, according to
research gathered by UNICEF in the run-up to a major conference on
violence against children. The research also reveals glaring gaps in
knowledge and data.
“Children in residential institutions – from children’s homes to detention
centres – are desperately vulnerable,” said Maria Calivis, UNICEF Regional
Director for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of
Independent States. “They are vulnerable because they are separated
from society in a ‘closed’ environment. And the more closed that
environment is, the greater the risk of violence and the smaller the chance
that it will be reported.
“We have to remember that things have already gone badly wrong for the
children who end up in institutions,” she added. “They are already scarred
by family troubles and that only increases their vulnerability.”
One of nine consultations worldwide, the Consultation on Violence Against
Children in Europe and Central Asia takes place in Slovenia in early July
and will feed into the Secretary General's Study on Violence Against
Children due out in 2006.
Nobody knows exactly how many children are living in institutions in
Europe and Central Asia. The most conservative estimates put the figure at
around one million.
“There is a serious and fundamental knowledge gap on the numbers,” said
Calivis “which makes the issue ‘invisible’ and undermines the chance of an
effective response.”
The research is likely to fuel debate at the forthcoming Regional
Consultation:
Ongoing investigations in Ireland testify to abuse over decades: an
inquiry has received 3,000 complaints, 60 per cent of them from those over
50 who were abused as children in institutions ;
The Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed concern at the
lack of a clear ban on corporal punishment in institutions in Belgium, Czech
Republic, France, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova;
A report on Kazakhstan shows that 80 per cent of children in residential
schools are treated “cruelly” ;
Interviews with children in institutions in the UK found that 62 out of 71
reported physical violence between children. Half had experienced physical
violence ranging from knife attacks, kicks and punches to damage to their
personal property and threats.
UNICEF sounds the alarm on juvenile justice, with research suggesting
that juvenile offenders may face the greatest risk of violence in the
earliest, pre-trial stages. The Committee on the Rights of the Child has
raised the issue of police officers ill-treating children and young people in
police custody in Albania, France, Georgia, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine
and Uzbekistan. Young people may also be kept in pre-trial custody
alongside adults, increasing the risk of abuse. In Germany there is
evidence that they have been threatened, blackmailed and even raped . In
Croatia, custodial staff have been seen to punch, kick or hit young people
with batons .
“This is unacceptable,” said Calivis. “The UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child sets the standards for children in institutions. The Council of
Europe’s Committee of Ministers has spelled out their rights, including the
right to a non-violent upbringing. The ground-rules are there, but they
need to be followed.”
UNICEF calls on the ministers attending the July Consultation on Children
and Violence to:
Legislate to ban all forms of violence against all children in all settings –
institutions, schools, the home and the community;
Ensure that the institutionalisation or detention of children is a measure
of last resort;
Set in motion the region-wide gathering of consistent, comparable and
disaggregated data on children in institutions;
Screen staff working with these children, pay them properly and ensure
that they are qualified to deal with the tensions and conflicts that can
erupt into violence;
Create effective complaints channels for children in institutions and make
sure that the children know about them;
Ensure that these children have regular contact with their own families,
unless this would put them at risk.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
UNICEF has been gathering existing research on violence against children
in residential settings in preparation for the Regional Consultation on
Violence against Children in Europe and central Asia, which will be held in
Ljubljana, Slovenia, 5–7 July 2005, hosted by the Government of Slovenia
and co-organised by the Council of Europe, UNICEF, WHO, OHCHR and the
NGO Advisory Panel.
The United Nations Secretary-General has appointed an independent
expert, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, to lead a global study on violence against
children. The study, rooted in children’s right to protection from all forms of
violence, aims to promote action to prevent and eliminate violence against
children at international, regional, national and local levels. The study is a
United Nations-led collaboration, mandated by the General Assembly, to
draw together existing research and relevant information about the forms,
causes and impact of violence affecting children and young people (up to
the age of 18 years). A major report will be published in 2006 and
recommendations presented to the United Nations General Assembly.
Nine regional consultations, including the Consultation in Slovenia in July,
will pull together regional information on violence against children in four
settings: the home, the community, the school and residential institutions.
These will articulate the agenda for action and contribute
recommendations to the study.