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Website of the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence Against Children: http://srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org/

REPORT TO THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2012

Direct Link to Full 25-Page 2012 Report in 6 Official UN Languages:

A_67_230_Eng.pdf - A_67_230_Ar.pdf - A_67_230_Ru.pdf

A_67_230_Esp.pdf - A_67_230_Fr.pdf - A_67_230_Ch.pdf

B. Enhancing Awareness & Consolidating Knowledge

    2. Protection from Harmful Practices in Plural Legal Systems

        15.Throughout the world, countless numbers of girls and boys fall

             victims to harmful practices, including female genital mutilation or

             cutting, early and forced marriage, degrading initiation rites, breast

             ironing, son preference, stoning, honour killings, forced feeding,

             witchcraft, and many other less-known forms of harmful practices.

             Often violent in nature, these practices compromise the development

             and education of the child, have serious and long-lasting health and

             psychological consequences, and may result in disability or death.

        16. Despite the call made in the Study for all harmful practices to be

              prohibited by law, this is not the reality in many countries around the

              world. In some cases, general legislation on assault and bodily injury

              is applicable but rarely used or enforced, because of the social

              acceptance of those deeply entrenched practices......

         17.In order to reflect on these questions and identify opportunities for

              change, the Special Representative and Plan International, in close

              cooperation with the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and

              Welfare of the Child, the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the

              United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), OHCHR, and the

              International NGO Council on Violence Against Children co-hosted an

              international expert consultation.

         19. Inconsistencies in legal regulation, selective implementation and

               compliance, and insufficient resources, together with lack of

               awareness within communities, prejudices among personnel and

               weak capacity to address children's rights among law enforcement

               officials, the judiciary, traditional leaders and judges in customary and

               religious courts were identified as critical challenges.