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characters[TORONTO, June 2-3, 2005] – Over 200 representatives from Canada and
the United States attended the North American Regional Consultation for
the UN Secretary-General’s Study on Violence Against Children. The
meeting was organized by UNICEF Canada and was held at Victoria
University, in the University of Toronto. The delegates—who represented
government, civil society, child welfare organizations, community groups,
faith-based organizations, and NGOs—came together to share insights and
experiences about how to fight the most prevalent forms of violence
against children in Canadian and American society. The North American
consultation was one of nine regional consultations held worldwide
between March and June, 2005.
The delegates attended a variety of roundtables on issues related to
violence against children. They discussed issues such as violence against
children in the media, violence against children with disabilities, models for
a Children’s Commissioner, operating in a federal system, violence against
aboriginal children, violence in the home, violence against ethnocultural
minorities, child welfare legislation, peer aggression, violence against
children in juvenile justice settings, the epidemiology of violence, violence
in sport, and primary prevention of violence.
Government representatives in attendance included Senator Landon
Pearson and Dr. Susan Orr. Senator Pearson, Advisor on Children’s Rights
to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, represented the Canadian government.
She gave an opening address to the delegates and chaired the roundtable
on operating in a federal system. Dr. Susan Orr, Associate Commissioner of
the Children's Bureau at the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, was the senior representative from the United States
government and spoke on behalf of the U.S.
Youth participation and engagement was a key element of the
consultation. Thirty youth delegates from across Canada and the United
States attended the youth session on June 1 and 2, which was
coordinated by Save the Children Canada. They discussed how violence
affects children and youth, strategies they can use to fight violence in their
own communities, and what they would like governments to do in order to
protect children from violence. The youth also participated in the
roundtable sessions on June 3, performed skits on violence in different
settings and presented the Children’s Statement at the plenary session of
the consultation.
Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the UN-appointed independent expert
leading the global study, was in Toronto to speak to consultation
delegates and learn about specific violence issues affecting children in
Canada and the United States. He will present his findings, along with
those from the other regional consultations, to the UN General Assembly in
late 2006. His report, based on the right of every child to protection from
all forms of violence, will promote action to prevent and eliminate violence
against children at international, regional, national and local levels.