70 TH SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY Third Committee Agenda item 68 Promotion and protection of the rights of children Statement by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children Ms. Marta Santos Pais New York 14 October 2015
Mr Chairperson, Distinguished Delegates I am very honoured to join you today, together with strategic United Nations partners. This year s session takes place at a very auspicious time. We are indeed meeting just days after the unanimous adoption of the new Sustainable Development Agenda, with its ambitious and inspiring vision and with concrete commitments towards the elimination of all forms of violence against children. For the very first time, the human dignity of children and their right to live free from violence, abuse and exploitation is recognized as a distinct priority on the international development agenda. This is an historic achievement! Together we can transform this unique momentum into an unstoppable movement towards a world free from fear and from violence. But alongside this opportunity comes a special responsibility. Protecting children from violence is not simply a nice ideal and cannot become diluted amongst many other concerns. There is no time for complacency! It is upon us all to show leadership and mobilize and inspire action, championing this noble cause, united in an ever growing alliance and commitment. As captured in one of our studies, the voice of children was crucial in creating the vision we now see reflected in the Agenda 2030. Children were eager to contribute to the shaping of this agenda. And they remain strongly committed to playing a crucial role in the process of implementation, as serious partners and agents of change. Children have a clear vision of the world they want. Across regions, growing up in safety and free from violence is constantly one of their top priorities. Children s call has been unequivocal: Violence is a major obstacle to child development and it urgently needs to be brought to an end! This long-held demand is now reflected in the sustainable development agenda with a standalone target (16.2) for the elimination of all forms of violence against children; and this same concern is mainstreamed across several other related targets. Distinguished Delegates, The SDGs provide a shared sense of purpose and a renewed impetus to worldwide efforts to protect children from all forms of violence. But they convey in addition a very special sense of urgency and responsibility to leave no child behind! Yet, as so many studies highlight, millions of girls and boys of all ages and in all regions continue to be exposed to appalling levels of violence in their neighbourhoods, in their schools, in institutions aimed at their care and protection, and also within the family. 1
My annual report pays special attention to the protection of children from armed violence in the community. This complex global phenomenon illustrates well the pervasiveness and corrosive nature of violence and its cumulative and long lasting impact on children s development and enjoyment of their rights. Armed and gang violence finds fertile ground in communities with high levels of poverty, social exclusion and deprivation, and with weak rule of law and frail governance institutions. It is often associated with organized crime; drug trafficking and illegal arms flows, and non- State actors using threats and terror to control communities. Physical violence, rape, street crime, homicides, disappearances and extortions shape children s daily lives. When aggravated by natural disasters and environmental degradation, and resulting conflicts over access to natural resources, it may lead to mass migration to the cities and across borders, explosive urban growth and the deterioration of urban areas, with no-go zones where the State has little or no presence. As a result, fear is widespread and there is a profound sense of insecurity and impunity. For marginalized children in these communities, life is locked into a vicious cycle of further exclusion, stigmatization and violence. Their schools are the target of attacks to terrorize communities and are a source of recruitment of new gang members; health centres are drained in their ability to take care of child victims and are at times the scene of raids and kidnappings; the streets are increasingly dangerous, while children s homes are deeply affected by the loss of friends and family members, the lack of employment opportunities, the anxiety of being left with no safe haven. As a result, joining a gang may be perceived as an alternative for protection and survival, even if associated with higher risks of violence and uncertainty. Dear Friends, Armed violence, as with any other form of violence, leaves long lasting scars in children s lives, and is often associated with irreversible consequences on their development and wellbeing, and on opportunities to thrive later in life. But beyond its impact on child victims, violence weakens the very foundation of social progress, generating huge costs for society, slowing economic development and eroding nations human and social capital. Protecting children from violence is a human rights imperative, a question of good governance and also of good economics. But violence will only become part of a distant past when children s rights and the vision and goals of the new sustainable development agenda become translated into tangible national action. With the process of implementation of the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children, there is much progress on which to build upon! Allow me to recall a few highlights. As my annual report outlines, 48 countries have a comprehensive and explicit legal ban on all forms of violence against children and over 50 others are moving towards the same goal. 2
