A/73/276
I. Introduction
1.
In the present report, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on
Violence against Children reviews key global, regional and national developments
and gives an overview of results achieved in safeguarding children ’s freedom from
violence.
2.
Guided by General Assembly resolution 62/141, which established her mandate,
the Special Representative is a global, independent advocate for the prevention and
elimination of all forms of violence against children in all settings.
3.
In its resolution 72/245, the General Assembly reaffirmed its support for the
work of the Special Representative, recognizing the progress she has achieved and
the consolidated partnerships she has promoted, and welcomed her efforts to
mainstream the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against
children (see A/61/299) in international, regional and national agendas, including
through regional and thematic consultations, field missions and studies addressing
emerging concerns.
4.
Realizing that every child’s right to freedom from violence is a fundamental
dimension of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the United Nations study on
violence against children highlighted the pervasive extent of violence and i ts impact
on children’s lives and identified critical steps to ensure its prevention and
elimination. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its
ambitious vision of a world free from fear and from violence, including a distinct
target (target 2 of Sustainable Development Goal 16) to end all forms of violence
against children, provided new impetus to global efforts to reduce the risk of violence
in children’s lives and ensure the effective protection of victims.
5.
Thanks to the mobilization created by that important process of consolidating
commitments and actions, significant progress has been made with regard to the
prevention of, and response to, violence against children. New international standards
on protecting children from violence have been adopted, new partnerships and
alliances have been formed, information campaigns have raised awareness of positive
investment in prevention and the negative impact of violence on child development
and global initiatives have been undertaken to tackle violence, including bullying,
domestic violence, sexual violence, online violence and harmful practices. Significant
regional initiatives support national efforts to strengthen the prevention and
monitoring of and response to children’s exposure to violence. Close to 100 countries
have adopted comprehensive national policy agendas on violence against children,
and many have enacted legislation to prohibit physical, psychological and sexual
violence and to support child victims. Important steps have been taken to consolidate
national data systems and research regarding the scale and nature of violence against
children and effective prevention strategies and to improve the monitoring of progress
towards its elimination.
6.
Ending all forms of violence against children is crucial to safeguarding
children’s rights and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Failing to
reach target 2 of Goal 16 would compromise millions of children, threatening
potential gains across the entire 2030 Agenda with respect to education, health,
gender equality, poverty eradication, social inclusion and justice for all.
7.
Violence goes hand-in-hand with deprivation and cycles of vulnerability,
leading to risks of poor health, poor school performance and long -term welfare
dependency. In early childhood, the impact of violence is serious and often
irreversible. As children grow, their exposure to violence becomes part of a
continuum, at times persisting over generations. Moreover, violence is associated
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