Children still experiencing unimaginable violence 30 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child was first ratified, World Vision says
- 30 years on 1.7 billion children experience violence
- World Vision calls on the EU and its Member States to accelerate the global implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
November 20, 2019 – 30 years since the Convention on the Rights of the Child became the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history, over half of the world’s children – 1.7 billion – are still experiencing some form of violence every year.[1]
Although there have been great improvements in many areas such as education, access to healthcare and clean water, children are still suffering on a daily basis. Children are being forced to become child soldiers; married rather than educated; and are being sexually and physically abused. 650 million girls and women alive today[2] were married before they turned 18 and over 120 million girls – more than 1 in 10 worldwide – will experience rape or sexual abuse before the age of 20.[3]
“This is happening every day. We can no longer show complacency. We have a responsibility to end violence against all children, everywhere. At World Vision we believe children are part of the solution and this is why we invited Maria, 14, from Uganda to speak to EU decision-makers directly”, said Jonathan Beger, EU Advocacy Director of World Vision.
“First of all, children are tomorrow’s generation and if their rights are violated, there will be no proper tomorrow” says Maria, 14, young leader from Uganda. “For example, if a child is denied a right to education, s/he won’t be able to be somebody in the future because you cannot be somebody unless you study. If I don’t fight acts like sexual violence and child sacrifice, there will come a day when it either happens to me or to any of my sisters or brothers.”
Maria calls upon all stakeholders “like children, parents, political leaders, teachers, no matter your religion, nation or race to join hands to end violence against children, because it takes a world to end violence against children and the fight begins with me and you.”
ENDS
Editor’s note
Spokespersons, photos and video are available upon request
Maria, 14, Uganda, is a Young Leader for Ending Violence Against Children with World Vision. She has been invited to speak at a High-level conference to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, alongside her Majesty the Queen of the Belgians, David Sassoli - President of the European Parliament, Věra Jourová - European Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana, Members of the European Parliament and many others.
About World Vision
World Vision is a global Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities to reach their full potential by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.
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[1] Violence against children: is all forms of physical, sexual and mental violence, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, harm or abuse, including commercial sexual exploitation, trafficking, child labour, and harmful practices, such as female genital mutilation/cutting and child marriage
[1] UNICEF data https://data.unicef.org/resources/child-marriage-latest-trends-and-future-prospects/
[2] Ibid
[3]Their World. Safe Schools: Their World. Safe Schools: The Hidden Crisis. London, 2018.