Keeping children safe from violence
Making systems more supportive of families and accountable to child rights.
Highlights
Violence against children in Europe and Central Asia is widespread, under-reported and extremely damaging. Yet child victims are not identified and provided with appropriate responses in a systematic way, which only compounds the violations of their rights. This UNICEF Insight draws on the experiences of more than 600 professionals in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Turkey who have regular contact with children who have been exposed to violence. The research finds that, despite policies, legislation and practices to improve responses to violence, the capacity of systems to tackle violence against children remains limited.
Based on the findings of this study, UNICEF recommends that governments: develop clear legal definitions of violence against children; foster public debate on this issue; put in place cross-sectoral legislation and guidelines to set out responsibilities to address cases of violence against children; expand family support measures; and strengthen monitoring and information.
