HRC 55: The systematic violence against children: the call for a stronger international cooperation 

The 55th Session of the Human Rights Council

26 February - 5 April 2024

Item 3  – Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development

Executive summary

On 13th March 2024, the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council, at its 26th meeting (A/HRC/55/26), considered the report of the Special Representative on violence against children.

In her opening statement, Ms Najat Maalla M’jid highlighted her findings from the report, including the suffering from violence, child labour, and trafficking experienced by children. One of the main concerns was the situation of children on the move, separated from their families and falling victim to discrimination at the borders. The increased risk of children in extreme poverty and exploitation has raised the alarm among the international community. She called for immediate action, especially for children exposed to conflicts who lack access to adequate resources.

Many countries' delegations defended the right to be protected at all costs and reminded the legal imperative of protecting them from any kind of violence. Children represent more than half of the refugees in the world today, while the dramatic situation of the children in Gaza creates life trauma. They emphasised the efforts needed to pursue the obligations of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. There is an immediate call for a reinforcement of the legal framework as well as the guarantee of freedom for children through the UN and international mechanisms. 

NGOs for children’s rights, including UNICEF representatives, operate to reinforce child protection and call for more access to services, expanded family reunification, and respect for human rights law. The State's efforts are supported by international cooperation with extensive partnerships for the child's best interest, allowing them to express themselves freely. 

The Special Representative advocated for peace and immediate humanitarian help to be sent on the ground. High pressure on all international actors is necessary to create an effective response to child violence and to see children as partners. The irreversible impact of this cycle of violence needs the implementation of reforms and a translation of policies into concrete services. 

Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) condemns the illegal acts of torture and violence that have been arbitrarily perpetrated on children and calls on the implementation of concrete measures to ensure the long-term protection of all children, especially those vulnerable to conflict, poverty and forced migration. 

Background 

Violence against children encompasses a wide range of harmful behaviours and actions that inflict physical, psychological, or emotional harm upon individuals under the age of 18. This type of violence can include but is not limited to physical violence, sexual violence or psychological and emotional abuse. Any kind of violence can lead to internal injuries, psychological trauma and long-term health consequences. Violence against children violates their fundamental human rights and can have devastating impacts on their physical health, mental well-being, and overall development. It perpetuates cycles of abuse and undermines efforts to achieve sustainable development and social justice. Addressing violence against children requires comprehensive strategies that prioritise prevention, protection, and support for survivors, as well as promoting legal and policy frameworks that uphold children's rights and hold perpetrators accountable. 

In Resolution 13/20 adopted by the Human Rights Council (HRC) on the 26th of March 2010, titled "Rights of the Child: The Fight Against Sexual Violence Against Children," the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children were the representatives for the report to the Council at its 16th session on effective and child-sensitive counselling. The Council addressed the pressing issue of sexual violence against children. The resolution highlighted the importance of establishing effective and child-sensitive counselling, complaint, and reporting mechanisms to enable children to safely report incidents of violence, particularly sexual violence and exploitation. 

Summary of the Special Representative Report on Violence Against Children 

Remaining Discrimination and Children’s Vulnerability 

Intersecting crises like poverty, conflict, and the climate emergency amplify the urgent global crisis surrounding violence against children. Despite international commitments, such as those outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children's rights are being neglected. Contributing factors like extreme poverty and conflict zones heighten children's exposure to various forms of violence, including child labour, child marriage, trafficking, and exploitation. Alarming statistics painted a grim picture: an estimated 160 million children worldwide are engaged in child labour, while at least 200 million girls and women in 31 countries have undergone female genital mutilation. Additionally, around 12 million girls are married off annually, with millions more being at risk by 2030. Intimate partner violence affects approximately 1 in 5 adolescent girls, and cyberbullying victimisation has been reported by 15% of children. These figures underscore the imperative for immediate action to fulfil the promise of protecting children from all forms of violence.

