“It takes a world to end violence against children”

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

All of us in this room come from different countries, cultures, backgrounds and walks of life. But all of us were once children, and the different paths that brought us today to this room started in childhood. Childhood experiences shape every person on this planet. Get it right, and a person has higher chances to realize her or his full potential. Get it wrong, and the likelihood of the contrary is real. Growing up in an environment free from fear, violence and exploitation is an important factor in a child’s development. Violence against children takes different forms, and consequences of it are often grave and damaging. Every day around the world children experience violence at home, school, workplace, in communities. A child dies as a result of violence every five minutes. More than 150 million children are forced into child labor; more than half of them into hazardous work. More than 15 million children are growing up in the midst of violent and protracted conflict, and tens of thousands of child soldiers miss out on their childhood. 1 in 3 students between the ages of 13 and 15 worldwide is regularly bullied. And the list of horrifying statistics continues.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international and regional human rights treaties and standards guarantee the protection of children from all forms of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. Yet, violence remains an all too real part of life for children around the globe. It is a societal, political and judicial problem that is fueled also by social and cultural customs that encourage discrimination and condone violence as an acceptable way to resolve conflicts and to discipline a child.

Violence against children is not a fact of life that should be accepted. It is unacceptable and it must stop. This is what brings us all together today for the launch of World Vision’s new global campaign to end violence against children. I would like to thank World Vision International for bringing this campaign to Geneva. I would also like to extend my appreciation to all who partnered with World Vision in the organization of this event – the Permanent Missions of Columbia, Ecuador, the European Union, Mexico and Uruguay, the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, the Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, Plan International and UNICEF.

Dear Friends,

As part of the Sustainable Development Goals, all UN Member States made a universal commitment to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking, torture and all forms of violence against children, by 2030. This commitment is specifically reflected in Goal 16 on Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and it spans across other goals. The global campaign to end violence against children that we launch today in Geneva offers a renewed impetus to various actors to work towards the same objective of eradicating violence against children.

UN Geneva is actively engaged in promoting greater collaboration across various actors in this city – representatives of Member States, the UN System, civil society, academic institutions, think tanks and the private sector – in tackling multiple global challenges and the implementation of the SDGs. In Geneva, - right now in this very room, - we have the necessary knowledge, experiences, data, solutions and operational outreach to tackle violence against children. It can only be resolved if we work collectively, in partnerships, complementing each other and building on our respective strengths. Children themselves should be involved in this partnership process, and I welcome the presence of some of them with us here today. Children’s genuine role in shaping their future is key to success.

Together, we can deliver on the promise of the Sustainable Development Goals to build a world, in which every child grows up free from fear, violence, exploitation and discrimination. I invite you all to become advocates in the global campaign to end violence against children.

Thank you.