Legislation is crucial to lay the foundation of children s protection from violence, conveying a clear message to society of the imperative to safeguard children from violence everywhere and at all times; providing legitimacy for prevention and response efforts, for child victims assistance and the fight against impunity; and supporting advocacy, sensitization and capacity building initiatives to help promote change in attitudes and behaviour condoning violence. Similarly, more than 90 countries have in place a national strategy to prevent and address violence against children. In Ghana, the new Child and Family Policy integrates the efforts of all actors to protect children from violence, securing the capacity of institutions, promoting legal reform, mobilizing sound resources and empowering families and children themselves. In Indonesia, ending violence against children is a core component of the National Development Plan, and its operationalization is being pursued through a wide decentralization process. Norway s action plan promotes a good childhood that lasts a lifetime. In the Dominican Republic, the National Roadmap on Violence against Children has brought together all stakeholders to secure an effective process of implementation. And just a month ago, the Australian Government announced a new safety package of measures and resources to stop violence against children and women at risk. Step by step child protection systems are being strengthened around the world. More and more social workers, police, education, health, criminal justice, migration and refugee asylum personnel are being trained in early detection, prevention and response to incidents of violence, and provided the needed skills to listen to and follow on children s testimonies about violence in their lives. Incrementally, children and their families are gaining access to counselling and legal advice and representation, to address incidents of violence. There is a growing consolidation of data and research, alongside the promotion of non-violent values and awareness-raising through positive parenting programmes and innovative information campaigns and initiatives. Regional organizations and institutions are crucial allies of my mandate and active partners in our work to prevent and eliminate violence against children. Through political commitments, high level consultations, and strategic plans they have placed violence against children at the heart of the regional policy agenda, helping to enhance the accountability of States and supporting the acceleration of progress in national implementation efforts. Some of the regional agendas are currently being reviewed to bring them in line with the sustainable development agenda. For example in East Asia, the ASEAN Commission on the Rights of Women and Children developed a plan of action on the elimination of violence against children for the period 2016-2025. The plan reiterates the commitment to ending violence against children, identifies key priorities for action and provides a solid foundation for implementation of the post-2015 agenda for sustainable development. 3
Similarly, the Council of Europe is finalizing the 2016-2019 strategy on the rights of the child, which maintains a sharp focus on children s protection from violence, including online abuse. These are significant developments which lay a solid foundation to translate the new development agenda into strategic national action towards the elimination of all forms of violence against children. Building upon these implementation efforts and amplifying their outreach we can achieve target 16.2 in all countries. To be successful, the implementation of the new development agenda requires strengthened partnerships and the mobilization of significant resources. In this regard, the protection of children from violence cannot be an afterthought. We need to be united in wide global alliance: of governments, civil society, community and religious leaders, corporations, international organizations, and all other actors, including children themselves. Distinguished Delegates, I see promising opportunities to advance this cause! Next year, the international community will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the UN Study on Violence against Children. It is high time to make a quantum leap in this process! We need to consolidate the gains that have been made, grasp the lessons learned and redouble efforts to accelerate progress towards a world free from violence! 2016 will be a momentous occasion to energize the initial phase of the journey of the SDGs implementation. And it will also be a time to assess how serious the world s commitment is to eliminating violence against children. Monitoring progress is a crucial component of this process. I strongly endorse the call for better data and enhanced national capacity to measure progress in children s protection from violence and to develop national baselines where they do not yet exist. In this era of the data revolution, we must support efforts to consolidate knowledge and existing data systems; but we also need to explore new approaches and methodologies to capture the magnitude and incidence of violence against all girls and boys below the age of 18. I am following closely the process of identification of indicators to monitor the prevalence and severity of violence against children, and remain strongly committed to the development of tools that measure, with disaggregated data, children s exposure to sexual, physical and emotional violence, leaving no child behind. This is an area where visible progress has been made over the past few years. In several countries, national household surveys have been conducted using a rigorous methodology to gather such data. 4
Most recently, the Government of Nigeria released the results of its first national survey on violence against children. The findings in Africa s most populous country have raised urgent calls for action; and in response, the President launched last September the Year of Action to End Violence against Children. Distinguished Delegates Thanks to your steady support and decisive action promoted around the world, there is today a unique momentum in support of children s protection from violence. The past years have clearly marked a very promising start. But this needs nurturing to ensure that the process of social change we have embarked upon takes root and results in real change for all children, everywhere and at all times! We are at a crossroad. If efforts are not sustained and scaled up, there is a danger of dilution of this agenda in the face of other competing priorities. Violence against children cannot be left waiting until other pressing emergencies are dealt with. Urgent action is truly of the essence! I am confident these considerations will help to inform your decision on the renewal of my mandate. From my side, I remain strongly committed to mobilise firm and sustained support to pursue our strategic agenda. Children have high expectations of us all. They want a future where they and everyone else can enjoy a safe, happy and healthy life, free from fear and from violence in all its forms. This is the vision children share. This is the vision my mandate is committed to pursue in the years ahead. But as children remind me time and time again a vision without a plan is only a nice dream; and a plan without a vision can become a nightmare. The implementation of the sustainable development agenda can help build a world as big as children s dream. This is the noble cause we have at hand! I am confident you will all join in this endeavour. Thank you. 5