The global scale of child migration and displacement is unprecedented, with significant numbers, according to reports from IOM and UNHCR. Approximately 14.6% of international migrants and 43.3 million forcibly displaced individuals are children. Between 2010 and 2022, the number of forcibly displaced children doubled. Various factors, including conflict, violence, climate change, political instability, poverty, and discrimination drive displacement. Conflict in regions like Ukraine, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Myanmar, along with environmental disasters and humanitarian crises, contribute to the displacement crisis. Notably, the Gaza Strip is highlighted as one of the most dangerous places for children, with close to 1 million children forcibly displaced from their homes. Displacement is often prolonged, and many children spend their entire childhood in displacement situations.

Children on the move face severe risks of violence and harm throughout their journey, particularly those who are unaccompanied or separated. The Central Mediterranean Sea crossing alone has claimed the lives of around 1,500 children since 2018, with 11 children dying every week in 2023. Child trafficking is a significant threat, with children constituting 35% of identified victims, trafficked for various purposes, including sexual exploitation, forced labour, and illegal adoption. Sexual and gender-based violence is pervasive, affecting both girls and boys at all stages of migration. Additionally, children are frequently deprived of liberty, with at least 330,000 children globally detained annually based on their parents' legal or migratory status. Displacement exacerbates these risks by disrupting family support networks and access to essential services, leaving children vulnerable to exploitation and perpetuating poverty. The Special Representative emphasised the need to protect children's rights and best interests, advocating against immigration detention and stressing the importance of respecting the non-refoulement principle.

Children on the move often endure severe trauma. This trauma can result in long-lasting mental health issues, hindering their social, emotional, and educational development well into adulthood. The absence of specialised institutions offering support exacerbates their mental health challenges, leading to feelings of hopelessness. It is crucial to maintain hope, as expressed by a refugee child from Venezuela who dreams of reuniting with family and urges global leaders to consider their aspirations.

International Commitment to Children’s Rights Globally 

The Special Representative to the Human Rights Council called for systemic efforts in advocating for the end of violence against children following the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She emphasised the importance of investing in comprehensive approaches to tackle violence against children, highlighting the high returns on investment in proven, cost-effective cross-sectoral services. The Special Representative engaged with States globally to promote integrated approaches, document good practices, and develop guidance for assessing returns on investment. Additionally, she advocated for child-sensitive climate laws, child protection in the digital environment, and the protection of children within the travel and tourism sector. She particularly insisted on the safety of children against child trafficking, which has increased drastically since the post-Covid era. Through various initiatives, including peer-learning exchanges, opinion polls, and advocacy briefs, she sought to amplify children's voices and protect them from all forms of violence. 

The Special Representative supported the State’s and actors engagement through different pillars:

Engagement with Member States: The Special Representative supported and collaborated with Member States to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, offering guidance and technical support during voluntary national review processes.

High-Level Advocacy: She participated in high-level forums and summits to emphasise protecting children from violence in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This included highlighting themes such as combating sexual violence against children and promoting online protection and education. She also encouraged the collaboration between regional and subregional organisations on children’s participation in the forums, the contribution to ending female mutilations and child marriage and ensuring children’s protection in the digital environment.

Country Visits: The Special Representative conducted visits to various countries to engage with stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organisations, and children themselves. These visits aimed to understand national child protection mechanisms, identify good practices, and address remaining challenges in protecting children's well-being. The identification of action plans specific to each government and UN regional offices reinforced the concrete and practical approach to preventing violence against children at a national level. Efforts have been made to integrate children’s rights and well-being into public finance and budgeting frameworks, such as in Iceland and Fiji, where assessments of the cost of violence against children have been undertaken.

Community Engagement: The visits highlighted the crucial role of religious and community leaders in combating violence and the need to strengthen civil society networks and advocacy capacity. Promising practices in social norms and supporting children in vulnerable situations have been observed in countries like Senegal and Morocco. 

Focus on High-Risk Children: Emphasis has been placed on addressing the needs of children at higher risk and ensuring social inclusion for children with disabilities. Efforts to advance alternatives to deprivation of liberty for children on the move have been noted in Thailand. 

