COMMITTEE ON RIGHTS OF CHILD HOLDS DAY OF GENERAL DISCUSSION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN IN THE FAMILY AND SCHOOLS

CRC
28th session
28 September 2001
Morning




High Commissioner for Human Rights Addresses Committee



The Committee on the Rights of the Child this morning started its day of general discussion on the theme of 'violence against children within the family and schools' by highlighting the need to increase public awareness of the negative impacts of child abuse and neglect.

Mary Robinson, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, addressed the Committee, saying that in too many cases, discipline was still invoked as the justification for treating children in ways that one would consider absolutely unacceptable if applied to adults. She said that was a matter in which great progress could be achieved quickly with enough political will and determination. Many States had yet to enact appropriate legislation banning unacceptable forms of so-called discipline, including corporal punishment and other sanctions that humiliated rather than corrected, she added.

Mrs. Robinson said that there was a need to increase public debate and awareness, especially among parents, not only about the unacceptability of harsh methods of school discipline but also about the effectiveness of alternative non-violent approaches. She said that children could not but be most deeply affected by violence that they suffered within their own families. Many suffered silently because to do other wise would be unthinkable; no other abuse had a greater potential impact on the development of the child; while gender discrimination had an impact on the pattern of abuse and vulnerability, both boys and girls were affected; and no other form of violence was as difficult to monitor, as complex to prevent, and as wrenching to remedy.

Jacob Egbert Doeck, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, said that in a world where large scale and horrifying forms of violence dominated the news, violence against children within the family and in schools seemed to belong to the category of minor problems; unfortunately, that was not true. In terms of numbers and in terms of life-long impact, those phenomena were very serious threats to the full and harmonious development of children.

Mr. Doeck also said that on the basis of the corroborated cases of child abuse and neglect in the industrialized world, one assumed that many millions of children were physically, sexually and emotionally abused at home. He said that the adults, parents and other family members whom children depended on and trusted turned to be violent and dangerous; and children were victims of bullying in schools and they also faced violent teachers.

The representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that UNESCO was in the front line of the fight against cultural violence in all aspects. The war against Afghanistan was exactly what the terrorists wanted by attacking the United States. Instead of war it was preferable that the Afghans were bombarded with hope and expectation, rather than real bombs.

A representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said that boys and girls were often susceptible to psychological and physical violence in different ways; lack of safety and security might place children at risk, including of beating and rape; invisible forms of harassment and violence were exerted against children who were perceived as 'different', including girls; those included bullying, discrimination, girls being sometimes made responsible for after-school maintenance tasks at the expense of learning, denial of physical exercise, and sexual harassment.


And the representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) said that child abuse and neglect were significant problems in their own rights, and manifestations of an even larger challenge: violence itself. WHO recognized child abuse as a health and human rights concern which it was committed to preventing at the global, national and local levels.

The Committee will continue its discussion on 'violence against children within the family and schools' throughout the day with the participation of a number of invited personalities and representatives of interested bodies. The discussion will be held in two working groups formed for the purpose to deal separately with violence against children in the family and violence against children in schools.

The Committee held a day of general discussion in 2000 on the theme of 'State violence against children'.

When the Committee reconvenes in plenary at around 5 p.m., it will listen to draft recommendations presented by the two working groups and it is expected to adopt them.


Statement by High Commissioner for Human Rights

MARY ROBINSON, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that mention of the subject of violence should bring to every one's mind the 11th of September terrorist attacks in the United States. As far as one was aware, all those killed were adults. But all, adults and children, were vulnerable to violence and the need one had for physical and psychological security.

Mrs. Robinson recalled that the World Conference against Racism, held in Durban, had concluded just two days before the attacks in the United States. One relevant observation on the Durban Conference was the extent to which it had emerged that ethnicity -- like gender -- could be a factor making many children particularly vulnerable to violence. Young people had raised their voices in Durban through the Youth Forum and had asked the international community to redouble efforts, for children and with children, to end the violence they suffered from.

Violence against children could stem from numerous causes and contexts, Mrs. Robinson continued to say. But whatever its source two points needed to be emphasized: firstly, children could be more vulnerable to life-long consequences of the violence they experienced; secondly, violence against children was always a violation of their rights. International human rights treaties imposed legal obligations on States -- and those were clearly violated when State agents were the ones who breached human rights norms. But, the human rights of children were also violated when the State failed to live up to its obligations to protect children from violence suffered at the hands of others.

Turning to violence and the school, Mrs. Robinson said that in too many cases, discipline was still invoked as the justification for treating children in ways that one would consider absolutely unacceptable if applied to adults. That was a matter in which great progress could be achieved quickly with enough political will and determination. Many States had yet to enact appropriate legislation banning unacceptable forms of so-called discipline, including corporal punishment and other sanctions that humiliated rather than corrected. Other States should ensure that existing legislation was extended so as to cover private establishments as well as public ones. There was also a need to increase public debate and awareness, especially among parents, not only about the unacceptability of harsh methods of school discipline but also about the effectiveness of alternative non-violent approaches.

