UN Secretary-General's Study Reveals Full Range And Scale of Violence Against Children

UN Secretary-General's Study Reveals Full Range And Scale of Violence Against Children

October 12, 2006

    NEW YORK, Oct. 12 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Much violence
against children remains hidden and is often socially
approved, according to the United Nations
Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children
presented yesterday to the UN General Assembly. For the
first time, a single document provides a comprehensive
global view of the range and scale of violence against
children.  

    (Logo: 
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20040610/CNTH001LOGO )

    Violence against children includes physical violence,
psychological violence, discrimination, neglect and
maltreatment.  It ranges from sexual abuse in the home to
corporal and humiliating punishment at school; from the use
of physical restraints in children's homes to brutality at
the hands of law enforcement officers; from abuse and
neglect in institutions to gang warfare on the streets
where children play or work; from infanticide to so-called
`honour' killing. 

    "The best way to deal with violence against
children is to stop it before it happens," says
Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Independent Expert
appointed by the Secretary-General to lead the Study. 
"Everyone has a role to play in this, but States must
take the primary responsibility. That means prohibiting all
kinds of violence against children, wherever it occurs and
whoever is the perpetrator, and investing in prevention
programmes to address the underlying causes.  People must
be held accountable for their actions but a strong legal
framework is not only about sanctions, it is about sending
a robust, unequivocal signal that society just will not
accept violence against children."

    The Study, which combines human rights, public health
and child protection perspectives, focuses on five
`settings' where violence occurs: the home and family,
schools and educational settings, institutions (care and
judicial), the workplace, and the community.  

    Extreme violence against children may hit the headlines
but the Study concludes that for many children violence is
routine, a part of their daily reality.  

    Although much violence remains hidden or unreported,
and figures therefore often underestimate the scope of the
problem, the statistics in the report reveal a startling
picture.  

    For example:

    -- In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO)
estimates that some 
       53,000 children aged 0-17 died as a result of
homicide; 

    -- According to the International Labour Office's (ILO)
latest 
       estimates, 5.7 million children were in forced or
bonded labour, 1.8 
       million in prostitution and pornography, and 1.2
million were 
       victims of trafficking in 2000. 

    -- In 16 developing countries reviewed by a Global
School-Based Health 
       Survey, the percentage of school-aged children that
reported having 
       been verbally or physically bullied at school in the
previous 30 
       days ranged from 20 per cent in some countries to as
much as 65 per 
       cent in others; 

    -- According to the Study, children in detention are
frequently 
       subjected to violence by staff, including as a form
of control or
       punishment, often for minor infractions.  In 77
countries, corporal 
       and other violent punishments are accepted as legal
disciplinary 
       measures in penal institutions. 

    Although the consequences may vary according to the
nature and severity of the violence inflicted, the short-
and long-term repercussions for children are very often
grave and damaging.  The physical, emotional and
psychological scars of violence can have severe
implications for a child's development, health and ability
to learn.  Studies have shown that experiencing violence in
childhood is strongly associated with health risk behaviours
later in life such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse,
physical inactivity and obesity.  In turn, these behaviours
contribute to some of the leading causes of disease and
death, including cancers, depression, suicide and
cardiovascular disorders. 

    "No matter whether it occurs in the family,
school, community, institution or workplace, health workers
are the front line for responding to violence against
children," says Dr Anders Nordstr?m, WHO Acting
Director-General.  "We must make our contribution to
ensuring that such violence is prevented from occurring in
the first place, and that where it does occur children
receive the best possible services to reduce its harmful
effects.  States should pursue evidence-based policies and
programmes which address factors that give rise to such
violence, and ensure that resources are allocated to
address its underlying causes and monitor the response to
these efforts." 

    "Violence against children is a violation of their
human rights, a disturbing reality of our societies,"
says Louise Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights.  "It can never be justified whether for
disciplinary reasons or cultural tradition.  No such thing
as a `reasonable' level of violence is acceptable. 
Legalized violence against children in one context risks
tolerance of violence against children generally."

    "Violence has a lasting affect not just on
children and their families, but also on communities and
nations," says UNICEF Executive Director Ann M.
Veneman. "We welcome this comprehensive study on the
impact of violence against children." 

    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.  Twelve overarching recommendations address areas
such as national strategies and systems, data collection
and ensuring accountability.  

    At a global level, the report calls for the appointment
of a Special Representative on Violence against Children,
with an initial mandate of four years, to act as a
high-profile global advocate to promote prevention and
elimination of all violence against children and to
encourage cooperation and follow-up.

    About the United Nations Secretary-General's Study on
Violence against Children 

    In 2001 the General Assembly requested the
Secretary-General to conduct `an in-depth study on the
question of violence against children'. Independent Expert
Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro was later appointed to lead
the Study, in collaboration with the Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization
(WHO).  

    For further information, please contact: 

     June Kane, Lead Communication Officer, 
     UN Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against
Children
     Tel:  [phone] or after 14 October:
[phone]

     OHCHR: Jose Diaz, 
     Spokesperson (Geneva)
     Tel:   [phone]

     Renata Sivacolundhu, 
     Information Officer UN HQ
     Tel:   [phone]

     UNICEF:  Karen Dukess (NY)
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     WHO: Laura Sminkey, 
     Technical Officer, Advocacy & Communications
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

    URL and video access: download from: 
     http://www.thenewsmarket.com/unicef  
    Full report can be found under: 
     http://www.violencestudy.org

SOURCE  World Health Organization