The Special Representative enhanced collaboration with various United Nations bodies and initiatives to address violence against children comprehensively. Membership of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Violence against Children has expanded to include UNFPA and UN-Women. Close cooperation with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the Human Rights Council, and other entities is maintained to accelerate efforts to end violence against children and align with the 2030 Agenda. A system-wide guidance note on mainstreaming children's rights has been finalised to integrate children's rights into all UN policies and programs. Additionally, efforts to end child immigration detention and child trafficking have intensified through the submission of contributions to relevant workstreams and the development of advocacy briefs and collaboration with organisations like ICAT and INTERPOL. The joint strategy with UNODC aims to protect children from violence, support victims better, and improve access to child-sensitive justice systems. Collaborative initiatives such as "protection through online participation" involve multiple stakeholders to collect data and effectively develop strategies to address online child protection issues.

Children on the move often lack the necessary information and support to overcome barriers compounded by discrimination and xenophobia. Limited resources and capacity hinder collaboration among domestic child protection actors, leading to fragmented protection efforts. National authorities face challenges in coordinating migration-related issues both within and across regions. Displaced populations, including children, often reside in camps or settings meant for short-term needs but have been there for extended periods. There's a need to shift towards long-term solutions, prioritising durable outcomes from the outset of crisis responses. Various stakeholders have tried to protect children on the move, but they are insufficient, given the scale of the challenges. There is a growing disparity in the treatment of these children, reflecting a global decline in the shared responsibility to safeguard all children regardless of their status. In many humanitarian settings, civilians' and children's rights are being disregarded, putting pressure on protection systems. 

Protecting children on the move requires concrete and coordinated actions, prioritising their status as children first and ensuring access to child-friendly, integrated services. Efforts should focus on prevention and addressing the underlying drivers of displacement, such as violence, conflicts, climate change, discrimination, and poverty. Investment in national child protection systems that include displaced children has proven more sustainable and effective. Access to civil documentation and birth registration is crucial for accessing social services, and efforts by various states to address this issue have shown progress. All children need non-discriminatory access to integrated services adapted to their needs, including education, health, and social protection. It is of primary importance to respect the obligations of international human rights law and the prohibition of child detention.

Interactive Dialogue with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General

Ms Najat Maalla M’jid opened the floor, emphasising the emergency of the situation for millions of children victims of physical and sexual violence, harm and suffering. It is the 15th anniversary of the mandate, and violence has been the result of crisis, poverty, and insecurity and is also the symbol of a vast human and economic cost. Member States have increased investments, and peer learning has risen to raise awareness. She highlighted that her work focuses on advocacy and sharing good practices among partners worldwide. There is an incentive to connect countries and strengthen the national systems with the end of child detention and anti-trafficking efforts. Children as peers are the main participants in these changes, and she engaged in an effective and comprehensive dialogue to understand their thoughts and needs and to target immediate necessities. The urgency is the long-term legal protection of children on the move, which represents 43 million refugees. The lack of institutionalised frameworks and access to resources for these categories of children, most of the time unaccompanied, created a gap. The vulnerability and immediate danger for these children have to be addressed to limit the damages and irreversible trauma, while humanitarian agencies are under high pressure, as well as children from minority groups being discriminated against at the borders. 

Countries concerned

Italy

Italy aligned with the global strategy on children and discussed the national plan, including children's participation in decision-making. He thanked the Special Rapporteur for her report and called for stronger action considering the deterioration of the situation for children worldwide. 1 out of 6 children is in a situation of extreme poverty and directly exposed to violence and, most of the time, unable to access the help or funding needed.

 Belgium: The representative of Belgium aligned with the EU statement, with a particular focus on children on the move. They need access to resources that fulfil their needs, including social welfare and education. She insisted on asylum seekers, especially the necessity of assigning a personal guardian for unaccompanied children so that they can have legal assistance. She asked the Special Representative about the available solutions to prevent gender-based violence.

USA
The position of the United States of America was on the continuity of the massive displacement faced by Western countries and the grave concern for children and human rights. He highlighted the help from NGOs and international communities with education, medical supplies and humanitarian aid. The representative asked how to recognise children subjected to violence more efficiently and effectively. 

  Columbia

In the perspective of fulfilling the 2030 Agenda, Columbia will host the first global conference on violence against children with the support of WHO and UNICEF. The conference aimed to work on inspiring strategies, monitoring and complying with norms, and establishing new laws. The delegate of Colombia called for all countries to participate and be able to find tangible and long-term solutions to violence against children in many relevant fields, including education and access to healthcare.

