09/17/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/17/2024 04:03
London17 September 2024 - Survivors, experts and advocates from around the world are launching a global effort to tackle the shocking issue of violence against children. According to World Health Organization figures, one in two of all children globally - over 1 billion - experience violence each year. They have come together to launch an open letter calling for urgent government action ahead of the first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, taking place in Colombia this November.
Every year, one in two children across the globe are subjected to violence. From sexual abuse, to bullying, gang violence, child marriage, online harm, violent discipline, and child labour, acts of violence take many forms - all leaving scars that can last a lifetime. Violence against children erodes every investment made in their future, from education to physical and mental health, affecting societies on a global scale. This issue is cyclical, with each act of violence increasing vulnerability to further harm.
To put a human face to this devastating statistic, survivors of violence have come together with high-profile advocates and activists across the world, including artists, actors, creators and authors such as Calle & Poché, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, Shudu Musida, Úrsula Corberó, and Will Poulter. They have also been joined by leading experts like trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk; child rights activists Hina Jilani and Princess Mabel van Oranje; Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Dr Denis Mukwege and Kailash Satyarthi; and NGO leaders such as the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Secretary General of World Organization of the Scout Movement.
By raising awareness and mobilising governments, the group seeks to inspire urgent action and drive change at both local and global levels. They are calling on world leaders to use the upcoming Ministerial Conference to focus on critical strategies: ensuring that parents and caregivers receive essential support, creating safe and empowering school environments, and making response and support services universally accessible to every child in need. This conference is a vital opportunity to address both the immediate needs and systemic changes required to protect current and future generations of children.
To amplify the urgency, the group has released a powerful open letter, released today, calling on world leaders to attend the Colombia conference and commit concrete, innovative pledges that match the scale of the challenge and the severity of the crisis:
"Our hands can shape the very fabric of a child's life. They hold an extraordinary power to comfort, cradle and protect. To offer the most heartwarming hugs. And to show those little signs of support - a loving wave, a reassuring thumbs up or an embarrassingly loud round of applause.
They can also hold a sinister power. One where they abuse. They attack. And they incite fear. These hands type hateful messages online. They bruise fragile bodies. They invade the most intimate places. And withhold the love and care that every child needs […]
Childhood is in our hands.
The power to act is now in yours."
It calls on world leaders to "change the course of a billion childhoods and secure a safer, more just world for generations to come."Supported by a worldwide social media campaign, this message will reach millions across the globe to galvanise public and political will to end violence against children. View the full letter HEREfrom 17th September.
Evidence shows that with the right approaches, violence against children can be significantly reduced. Countries implementing evidence-based strategies can see reductions in violence by up to 50% in the short and medium term.
World leaders have already committed to end violence against children in all its forms under the Sustainable Development Goals - a collection of 17 interlinked goals set by the United Nations in 2015, which aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030 - but progress has stalled. The Champions for Childhood coalition urges these leaders to attend the Colombia conference with bold, transformative commitments. The future of a billion children-and the future stability and prosperity of societies-depends on it.
Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization, said:
"Half of all children are subject to cruel acts of violence every year, yet the issue does not receive the attention, funding, or political prioritisation it deserves and so desperately needs. Evidence from around the world demonstrates that violence against children can be prevented - and the health sector has an important role to play in that. Governments worldwide must now seize this crucial opportunity to make that change a reality for the 1 billion children on this planet who experience harm every year."
As a survivor of child violence, Dr Daniela Ligiero, member of the Global Survivor Council, shared their personal experience:
"I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I decided to go public with my story about 13 years ago when I was working at the US Department of State on issues of gender-based violence for foreign assistance. I came forward because I felt like the silence around the issue of sexual violence was deafening and there were no survivors at the table-at least not that were survivors who were public about it.
If we work together, centering survivor voices, we can tell a powerful story that can help create real change."
-ENDS-
For further information please contact Chris Bull at Goodness PR on [email protected]/ 07760 273 160
Notes to editors
Letter Signatories
Survivors of child violence and abuse, high profile advocates, and leading experts have come together as signatories of an open letter to call on world leaders to step up their commitments to children. The full list of signatories is as follows:
Survivors
The following individuals are part of the Global Survivor Council, which brings together people from survivor-led networks across the globe who can speak to all forms of violence against children.
Advocates and Allies
Youth Mobilisers
The following individuals are young leaders collaborating with the NGO Restless Development to take action on ending violence against children.
About Project Everyone
The Champions for Childhood coalition has been convened by Project Everyone, a United Nations Global Partner for SDG Advocacy.
As a not-for-profit communications agency, Project Everyone seeks to put the power of communications behind the Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals - 17 interconnected goals that aim to create a better world for people and planet by 2030. The team of campaigners and communicators make campaign materials, unique installations, ground-breaking documentaries, one of a kind events and as much impact as possible - in order to create a world where extreme poverty is eradicated, climate change is properly addressed, and injustice and inequality are unacceptable.
About the Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children
The Governments of Colombia and Sweden, in partnership with WHO, UNICEF and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on ending violence against children, will host the first-ever Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, in Bogota, Colombia, from 7 to 8 November 2024.
The conference should help secure a step-change in support for proven prevention solutions and reset collective ambitions to realise the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development target for every child to live free from violence.
Possible outcomes will include:
About the Global Survivor Council
Ahead of the Global Ministerial Conference, individuals from survivor-led networks across the globe who can speak to all forms of violence against children, have come together to form a brand new Global Survivor Council (GSC).
The GSC will play a crucial role in ensuring continuous survivor engagement in the design and delivery of the conference and the final political declaration.