Submitted by crinadmin on
Summary: The East Asia and Pacific Regional
Consultation on Violence against Children will
be held from Tuesday 14th to Thursday 16th
June 2005, in Bangkok, Thailand.
Every child has the right to a life free of violence. Yet each day, millions of
children around the world are victims of violence. They are subjected to
physical, psychological and sexual abuse in homes, schools, institutions, on
the streets, and in the workplace. Too often they are abused by trusted
adults in places they should feel safe.
As part of the UN Study on Violence against Children, the first report of its
kind to draw attention to this global problem, a regional consultation will
bring together more than 250 delegates from government, non
government organizations, academia and children to identify how children
experience violence and try to find ways to stop it.
Independent Expert Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, appointed by the UN Secretary–
General to lead the study, will attend the consultation in Bangkok, along
with Jaap Doek, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
During the three-day meeting, delegates will look at how violence affects
children in different locations including in the home and the family, in the
school, in conflict with the law, in institutions, in the work place, in the
street and in cyberspace and virtual settings.
They will discuss experiences, evidence and research from countries in the
East Asia and Pacific region, along with best practices and key strategies
for prevention, intervention and recovery. The findings will then be
incorporated into the global study being put together in Geneva.
Thirty under 18 delegates from 14 countries will participate, sharing
perspectives on the impact of violence and contribute to solutions on what
can be done to prevent it as well as help those who have experienced it.
Under 18 Delegates will participate fully in the Regional Consultation as
equal partners with adult delegates. In addition, they will participate in a
two day preparatory children’s forum to prepare their contributions to the
Regional Consultation and UN Study.
Note to Editors:
The UN Study on Violence was prompted by the Committee on the Rights of
the Child, who in reviewing country reports submitted to them, realised the
need for more understanding of the global scope of the problem and
mechanisms to measure it.
The findings from the nine Regional Consultations will feed into the final
study to be submitted by the Independent Expert to the Secretary-
General, who is expected to present the recommendations of the report to
the General Assembly in October 2006.
Delegates will be available for interviews, plenary sessions will be open to
the media, and there will be a final press conference at the conclusion of
the Consultation on Thursday 16th June. Video from the consultation will
also be available on request.
Media are encouraged to register before the Consultation. A media centre
will be available for journalists.