Morocco

The representative of Morocco reclaimed the dangers of children’s violence online and the necessity to implement a durable legal framework. The Internet has been at the heart of children’s vulnerability. The relevant agencies' role is to ensure children's well-being on the internet by targeting the risks and promoting access to informative digital literacy. The international community’s role in gathering States to raise awareness of the issues online is also at the top of the agenda. The significant challenges remain and call for implementing concrete actions and using UN mechanisms. 

United Kingdom

The representative of the United Kingdom stressed the advocacy conducted by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of children worldwide. She raised concerns about the dramatic situation of Ukrainian children deported and forcibly adopted in Russia. This denial of their identity is a direct violation of human rights and the need to reunite families. Children migrants victims of conflicts are directly targeted and face discrimination while unable to be effectively protected. She called on the Special Representative to find common solutions to ensure the safety of these children.

States affected

Belarus 

The representative of Belarus thanked the Special Representative and shared the work in collaboration with UNICEF to teach children how to use the internet safely and conduct prevention campaigns. Belarus is worried about the situation of children on the move, especially regarding border crossings. She also restated the solidarity of Belarus by welcoming children victims of armed conflicts in the territory. 21,000 children from Ukraine came as refugees to recover in support of global cooperation in the best interest of the children internationally.

Children in Gaza

In their statement, Kuwait, Pakistan, Iraq and the Republic of China called the alarming situation of children in Gaza. It is a social responsibility to protect the freedom of all children and be aware of the trauma they have been experiencing. The long-term adverse effects are of high concern, and they call for UN actions in the Gaza Strip as well as Israel's accountability for its crime against humanity. 

Group of countries 

Slovenia representative 

The representative thanked the Special Rapporteur and insisted on children’s freedom as an ethical imperative. She shared her concerns about how children on the move represent more than half of today’s refugees. She upheld the commitment of Slovenia and other groups of countries to transform the cycle of violence by pursuing and endorsing the framework of protection. She also expressed the direct vulnerability of women and girls being persecuted and direct victims of gender-based violence. As the risks faced by children are multiple, she asked the Special Representative what the most common risks are to implement national and international preventive measures.  

EU representative

The European Union delegation is committed to fighting child trafficking and maintaining a gender approach while emphasising the direct violence that women and children are facing. 
The project and implementation of legislation to protect children from sexual exploitation are aligned with the strategy of the social compact with the new technologies. There is a real incentive to protect children from the internet and ensure an environment of safety. 

 NGOs position 

UNICEF: The NGO representative shared the Special Representative's concerns and voiced the children's crisis that the world is facing. The global commitment to helping children and reaching the obligations of the 2030 Agenda is an urgent duty. She emphasised the necessity of investigating the child protection system, especially regarding immigration and ensuring access to documentation. Each child should be considered equal at the borders, and intensive efforts should be made regarding family reunification and protection. Respect for human rights law and commitment to the state's implementation of these measures are paramount. 

Concluding remarks 

The Special Rapporteur responded by remembering the considerable number of children displaced. She strongly claimed that the recent events and situations of children are unacceptable and not tolerable in the frame of human rights. Children are highly affected and lose hope in life. The international community is aware of the necessity to protect their dignity, seeking an immediate solution with the participation of all State actors in the process. These global crises are impacting food security and international protection. The emergency is to make sure that these children have the protection and the rights that they deserve. The adoption of the Digital Compact is strengthening the regulation of the Internet and child safety for privacy and expression. The deterioration of mental health and gender-based violence has been observed everywhere. There is a call to put the legislation into concrete action through services. Children migrants are not recognised in their own right and are prevented from having access to these services, while they are at the core of the international community, equal to the other children. Children in all parts of the world need to have access to these platforms and online services. The State is responsible for promoting children’s networking participation, listening to their initiatives, and enabling their involvement as primary actors on the international scene. 

Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ) supports the initiatives conducted to promote the rights of the child internationally and calls on States to ensure child protection at their borders as well as prevent abuses and violence with a stronger legal framework and facilitate access to resources. Children deserve all rights of protection and dignity.