Joost Kooijmans Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General on Violence against Children Promoting follow-up to the UN Study on Violence against Children Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children The SRSG and her mandate On 1 May 2009, the Secretary-General appointed Marta Santos Pais of Portugal as his Special Representative on violence against children The mandate has a duration of three years and is framed by the UN Study on Violence against Children and its recommendations The SRSG acts as a global independent advocate for the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children The SRSG and her office are supported by voluntary contributions and based in New York

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children Legal framework Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) Optional Protocol to the CRC on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (Palermo Protocol) ILO Convention no. 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children The definition of violence against children The definition of violence in the UN Study is that of article 19 of the CRC: “all forms of physical or mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse.” It also draws on the definition in the World Report on Violence and Health (2002) CRC’s General Comment no. 8 provides guidance on the right of the child to protection from corporal punishment CRC recently adopted General Comment (no.13) which clarifies the Committee’s interpretation of Article 19 and guides States on implementing Article 19 and Study Recommendations

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children A strategic agenda The recommendations of the Study provide a navigation chart for accelerating and monitoring progress in violence prevention and responses The SRSG gives priority attention to three of the Study’s recommendations: The development of a national strategy to prevent and address all forms of violence against children The introduction of an explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children The consolidation of a national system of data collection, analysis and dissemination, and a research agenda

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children The development of a national comprehensive strategy Mainstreamed in the national policy and development agenda Coordinated by a high-level focal point with leading responsibilities on children’s issues Adequately supported by human and financial resources Should be evaluated on a regular basis

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children Explicit national legal ban on all forms of violence against children Legislation is a key component of any comprehensive national strategy on violence against children Efforts to introduce a comprehensive legal ban need to be scaled up (globally, only 5 percent of children are legally protected from all forms of violence) In countries where a full legal ban has been adopted, further efforts are required to narrow the gap between legislation and practice Implementation needs to be supported by awareness-raising initiatives and the development of easily accessible, child- sensitive, confidential counseling and reporting mechanisms

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children Research and a consolidated data system Sound data and evidence to understand risk factors and inform policy decisions is crucial in preventing and responding to violence against children Available information on violence against children is scarce and inconsistent, and without good data, national planning is compromised Data need to be integrated beyond sectors and individual disciplines, promoting a holistic consideration of the child

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children The SRSG’s main activities Commitments, advocacy and awareness-raising Promote the global campaign for the ratification of OPSC and OPAC by 2012 Building regional multi-stakeholder partnerships (South Asia, Council of Europe, LAS, MERCOSUR ……..) Strategic partnerships with human rights bodies (e.,g CRC, IAHCR, AfCRWC) Expert Consultation on selected topics (2012, Stockholm – data and research on VAC) Monitoring and reporting Global progress survey – to evaluate the progress in follow- up to the Study Annual reports to the GA and the Human Rights Council

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children Vision 2020 OPSC universally ratified Every region has a framework in place for follow up to the UN Study, monitoring and evaluation Every country has VAC mainstreamed into its child policy framework Every country has in place a legal prohibition of all forms of VAC, with implementation machinery Every country has a research and data collection and monitoring system in place on VAC

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children Vision 2020 Violence prevention programmes in all settings where VAC manifests itself, in particular in early childhood settings (home, community, care institutions, etc.) Public attitudes reject all forms of violence against children Child-friendly and accessible mechanisms are in place for counseling, complaints and reporting Children and their caregivers are empowered to use procedures to protect their rights and access services

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children For more information: UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children 633 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org facebook.com/msantospais srsg.violenceagainstchildren.org facebook.com/msantospais

UN Special Representative on Violence against Children 1st CALL FOR PROPOSALS Deadline October 7 th An initiative aimed at reducing the prevalence of violence against children by funding quality evaluations of violence prevention and child protection interventions in low- and middle-income countries