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http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/story/2012-09-13_538

 

SRSG CALLS FOR ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN WITHDISABILITIES - IMPORTANCE OF SECURE, PROTECTIVE ENVIRONMENT

 

13/09/2012 - SRSG Santos Pais participated in a roundtable discussion on children withdisabilities during the fifth session of the Conference of States Parties to theConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, alongside with Governmentrepresentatives, namely Ms. Hendrietta Bogopane-Zulu, Deputy Minister of Women,Children and People with Disabilities of South Africa, UNICEF and civil societyrepresentatives.

In her presentation, SRSG Santos Pais stressedthe very widespread pattern of violence endured by children with disabilities,acknowledged positive and encouraging progress in preventing and addressingincidents of violence and highlighted strategic recommendations for futureaction.

Ms. Santos Pais identified five key areas tosecure a protective environment for children around the world includinginvesting in early childhood development and education; promoting publicawareness, capacity building of professionals working with and for children,enacting in all countries strong legislation to ban all forms of violenceagainst children, including within the home, and universal ratification andeffective implementation of core human rights treaties including the OptionalProtocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a CommunicationsProcedure, adopted in December 2011 by the General Assembly.

Moreover, SRSG Santos Pais recognized thedecisive contribution children and young people can make to this process ofchange.

“We should work together to put in place theright conditions to enable children with disabilities to participate andact as real partners in our important reflections in future sessions ofthis important conference of States Parties.”

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http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/story/2012-08-09_507

 

Message from SRSG on Violence against Children on theInternational Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples

09/08/2012- The past years havebeen marked by a strengthening of the rights of indigenous peoples, includingthe rights of indigenous children. Together with other international standards,the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols remain acrucial reference in this regard. The new third Optional Protocol to theConvention on a Communications Procedure will allow children to bring complaintsto the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. With this newinstrument children, just like adults, will have an access to internationalhuman rights bodies.

The Protocol has a special significance for indigenous children since itstrengthens their ability to seek justice in case of violation of their rights,including when incidents of violence take place.

Despite these important developments, the gap between international humanrights instruments and their implementation remains wide and challenging. Stilltoo often, indigenous children live in extreme poverty, suffer from poor healthand face inequalities in accessing and enjoying education. Moreover, indigenouschildren are oftennot covered by birth registration efforts. These conditionsmake them highly vulnerable to violence, abuse and exploitation. Exposure toviolence, marginalization and social exclusion erodes their identity and senseof self-esteem and compromises their ability to seek advice and benefit fromservices of quality.

The United Nations Study on Violence against Children urged all States topromote non-violent values and awareness-raising, and to promote change inattitudes and behaviour that condone violence, perpetuate stereotypes and allowdiscrimination against children. I see a great potential in indigenous media inpromoting the protection of indigenous children from violence; at home, inschools, places where children work, institutions and communities, as well as inour societies at large. Indeed, international instruments have little meaning ifchildren, their families and people working with and for them are not aware ofchildren’s rights and the available means to protect them. Indigenous media canhelp fill this information gap!

Let’s work together to create a sustainable environment for indigenous mediaand build a better world for indigenous children!