7/54 The Secretary-General’s study on the question of violence against children

GE.08-10214 (E) 280108

UNITED NATIONS

A

General Assembly Distr. GENERAL

A/HRC/7/54 17 January 2008

Original: ENGLISH

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL Seventh session Agenda item 2

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND REPORTS OF THE OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER AND THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

The Secretary-General’s study on the question of violence against children

Note by the Secretariat

1. The present note provides information on events and activities undertaken in 2007 as follow-up to the final report of the Secretary-General on the study on violence against children presented to the sixty-first session of the General Assembly.1

Introduction

2. During the study process, substantive progress reports on the activities of the independent expert, Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, were submitted to the Commission on Human Rights and the General Assembly.2 A note by the Secretariat was submitted to the Human Rights Council in 2007.3

3. The General Assembly, in its resolution 61/146, decided to invite the independent expert, in cooperation with Member States, relevant organizations and bodies of the United Nations

1 A/61/299.

2 E/CN.4/2004/68, E/CN.4/2005/75, E/CN.4/2006/63 and A/60/282.

3 A/HRC/4/70.

system, the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Human Rights Council, and regional organizations, national institutions and civil society, to promote the wide dissemination of the United Nations study on violence against children, to give support to the first year of effective follow-up to its recommendations and to submit to the General Assembly at its sixty-second session a report on progress made in the initial phase of the follow-up and to anticipate the necessary strategy for follow-up to the implementation of the study. A progress report was presented by the independent expert to the sixty-second session of the General Assembly on 19 October 2007 (A/62/209).

Activities of the independent expert

4. Throughout 2007 the independent expert continued his efforts to disseminate the study. A summary of his activities until July 2007 is contained in the progress report (A/62/209). Between July and December 2007 the independent expert presented the findings and recommendations contained in the study in different forums, including: the Conference on International Justice for Children, organized by the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, on 17-18 September; the course for the Spanish Judiciary (Madrid, 19-21 September); and the 33rd edition of the International Conference of the Center Pio Manzú (Rimini, Italy, 27-29 October). In November and December, the independent expert presented his report to the Italian Senate and the Portuguese National Assembly respectively. The independent expert participated in national launches of the study in Amsterdam (7-9 November), Brasilia (3-4 December), and Bucharest (13-15 December).

5. In the same period, the independent expert discussed strategies for follow-up of the study with national authorities in a number of countries, as well as in international forums, including: the Child Protection/Education Regional Meeting organized by the Americas and the Caribbean Regional Office (TACRO) of UNICEF in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 20-24 August 2007; the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on 12 October in Washington DC; and the ninth EU-NGOs Forum on human rights held in Lisbon, on 6 and 7 December. During the sixty-second session of the General Assembly the expert participated to two side events on the follow-up of the study.

Follow-up

6. On 18 December 2007, the General Assembly adopted resolution 62/141, in which it takes note with appreciation of the progress report of the independent expert and requests the Secretary-General “to appoint for a period of three years a Special Representative on violence against children, at the highest possible level …”. The Assembly further recommends that the Special Representative, taking care to avoid duplication with relevant United Nations mechanisms and treaty bodies: “(a) Act as a high-profile and independent global advocate to promote the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children in all regions …; (b) Promote and support, in cooperation with Member States, the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations study on violence against children, where appropriate, recommending measures, ways and means at the national, regional and international levels to eliminate violence against children and its causes and to remedy its consequences …; (c) Identify and share good practices to prevent and respond to violence against children, between States and across regions, assist Member States in their efforts to develop more comprehensive and systematic data collection on violence against children …; (d) Work closely

and cooperate fully with relevant United Nations treaty bodies and mechanisms …; (e) Also work closely and cooperate with the United Nations system and the existing mandates of United Nations funds and programmes and specialized agencies that have responsibilities in the area of violence against children, in particular those that are members of the Inter-Agency Group on Violence against Children; (f) Establish a mutually supportive collaboration with civil society … and work to promote the increased involvement of children and young people in initiatives to prevent and respond to violence against children”.

7. In the same resolution, the Assembly further “Requests the relevant organizations of the United Nations system, in particular the organizations members of the Inter-Agency Group on Violence against Children, to continue to explore ways and means, within their respective mandates, by which they can contribute more effectively to addressing the need to prevent and to respond to all forms of violence against children.”

8. The Inter-Agency Group on Violence against Children held meetings in March and October 2007 with the participation of the independent expert and discussed cooperation and coordination in promoting follow-up to the study. A number of joint initiatives have been initiated by the Inter-Agency Group to promote the implementation of the recommendations of the study.

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