OPENING SPEECH Ayman Abulaban, UNICEF Representative

STEPPING UP PROGRESS:
CONFERENCE ON COMBATING VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN
Ankara 27 November 2012 Opening –
Ayman Abulaban, UNICEF Representative – Bullet points
Distinguished Ministers, Ms. Special Representative, Your Excellency,
Dear Council of Europe and UNICEF colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome on behalf of UNICEF, as co-organizer of the conference together with the Ministry of
Family and Social Policies and the Council of Europe
Honored and happy to have Ms. Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary
General of the UN on Violence Against Children – the highest authority in the UN system on the
subject
Reminder of the opening lines of the UN Study on Violence Against Children in 2006 to guide
us: No violence against children is justifiable; all violence against children is preventable. Yet
the in-depth study on violence against children (the Study) confirms that such violence exists in
every country of the world, cutting across culture, class, education, income and ethnic origin. In
every region, in contradiction to human rights obligations and children’s developmental needs,
violence against children is socially approved, and is frequently legal and State-authorized.
The Study should mark a turning point — an end to adult justification of violence against
children, whether accepted as “tradition” or disguised as “discipline”. There can be no
compromise in challenging violence against children. Children’s uniqueness — their potential
and vulnerability, their dependence on adults — makes it imperative that they have more, not
less, protection from violence.
As UNICEF Turkey, we have been: Advocating for children’s rights as a whole – as the
foundation to children’s protection and dignity; Enhancing prevention and early identification:
Developing tools and training of teachers, administrators and social workers for them to
identify and act upon early signs of distress from children at risk of violence.; Reinforcing gatekeeping,
minimum standards and individualized approaches in child care and juvenile
detention institutions, as one way to limit risks of violence; Contributing to the capacity
building of civil society and child rights monitoring mechanisms; Supporting the development
of multidisciplinary hospital based Child Protection Centers who receive child victims of
violence and abuse in order to diagnose their symptoms and needs, refer and support them,
including in court cases; Carrying out research on the accountability and responsiveness of
service providers, on the implementation of protective and supportive measures, on child
abuse, and on many other topics that inform our agenda;

As UNICEF we have focused much on ‘system strengthening’, but we also need to work on
‘social change’, in order to reach full results for children. In this respect, we believe that the
Ministry’s radical steps in the legal field and in the public debate on violence in the family are
extremely valuable and we are committed to work together on complementary initiatives to
protect children from violence in all settings. We also welcome the priority given by the Child
Services Directorate General to the issue of prevention.
In Turkey, the different State sectors which play a key role in combating violence against
children are growing stronger and more committed to the issue everyday: social, education,
justice, health, labour, security sectors are all mobilized. However, in our field work, we still
witness and experience challenges in inter-sectorial coordination – which means that some
children fall through the cracks of the protection safety net.
Based on international experience, civil society organizations have a huge potential to
contribute to the protection of children from violence either as advocates or services providers.
They are often closer to the field, closer to the children and most flexible in their operating
modes – which we see as a complementary force to the systems in place.
We hope to learn from other countries how National Integrated Strategies on Violence Against
Children have helped to bring these important pieces together so as to maximize our
commitment to children.
We hope to vitalize the dialogue between the different key players within Turkey and between
Council of Europe member States, between State and non-State actors, between policy makers,
experts and practioners.
We hope to firm up joint commitments to invest in strong protection systems, responsible
societies and empowered children and youth to combat violence against children.
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