Discipline was needed in schools, Mrs. Robinson affirmed, adding that the evidence showed that when it was properly designed and administered, children were the first to appreciate and welcome clear guidance on acceptable as well as unacceptable behaviour. Teachers and school administrators should be able to ensure that children were not victimized by other students. When large proportions of students lived in fear of bullying by their classmates, when they were taught or learned to value violence, or when they felt threatened by a school climate that tolerated violence and vandalism, their right to learn and to prepare for a responsible life in a free society was denied. When school children were more likely to suffer violence and abuse of their gender or because they were the target of racial, religious, xenophobic or similar discrimination, then their rights were doubly violated.

With regard to violence and the family, Mrs. Robinson said that violence in the family was sometimes seen as an even greater challenge to the human rights community and to all societies. The international community should work hard to explain to parents and communities everywhere that recognizing the human rights of children did not amount to denying rights to parents. There was nothing new about the constant need to reconcile the different rights of several parties in any givensituation and setting limits to the exercise of rights when they conflicted with the rights of others. If one was serious in believing that children had rights, one could not accept the right of anyone to treat them in a way that would be considered intolerable, and a criminal offence, if inflicted on a spouse in the home or on a stranger in the street.

Mrs. Robinson said that children could not but be most deeply affected by violence that they suffered within their own families. Research had taught that no other violation of their rights was as difficult for children to voice and to denounce as violence within the family. Many suffered silently because to do other wise would be unthinkable. No other abuse had a greater potential impact on the development of the child. While gender discrimination had an impact on the pattern of abuse and vulnerability, both boys and girls were affected. No other form of violence was as difficult to monitor, as complex to prevent, and as wrenching to remedy.

(more) JACOB EGBERT DOECK, Chairperson of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, said that in a world where large scale and horrifying forms of violence dominated the news, violence against children within the family and in schools seemed to belong to the category of minor problems; unfortunately, that was not true. In terms of numbers and in terms of life-long impact, those phenomena were very serious threats to the full and harmonious development of children.

Mr. Doeck said that on the basis of the corroborated cases of child abuse and neglect in the industrialized world, one assumed that many millions of children were physically, sexually and emotionally abused at home. The adults, parents and other family members children depended on and trusted turned to be violent and dangerous. Children were also victims of bullying in schools and they also faced violent teachers.

Mr. Doeck said that special attention should be given to the vulnerability of ethnically discriminated or socio-economically marginalized children, who could be, for example, singled out in schools for bullying or degrading treatment by teachers. They could also be more vulnerable to violence within the family that escaped detection by the normal monitoring systems.

Mr. Doeck said that attention should also be paid to the distinct problems sometimes posed by gender discrimination. For girls, the fear for violence or sexual abuse from teachers and other students could more often lead to withdrawal from schools. Girls were also often at higher risk of sexual abuse and other forms of violence within the family, including, for example, 'honour killings' or traditional harmful practices. Boys were also sometimes discriminated against by legislation or social values that made them subject to forms of school 'discipline' banned for girls, or that tolerated the application of more brutal forms of discipline within the family.

A representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that the violent attacks that took place in the United States had left orphans. UNESCO was in the front line of the fight against cultural violence in all aspects. Although it was a long term project, the international community should react now in tackling violence against children and it should promote a culture of peace. The war against Afghanistan was exactly what the terrorists wanted and instead of war it was preferable that the Afghans were bombarded with hope and expectation rather than real bombs.

The representative of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), said that UNICEF was committed to promote child-friendly schools where the right of the child to learn in a gender-sensitive safety environment was fully safeguarded. It recognized that the issue of school safety and security remained potentially one of the most important obstacles to participation and retention -- yet, also one insufficiently understood. Boys and girls were often susceptible to psychological and physical violence in different ways; lack of safety and security might place children at risk, including of beating and rape; invisible forms of harassment and violence were exerted against children who were perceived as 'different', including girls; those included bullying, discrimination, girls being sometimes made responsible for after-school maintenance tasks at the expense of learning, denial of physical exercise, and sexual harassment.


A representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that child abuse and neglect were problems of epidemic proportions. In fact, child abuse and neglect were doubly damaging, inflicting a first wave of destruction at the time of abuse, and a second wave years later in the form of increased risk among previously abused adolescents and young adults for becoming perpetrators and victims of both interpersonal and self-directed violence. Child abuse and neglect were therefor significant problems in their own rights, and manifestations of an even larger challenge: violence itself. The WHO recognized child abuse as a health and human rights concern, which it was committed to preventing at the global, national and local levels.




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