violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

“Ending violence against children needs to be part of national development plans anddevelopment assistance frameworks, not an afterthought”Ragne Birte Lund, Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway22An end to violence against childrencriminal, civil, administrative andprofessional proceedings and sanctions.Persons convicted of violent offences andsexual abuse of children should be preventedfrom working with children.Governments must develop child-sensitiveprocedures for investigating cases of violence,which avoid subjecting the victim to multipleinterviews and examinations. Court processesmust ensure that child witnesses are treated sensitively,that they are not subjected to extendedcourt proceedings, and that their privacy isrespected. The stress of court proceedings canbe reduced through the use of technology suchas video-taped evidence, courtroom screens,and witness-preparation programmes as wellas access to child-friendly legal support.When parents or other family members arethe perpetrators of violence, decisions concerningformal interventions and prosecutionsmust be made according to the best interestsof the child. When the perpetrator is anotherchild, the response should be focused on rehabilitation,while ensuring the protection of theaffected child.The risk of perpetrators of violence againstchildren re-offending should be minimised byappropriate treatment. Governments shouldbe encouraged to review the situation of perpetratorscurrently serving sentences to determinewhether their sentence or treatment isminimising the risk of re-offending, and makeappropriate recommendations for future sentencingand treatment, focused on this aim.10. Address the gender dimension of violenceagainst childrenI recommend that States ensure thatanti-violence policies and programmesare designed and implemented from agender perspective, taking into accountthe different risks facing girls and boysin respect of violence. States shouldpromote and protect the human rightsof women and girls, and address allforms of gender discrimination as partof a comprehensive violence preventionstrategy.Girls and boys are at different risk for differentforms of violence across different settings. Allresearch into violence against children and intostrategies to prevent and respond to it shouldbe designed to take gender into account. Inparticular, the Study has found a need for menand boys to play active roles and exercise leadershipin efforts to overcome violence.11. Develop and implement systematicnational data collection and researcheffortsI recommend that States improve datacollection and information systems inorder to identify vulnerable sub-groups,inform policy and programming at alllevels, and track progress towards thegoal of preventing violence against children.States should use national indicatorsbased on internationally agreedstandards, and ensure that data arecompiled, analysed and disseminatedto monitor progress over time. Wherenot currently in place, birth, death