Zweden organiseert conferentie om geweld tegen kinderen uit te bannen (en)

Something that seems so obvious in theory – the right of children not to be subjected to violence – remains a challenge to the countries of the world. For this reason, Sweden is starting its Presidency with a seminar at which representatives of the EU, the UN and NGOs from all over the world are gathered to discuss how to convert this ideal into practice.

Sweden was the first country in the world to prohibit violence against children almost exactly 30 years ago. Today, 19 European countries have followed suit and have prohibited violence against children.

“It was legislation that encountered a great deal of doubt at the time, and there is still scepticism as to whether it is possible to raise children without using violence. We respect the fact that the process will take time, since it challenges traditions, but we are also determined to vigorously pursue this issue,” says Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson.

At the opening of the EU NGO Forum on Human Rights at Frösundavik in Stockholm today, Ms Carlsson announced that the Swedish Government has allocated SEK 3 million to UN work on violence against children, which is being led by Maria Santos Pais, the UN Special Representative on Violence against Children.

Both the EU and the UN are conducting this work on a number of different levels; violence against children not only occurs at home – in its cruellest forms, it often emerges in connection with war, child labour and trafficking in human beings.

“In war, children’s fundamental rights, such as sanitation and the right to schooling, are always disregarded. Children are used as soldiers and sold as commodities for prostitution,” said Radhika Coomaraswamy, who is the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict. She also pointed out that it is dangerous to teach children that problems can be solved by violence, since children are tomorrow’s adults.

Veronique Arnault, who is the European Commission’s top official for issues concerning human rights, asked why we talk about children’s rights, when in reality this is a natural part of human rights. Elisabeth Dahlin, Secretary-General of Save the Children Sweden, agreed with her.

“Human rights naturally include not being subjected to violence, but despite their vulnerability, and perhaps because of it, children do not always enjoy this right.”

According to Elinor Hammarskjöld, who is head of the MFA Department for International Law, Human Rights and Treaty Law, the purpose of the seminar is twofold. One is to call global attention to this important issue, and the other is to listen to proposals from different NGOs on how to make work to combat violence against children more effective, based on their work in the field.