Millions of children in Asia and the Pacific are affected by violence |
Every child has the right to a life free of violence. Yet each day, millions of children around the world endure some form of violence. They are subjected to physical, psychological and sexual abuse in homes, schools, institutions, on the streets or in the workplace. Too often they are abused by trusted adults in places they should feel safe.
The UN Secretary-General’s Study Report on Violence Against Children, an accumulation of three year’s research and regional consultations, is being presented to the General Assembly on 11 October in New York. Independent Expert, Prof. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, will present the findings and key recommendations.
The UN Secretary-General’s Study is the first time that a single document provides a comprehensive global view of the range and scale of violence against children. It combines human rights, public health and child protection perspectives and focuses on the different settings where violence occurs: the home and family, schools and educational settings, institutions (care and judicial) the workplace, and the community.
In East Asia and the Pacific, where nearly half of the world’s children live, the study has unearthed many forms of violence against children tolerated and perpetuated by parents and communities.
“While we often associate violence against children as being done to children by violent people, in fact, it is often condoned in many areas of a child’s life by family, society and the state,” said Laurence Gray, Advocacy Director for World Vision. “It should be unacceptable not just to beat a child but to strike, emotionally or psychologically crush or abuse any children in any setting. We must create environments that allow our children to thrive.”
Power relations between children and adults, deeply embedded hierarchal traditions and gender inequality contribute to the physical and psychological forms of violence against children.
Children with disabilities, children belonging to minority groups, living on the streets, in conflict with the law and those who are refugees or displaced from their homes are particularly vulnerable.
The report to the General Assembly calls for a wide range of actions to be taken to prevent and respond to violence against children across all the settings where it occurs. It also calls for overarching recommendations which include putting in place national strategies, and systems, data collection and an end to impunity.
Read more about violence against children in East Asia and the Pacific.
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