|
The
global scandal of violence against children is a horror story too often
untold. With malice and clear intent, violence is used against the
members of society least able to protect themselves—children in school,
in orphanages, on the street, in refugee camps and war zones, in
detention, and in fields and factories. In its investigations of human
rights abuses against children, Human Rights Watch has found that in
every region of the world, in almost every aspect of their lives,
children are subject to unconscionable violence, most often perpetrated
by the very individuals charged with their safety and well-being.
Children
are exposed to other human rights abuses as well. Millions
have no access to education, work long hours under hazardous
conditions, are forced to become soldiers, or languish in orphanages or
detention centers where they
endure inhumane conditions and daily assaults on their dignity.
These
abuses persist because children have few mechanisms for reporting
violence and other human rights violations. They may be reluctant to
speak out for fear of reprisals. And because they are children, their
complaints are often not taken seriously. Even
when children do make reports or abuse is exposed, perpetrators are
rarely investigated or prosecuted. Those in a position to take action
may be complicit in the abuse, reluctant to discipline or prosecute a
colleague, or fearful of negative publicity. Adults who witness abuse
by their own colleagues and attempt to report it may be fired for
speaking up.
The
year 2005 marks the fifteenth year of the entry into force of the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, the landmark treaty that
guarantees children the right to be free from discrimination, to be
protected in armed conflicts, to be protected from torture and cruel,
inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, to be free from
arbitrary deprivation of liberty, to receive age-appropriate treatment
in the justice system, and to be free from economic exploitation and
other abuses, among other rights. Achieving
these rights remains a challenge. Governments
must take stronger action to implement the convention's provisions and
fulfill their promises to the children of the world.
|
|
