The United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence
against Children |
MEDIA BULLETIN No.1 |
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For more information, ideas, to set up interviews: Dr June Kane, Lead Communication Officer, Secretariat, UN SGSVAC: junekane@bigpond.net.au |
The UN Secretary-General’s
Study on Violence against Children has been a global effort to paint a detailed
picture of the nature, extent and causes of violence against children, and to
propose clear recommendations for action to prevent and respond to it.
This is the first time that
an attempt has been made to document the reality of violence against children
around the world, and to map out what is being done to stop it.
The Study process, which
since 2003 has been led by the Independent Expert appointed by the
Secretary-General, Professor Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, has involved many thousands
of people.
All over the world,
children and young people, UN agencies and NGOs, governments, researchers,
journalists and activists have attended national and regional consultations,
participated in working groups, answered detailed questionnaires and provided
submissions and other input.
On
The Study focuses on the nature and extent of violence against children in five settings:
· the home and family;
· schools and educational settings;
· other institutional settings (orphanages, children in conflict with the law);
· in the workplace, and
· the community and on the streets.
It concludes
that violence against children happens everywhere, in every country and society
and across all social groups.
Extreme violence against
children may hit the headlines but children say that the daily, repeated small
acts of violence also hurt them.
While some violence is
unexpected and isolated, most violent acts against children are carried out by
people they know and should be able to trust: parents, boyfriends or
girlfriends, spouses and partners, schoolmates, teachers and employers.
Violence against children
includes physical violence, psychological violence such as insults and
humiliation, discrimination, neglect and maltreatment.
Although the consequences may vary according to the nature and severity of the violence inflicted, the short- and long-term repercussions for children are very often grave and damaging.
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Story ideas provided by some of the many Study partners.
Contact details are given for each source. Please let June Kane know if you
follow up these leads or need extra info or
contacts. |
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Popular In the biggest city slum in This is the reality of life for many of the students of the
Jailson
de Souza, E-mail: andrea@observatoriodefavelas.org.br,
Phone: +55 (21) 3888-3220 |
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The Artisans of
In the winding streets of the Old City of Fez, Morocco, tourists wonder at the skills of the artisans who produce blue-glazed pottery, copper bowls, jewellery, fine silk beading, carpets and the colourful, exotic tiles (zellige) that are exported all over the world. They do not realize that many of these artisans are children. Most, as young as nine years of age, have never been to school and spend their days hammering, soldering, weaving and painting, often in crowded, dangerous conditions with little fresh air. By the time they reach adolescence, these children may have arthritic hands, respiratory infections, poor eyesight and a stooped back. They cannot read or write and their chances of improving their lives are slim. Once these children would have been considered ‘apprentices’, learning their craft. Today they are generally exploited labour, as the master craftsmen put them to full-time work to meet the demands of parents who want to be paid for their children’s labour. Working together with the master artisans, UNICEF Morocco and the ILO’s International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) have given many of these children a second chance. The children now go to school, with school materials provided through NGOs supported by UNICEF. For older children who continue to work, classes are provided in their workplaces. Teachers are provided by IPEC and bright classrooms are prepared with the cooperation of the master artisans. The enthusiasm of the children is boundless. “Now that I can read,” a 10 year-old boy says, “I can work out the street names and don’t get lost in the town any more!” Rajae
Berrada, E-mail: rberrada@unicef.org,
Phone:
+212 (0)3775 9741; Mob: +212 (0)6139 6179. |
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Violence-free
schools UNICEF has
recognized 110 schools in School bullying is a problem all over the
world and can cause short- and long-term damage to children. Leadership by the government –
sending out a clear message that bullying will not be tolerated in schools
– is vital. In Jetchka
Karaslavova, E-mail:
jkaraslavova@unicef.org, Phone: +35 92
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