violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

2counselling; probation; foster care; educationaland vocational training programmes.”Other provisions of the CRC are relevantto the protection of children from violence.These include civil rights relating to freedomof expression, information, conscience and religion,association, peaceful assembly, privacyand access to information (articles 12, 13, 14,15, 16 and 17). Article 9 guarantees the child’sright not to be separated from parents unlessit is in their best interests. Article 18 providesthat States shall render appropriate assistanceto parents and legal guardians in their performanceof their child-rearing responsibilities;and under article 20, children deprived of afamily environment are entitled to special Stateassistance and protection. Article 25 providesfor a right of periodic review of placement ortreatment. Obligations relating to adoption areset out in article 21, to refugee children in article22, and to disabled children in article 23.More general obligations – relevant particularlyto the prevention of violence – are included inarticle 24 on the right to health and access tohealth services; articles 28 and 29 on the rightto education and the aims of education; andarticle 27 on the right to an adequate standardof living.The CRC is supplemented by two OptionalProtocols, both adopted in 2000, which providemore detailed protection for children fromparticular forms of violence. The OptionalProtocol on the sale of children, child prostitutionand child pornography defines theseviolations. It also requires States parties tocriminalise these activities and requires thatany participation in these acts, includingattempt and conspiracy be penalised in a waythat takes into account the gravity of theseoffences. It also requires States to close anypremises used for child prostitution and pornography,and to seize and confiscate the proceedsof these activities, as well as any meansused to facilitate them, and provides detailedprovisions relating to the treatment of childvictims. The Optional Protocol to the CRCon the involvement of children in armed conflictlimits the recruitment of children under18 years of age in armed conflict, and obligesStates to provide the children who have participatedin armed conflict with any necessaryphysical and psychological rehabilitation andsupport for reintegration within society.The Committee on the Rights of the Childhas identified articles 2, 3, 6 and 12 as providinggeneral principles. In line with article2, all rights in the Convention are availableto all children without discrimination of anykind, and States parties are required to take allappropriate measures to protect children fromdiscrimination.The best interests of the child must be a primaryconsideration in all actions concerningchildren; thus all public and private bodies,courts and administrative authorities arerequired to consider the impact of actionson children in order to ensure that the bestinterests of the child are properly considered(article 3). The child’s inherent right to lifeand maximum capacity for survival and development,envisaged by the CRC to includephysical, mental, spiritual, moral and social35Violence against children and international human rights law and standards