On Universal Children's Day, SRSG Marta Santos Pais called on governments and the international community to renew their commitment to ending all forms of violence against children and to translate the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child into concrete action.
20 November 2014 — On the occasion of Universal Children's Day, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Marta Santos Pais, called on States and the international community to renew their commitment to ending all forms of violence against children.
"Universal Children's Day is a powerful reminder of the responsibilities we all share towards children," said SRSG Santos Pais. "Violence against children remains a pervasive reality in every country of the world. We must all work together to ensure that every child grows up free from fear, free from abuse, and free from exploitation."
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child — the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. Despite this milestone, millions of children continue to experience violence in their homes, schools, communities and online.
SRSG Santos Pais urged States to:
Strengthen national laws to explicitly prohibit all forms of violence against children in all settings.
Invest in evidence-based prevention programmes that address the root causes of violence.
Ensure that child protection systems are adequately resourced and staffed.
Listening to and involving children in the design and implementation of policies that affect their lives.
The SRSG also highlighted the importance of the forthcoming 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which provides a unique opportunity to make ending violence against children a global priority with Sustainable Development Goal 16.2 calling for an end to all forms of violence against children.
"Twenty-five years after the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the time for action is now. Every child has the right to a life free from violence — and every government has the obligation to make that right a reality," concluded SRSG Santos Pais.