October 12, 2006: UN Secretary-General’s study reveals full range and scale of violence against children
Moscow, 12 October 2006 - 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.
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.
“While there is a lack of data on violence against children worldwide, the manifestations of violence can be seen everywhere,” - said Carel de Rooy, UNICEF Representative in the Russian Federation. “Children living on the streets; children (“social orphans”) living in state institutions because their parents cannot cope, children confronting stigma and discrimination due to HIV or disability.”
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.
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.
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 Russia, 50 thousand crimes against children were registered by the authorities in 2004. 2000 children aged under 14 die every year as a result of violence according to the Report ‘State of children in the Russian Federation, 2006’.
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.
“Violence has a lasting affect not just on children and their families, but also on communities and nations,” said 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.
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.
For further information, please contact:
John Brittain, UNICEF, Tel: (+7495) 937 48 12,
jbrittain@unicef.orgElena Kharitonova, UNICEF, Tel: (+7495) 937 21 95,
ekharitonova@unicef.org
