Will the
UN General assembly finally accept the creation of
a Special
Representative on Violence Against Children
as
requested by NGOs and Mr. Pinheiro?
The final
report of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence Against Children
will be presented on
The
purpose of the United Nations Secretary-General’s Study on Violence Against Children
was to present an in-depth and worldwide picture of the problem of violence
against children, its prevalence, nature and causes, as well as to propose
concrete recommendations to be implemented in order to improve legislation,
policy and programmes enhancing the prevention of and responses to general
violence against children.[2]
The Study has been elaborated by means of the submission of questionnaires to
governments and a public call for submissions; as well as regional, subregional
and national consultations. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro has undertaken a number of
field visits, participated in a range of academic and thematic meetings,
colloquiums and workshops, and has engaged in dialogue with children concerning
particular issues of violence in their regard.
The final
report clearly raises the importance of the follow-up of the Study, and more
precisely the effective implementation of the recommendations. Already in 2001,
at OMCT’s International Conference in
The
conclusion of the study highlights the need for such a mechanism and one of
Prof. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro’s key recommendations is the creation of a new
United Nations Special Representative on Violence Against Children reporting
directly to the Secretary-General. OMCT welcomes Pinheiro’s proposal and shares
the views of other leading NGOs to establish an independent advocate and moral
voice on behalf of all forms of violence against children covering every
situation and setting.[3]
The
61st General Assembly will have to consider the recommendation of the
appointment of a Special Representative to the SG in the next days. Although it
has been requested by NGOs and the independent expert for months, the Member
States of the UN still seem to be reluctant to ask for this new mechanism. OMCT
hopes that the fight against violence towards children will not suffer from the
current trend of the weakening of the UN human rights
system.
The
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) is the world’s largest coalition
of non-governmental organisations fighting against arbitrary detention,
torture, summary and extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances and
other forms of violence. Its global network comprises nearly 300 local,
national and regional organisations, which share the common goal of
eradicating such practices and enabling the respect of human rights for
all. Visit
our website: www.omct.org |
Contact: Cécile
Trochu Grasso Children’s
Rights Programme OMCT P.O. 21 – 8, rue
du Vieux Billard CH-
1211 Tel :
0041 (0)22 809 49 39 Fax :
0041 (0)22 809 49 29 |
[1] OMCT,
“Children, Torture and other forms of Violence, Facing the Facts – Forging the
Future”, International Conference 27 November –
[2] OHCHR,
UN Study on Violence against Children, August 2006.
www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/study.htm.
[3] See joint-letter aimed at the Ambassadors and Permanent Representatives to the United Nations regarding the Secretary-General’s Study on Violence against Children signed by the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), Defence for Children International, Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment Against Children, Human Rights Watch, International Federation of Social Workers, International Save the Children Alliance, International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, International School Psychology Association, World Vision International.
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