Marta Santos

Special Representative of the

Secretary-General on Violence
against Children

Twenty-five years after the adoption of the Convention

on the Rights of the Child and ten years after specialist
Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro’s World Report on Violence against
Children, how do you assess the development of the capacity of
the States in our region to ensure the protection of child rights
against violence? What are the main advances?

Since the adoption of the Convention and in light of the World Report
on Violence against Children, a fundamentally positive change has taken
place in the protection of child rights in the region, in terms of policies,
regulatory frameworks and increased awareness of the need for a new
way of relating to children and that it is imperative to protect them from all
forms of violence. To cite one example, nearly all Latin American countries
now have a children’s law or statute. Panama and Chile do not yet have
such a law, but they have already begun parliamentary discussions in or-
der to bolster their countries’ legislation in the field of childhood.

While there has been significant progress, the eradica-

tion of violence against children comes up against strong
resistance in some sectors of our societies. Has parlia-

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mentary discussion of laws that prohibit corporal punishment shed
light on these positions and in some cases, hindered their adop-
tion? To what do you attribute these positions on the part of some
sectors of the “adult world” that defend the use of violence in the
disciplining of the new generations?

They reflect an adult-centred vision of the world which urgently needs to

change. This is one of the greatest challenges posed by the Convention on
the Rights of the Child. The Convention recognizes children to be full-fledged
holders of rights and this acknowledgement demands structural modifica-
tions from society in order to build relationships between adults and children
based on respect for children and their capabilities from the very beginning
of life. Such a transformation doubtless requires action from the States, in
order to provide support and mechanisms to enable these changes to take
place in adults; educating them so that they may provide careful support to
children’s growth and development.

What is the international community focusing on at present

in the field of child rights in the region?

We live in an increasingly interconnected world and are part of global pro-

cesses which concern the whole of humanity equally. I should like to high-
light two aspects: the implementation of the new sustainable development
agenda, which includes goal 16.2 on the elimination of all forms of violence,
and the tenth anniversary of the World Report on Violence against Children.
These processes are part of the global agenda, in the production of which
the countries of the region played a prominent role, and at the same time,
this agenda has a direct impact on the region and the region plays a signif-
icant part in these processes. An example of this is that this is the region
which is moving most swiftly towards the full and explicit legal prohibition of
all forms of violence; one of the key components in achieving goal 16.2 of
the sustainable development agenda.

What is still pending in our region of the Americas and the

Caribbean with regard to the enjoyment and protection of
child rights?

One of the pending challenges is protecting the most vulnerable children; I

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 refer specifically to children who come into contact with the judicial sys-
tem. There are regressive tendencies in the region in relation to children,
which are based on the stigmatization of children who are presumed or
alleged to participate in the perpetration of unlawful acts. In over twen-
ty-five years, the region has not managed to transfer the paradigms of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child to the full protection of children at
risk or in contact with justice. Today the region has a unique opportunity
to contribute to the process of drafting the Global Study on Children De-
prived of Liberty, in view of the fact that every country must engage in a
nationwide review or examination of the state of protection of children de-
prived of liberty. This review should make it possible to identify strengths
and weaknesses which will need to be overcome in order to safeguard the
rights of children in all circumstances..

What are the main obstacles that you could point to

in advancing towards a “Culture of Rights” which will
protect children and adolescents?

A culture cannot be imposed; it should, rather, be the result of a process

involving education, awareness-raising and the participation of all. The
State is primarily responsible for generating appropriate capacity in all
operators of the country’s rights protection system, and for supporting
parents and other adult caregivers in positive parenting. In addition, it
should promote the empowerment of children themselves and their legiti-
mate participation in all matters that concern the protection of their rights.

How do you consider that the Inter-American Children’s

Institute could contribute to the process of making the
Americas a region free from violence against children?

We need a strong Institute with sufficient human and financial resourc-

es to fulfil its laudable mandate of promoting the protection of all child
rights. The Institute acts as an advisory body to OAS Member States and
in that capacity it can directly influence the design and implementation of
national measures taken in areas involving children, either by supporting
the implementation of public policies and laws prohibiting violence, or by
facilitating the sharing of experience among the countries, operating as a

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synchronizing agent in the region in order to assist the States in the cre-
ation of a region free from violence against children.

What recommendations would you make, and/or what

short, mid and long term measures should the States
focus on with a view to ensuring the protection of the
rights of children?

It is essential for the States to continue intensifying their efforts to set up

appropriate and efficient national child protection systems, well-coordinat-
ed under the leadership of a senior authority with the capacity to promote
synchronization and coordination with the various levels of State govern-
ment – national, provincial, regional and local – and to build partnerships
with civil society and with the children themselves. There is also a pressing
need to ensure the legal prohibition of all forms of violence against children,
including that which is perpetrated in the home and in the family, and to
establish systems for gathering statistical data on the situation of children
in order to report accurately on the implementation of public policies and
legislation. These strategic measures are urgent and also constitute key
elements so that every country can have the best opportunities to move
forward in the elimination of violence against children by 2030, as estab-
lished in the global sustainable development agenda. In order to contribute
to this process I invite the States to promote a cultural transformation to-
wards zero tolerance of violence against children and to join the initiative
promoted by my office within the United Nations framework, entitled High
Time to End Violence against Children. The aim of this initiative is to raise
awareness in society so that by using our time and our talent we can make
ZERO our favourite number; zero violence against children.

Information on the High Time

initiative is available from:
https://www.endviolenceagainstchildren.org/

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