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UNICEF REPORT - CHILDREN'S HUMAN
RIGHTS - CHILD PROTECTION - GIRLS
Direct Link to 52-Page UNICEF
Report:
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UNICEF
‘Progress for Children’ Report Advances Child-Protection Goals
By
Amy Bennett
NEW YORK,
USA, 5 October 2009 – Children around the world are experiencing fundamental
infringements of their human rights, and suffering physical and psychological
harm that has wide-reaching, sometimes irreparable effects.
These are
some of the conclusions reached by a new UNICEF report, ‘Progress for Children:
A Report Card on Child Protection’, released by Executive Director Ann M.
Veneman in Tokyo.
“A society
cannot thrive if its youngest members are forced into early marriage, abused as
sex workers or denied their basic rights,” said Veneman. “Understanding the
extent of abuses of children’s rights is a first step to building an
environment where children are protected and have the opportunity to reach
their full potential.”
Child
protection strategy
As the 20th anniversary year of the Convention on the Rights of the Child
(CRC), 2009 is a critical year for child protection. And while many children’s
rights have been protected thanks to the adoption of the CRC, much
work remains to be done to create a protective environment for them worldwide.
“This report
on harmful practices and abuse of children comes just six weeks before the 20th
anniversary,” said Veneman. “The evidence of continuing harm and abuse must
inspire the world to greater effort to guarantee the rights of all children,
everywhere.”
The
‘Progress for Children’ report has been issued in accordance with UNICEF’s
comprehensive strategy for child protection, adopted by the Executive Board in
June 2008. Drawing upon detailed data, the new report examines both the short-
and long-term implementation of that strategy.
‘Data
for action’
Collecting the data means connecting the dots to build a framework comprising
laws that protect children; communities that no longer accept harmful practices
against children; and governments that are committed to protecting the most
vulnerable.
“We need
data for action,” said UNICEF Chief of Child Protection Susan Bissell. “If we
know that one child is affected by a violation, that’s enough to take action,”
she added. “But importantly, we can be sure that what we do is the right thing
[if] our actions are based on evidence.”
‘Progress
for Children’ presents the data collected so far to build a compelling case for
better protection programmes in countries where millions of children are
subject to trafficking, live without parental care, or lack proper
documentation to attend school and receive basic health care. Additional
millions of boys and girls are forced to work under harmful conditions. Still
more children face violence or abuse in their homes, schools or communities, in
institutions or while in detention.
Call
to action
Based on the available data, however, some progress is evident. For example,
‘Progress for Children’ notes that in Bangladesh, Guinea and Nepal – three
countries where child marriage is prevalent – the median age of marriage is
rising, although it is still below 18 years of age.
The report
also identifies a slow decline in female genital mutilation/cutting in
countries where such abuse has been common.
On the other
hand, there are many areas where better data collection is needed to form a
more complete picture of child-protection challenges. ‘Progress for Children’
concludes with a call to action urging governments, lawmakers, communities, and
the public and private sectors to build a more protective environment for
children.
“We have a
broad agenda in child protection, and it calls upon everybody to take
action,” noted Bissell. “The North and the South, East and West – we are
all bound in this child-protection agenda. There is no country untouched by
child-protection concerns and violations.”
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