Press
release
UNITED NATIONS
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EXPERTS TO EXPLORE
ACTION TO COUNTER
VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
4 April 2005
The expert leading a global
study on violence against children will meet
in Geneva with other international specialists
on 5 April to explore possible action against
the problem.
Prof Paulo Sergio Pinheiro
will be joined by Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Deputy
Secretary General of the Council of Europe;
and Shahnaz Kianian-Firouzgar, Deputy Regional
Director, UNICEF, Geneva to discuss evidence
that physical, sexual and psychological violence
against children is routine in every country
of the world. Deputy High Commissioner for Human
Rights Mehr Khan Williams will chair the discussion.
According to the World Health
Organization an estimated 57,000 children under
15 were victims of homicide in 2000, and global
estimates of child homicide rates suggest that
infants and very young children are at the greatest
risk. In its League Table of Child Maltreatment
Deaths in Rich Nations, UNICEF estimates that
in the industrialised world, almost 3,500 children
under the age of 15 die from maltreatment, in
other words from physical abuse and neglect,
every year. These estimates almost certainly
underestimate the incidence of homicidal violence
against children. Meanwhile, non-fatal violence
permeates the lives of many children.
The Study, rooted in children's
human rights to protection from all forms of
violence, is a UN-led collaboration, mandated
by the General Assembly, to draw together existing
research and relevant information about the
forms, causes and impact of violence which affects
children and young people (up to the age of
18 years). Prof. Pinheiro was appointed by the
Secretary-General as Independent Expert to lead
the study. The Office of the High Commissioner
for Human Rights, UNICEF and the World Health
Organization are supporting the Independent
Expert. A major report will be published in
2006 and recommendations presented to the UN
General Assembly.
Nine regional consultations
will pull together regional information on violence
against children in four settings: the home;
the community; schools; and state institutions.
These will articulate the agenda for action
and contribute recommendations to the study.
The last of these consultations -- for Europe
and central Asia -- will take place in Ljubljana,
Slovenia, from 5 to 7 July 2005.
The panel discussion will take
place on Tuesday, 5 April 2005, from 1 p.m.
to 3 p.m. in room XXIII, Palais des Nations,
Geneva. For further information or to request
interviews with the Independent Expert, please
contact José Luis Díaz, +41 22
917 9242, jdiaz@ohchr.org. Information on the
study can be found at the following address:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/study.htm
Press release: Word
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