Easy Targets: Violence Against Children Worldwide
What You Can Do
- Write to your Minister of Justice or member of Congress or Parliament on behalf of legislation prohibiting all forms of violence against children, including the use of corporal punishment in schools and government institutions, and effective mechanisms to investigate perpetrators and bring them to justice. Click here for a sample letter.
- Write to your Minister of Education and local school board to support policies to ensure that schools are safe places for all children and youth. Click here to find out whether corporal punishment is allowed in schools in your country. Click here for a sample letter.
- Write to your Minister of Health and Social Services to urge special training to enable medical personnel, social workers, child care workers and other professionals to recognize and respond to violence against children. Click here for a sample letter.
Resources for Action
- Casa Alianza works to protect street children in Latin America. Visit their website to join a rapid response list to receive information about human rights abuses against street children in Latin America and actions you can take by e-mail or access a curriculum guide about street children.
- Child Rights Information Network provides information about developments, resources and events related to child rights. Those interested in children and armed conflict can subscribe to a special e-mail list to get information related to child soldiers, landmines, small arms, refugees and internally displaced children, HIV/AIDS, gender, and conflict.
- Death Penalty Information Center has educational curriculum for both students and teachers about the death penalty, and a special focus on the execution of juvenile offenders.
- GLSEN, the Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network , works to end anti-gay discrimination in schools in the United States. Its site includes < a href="http://www.glsen.org/templates/resources/index.html">resources for parents, teachers and students.
- Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, launched in April 2001, aims to speed the end of corporal punishment of children around the world. Its site includes tables showing which countries have prohibited corporal punishment against children, and where it is still allowed by law.
- International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect supports individuals and organizations working to protect children from abuse and neglect.
- World Organization to Prevent Torture/OMCT works against torture, summary executions, and forced disappearances, including such abuses against children. Its children's programme monitors recent cases of violence against children and provides suggestions for how you can respond.
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