The United Nations Study on Violence against Children
WHO
2005-03-18
Understanding and preventing violence against children
On 12 February 2003, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
Annan appointed Paulo
Sergio Pinheiro of Brazil as the independent expert to lead a global
study on violence against children. The purpose of the study is to provide an
in-depth picture of the prevalence, nature and causes of violence against
children. It will put forward recommendations for consideration by Member
States, the UN system and civil society for appropriate action, including
effective remedies and preventive and rehabilitative measures at the national
and international levels.
The study will be guided by the Convention
on the Rights of the Child which emphasizes children's rights to physical
and personal integrity, and outlines States parties obligations to protect
them from "all forms of physical or mental violence", including
sexual and other forms of exploitation, abduction, armed conflict, and inhuman
or degrading treatment or punishment. It also obliges the State to enact
preventive measures and ensure that all child victims of violence receive the
support and assistance they require.
The UN General Assembly called for the study in 2001 acting
on the recommendation of the Committee
on the Rights of the Child. In overseeing the implementation of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Committee held two days
of general discussion on the issue of violence against children within the
family and in school (2001) and state violence against children (2000). The
request for an international study on the question of violence against children
was an outcome of these days of discussion.
The independent expert, Mr. Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, is a
former Secretary of State for Human Rights of Brazil and has directed the
country's Centre for the Study of Violence since 1990. He will hold the position
for two years and carry out his mandate in close collaborations 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 more information, visit violencestudy.org
(Source: WHO, February 12, 2005)
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