Wellington City Libraries Palm Tree Blossoming of Our Children - Kia Puawai Ngā Tamariki - 10th Australasian Conference on Child Abuse and Neglect

Stop Violence Against Children - The East Asia and Pacific Regional Consultation on the UN Study on Violence Against Children

 

Download this presentation (Part 1) - 245KB PDF
Download this presentation (Part 2) - 246KB PDF

Author / Presenter

John Hancock and Michael Bendall

Organisation

YouthLaw Tino Rangatiratanga Taitamariki (Inc.), Auckland
Committee Member, Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (Inc.), Auckland, Office of the Children's Commissioner, Young Persons Reference Group, Wellington

Between 14 and 16 June 2005, delegates representing governments and non-government organisations from over 20 countries in the East Asia and Pacific region, including 26 under 18 year old delegates, gathered at the UN Convention Centre in Bangkok for the East Asia and Pacific Regional Consultation on the UN Secretary-General's Study on Violence Against Children. New Zealand sent a delegation comprising of senior government officials, NGO representatives and two under 18 delegates

The Regional Consultation forms part of a global study on violence against children, initiated by the UN Secretary General in November 2001. The Study is set to conclude in 2006, with the publication of a report and presentation of recommendations to the UN General Assembly.

At the Study's core is the fundamental human rights principle that children and young people have the right to freedom and protection from all forms of violence and abuse. To this end, the Study seeks to provide the impetus for the implementation of measures to eliminate violence against children at all levels - local, national, regional and international - throughout the globe. Importantly, the Study makes specific provision for the participation of children and young people (aged under 18) and the incorporation of their views and concerns.

The central functional aspect of the Regional Consultation was the formulation of recommendations aimed at addressing and eliminating violence against children in seven areas:

  • Violence against children in the home and the family
  • Violence against children in schools and other educational settings
  • Violence against children in institutions
  • Violence against children in work situations
  • Violence against children in the community and on the streets
  • Violence against children in the cyberspace/online environment
  • Violence against children in conflict with the law

Objectives of the presentation

This presentation aims to present an overview of the Regional Consultation and promote its importance as a step towards the elimination of violence against children in our region. Specifically, the presentation will report on:

  • The processes used in formulating the recommendations at the Regional Consultation;
  • The Consultations outcomes, both in terms of the thematic issues that emerged and the 27 specific recommendations that were formulated;
  • Measuring these outcomes against current policy and legislation in New Zealand;
  • Its significance for children and young people in New Zealand and throughout the region.


Presentation

Paper

Biography

Both presenters were part of the New Zealand delegation that attended the Regional Consultation in Bangkok. John Hancock is Senior Solicitor at YouthLaw Tino Rangatiratanga Taitamariki, a community law centre for children and young people. He is a Committee member of Action for Children and Youth Aotearoa (ACYA), the organisation that facilitated the 2003 NGO Report on New Zealand's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Children and Youth Aotearoa 2003. He was also part of the New Zealand NGO delegation that presented the NZ NGO Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva in June 2003.Michael Bendall is 16 years old and an original member of the Office of the Commissioner for Children's Young People's Reference Group. The Reference Group helps the OCC make decisions about the work it does and helps the OCC find out what's happening with children and young people in New Zealand communities. Michael was one of the under 18 delegates in the New Zealand delegation to Bangkok.

NOTE: We are currently awaiting confirmation from the other under 18 delegate, Casey Haverkamp, as whether she is available to assist with the presentation.