International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression
A Born Well Child
Campaign 9th June- 8th July 2020
COVID-19 and Aggression
toward Children
When
you are an adult and that child cannot access hand-washing materials due to
your actions or inaction, then that is a COVID-19 related vulnerability and aggression.
We must provide opportunities for children to grow and develop
well. Every child has the right to be born well, to be cared for and raised
well.
When you are a family
and the children cannot access food, care, love, compassion, privacy, agency,
autonomy and self-determination tools, then that is aggression.
When you are a
community and that community cannot provide the necessary safety nets to avoid
COVID-19, then that is aggression.
There are different types of abuses:
·
Physical abuse.
·
sexual child abuse
(Rape, molestation, child pornography)
·
Neglect (Physical neglect,
educational neglect, and lack of protection from diseases)
·
Emotional abuse
(Verbal, Mental, or Psychological related)
·
Domestic violence or
abuse.
·
Sexual abuse
·
Financial or material
abuse
·
Modern slavery
·
Discriminatory abuse
·
Organisational or
institutional abuse
These abuses can lead
to COVID-19 related vulnerability to children.
The UN states that “It is a sad reality that in situations
where armed conflict breaks out, children are the most vulnerable members of
societies. Children are most affected by the consequences of war. The six most
common violations are recruitment and use of children in war, killing, sexual
violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian
access. On 19 August 1982, at its emergency special session on the question of
Palestine, the General Assembly, “appalled at the great number of innocent
Palestinian and Lebanese children victims of Israel’s acts of aggression”,
decided to commemorate 4 June of each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of
Aggression. The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain
suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical,
mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the
rights of children. Its work is guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the
most rapidly and widely ratified international human rights treaty in history.”
Whereas the UN lists recruitment
into vices and fighting in wars, the Sefton Council on Children has a
comprehensive list on why are children and young people vulnerable. High on the
agenda is sexual exploitation according to them.
The common issues
and reasons can be due to a number of factors including a young person’s low
self-esteem and a poor self-image. Young people who run away from home are
recognised as being more at risk of being targeted as a victim of sexual
exploitation. Vulnerabilities are identified and targeted by the abuser,
whether the young person is living with their family, looked after, away from
home or they have run away.
Sexual exploitation
can be linked to other issues in a child or young person’s life, and
authorities may only have limited opportunities to gain their trust so it is
very important that we all are able to recognise the warning signs that a child
may be a victim of, or at risk of sexual exploitation.
The following are
typical vulnerabilities in children prior to abuse:
·
Living in a chaotic
or dysfunctional household (including parental substance use, domestic
violence, parental mental health issues, parental criminality)
·
History of abuse
(including familial child sexual abuse, risk of forced marriage, risk of
'honour'-based violence, physical and emotional abuse and neglect)
·
Recent bereavement
or loss
·
Gang association
either through relatives, peers or intimate relationships
·
Attending school
with young people who are sexually exploited
·
Learning
disabilities
·
Unsure about their
sexual orientation or unable to disclose sexual orientation to their families
·
Friends with young
people who are sexually exploited
·
Homelessness
·
Lacking friends
from the same age group
·
Living in a gang
neighbourhood
·
Living in
residential care
·
Living in hostel,
bed and breakfast accommodation or a foyer
·
Low self-esteem or
self-confidence
·
Young care-givers
taking care of them.
Our work at grassroots
has brought the following issues to our attention too. In order to accommodate the needs of children as they grow we
have noted the following are leading to child related life span grown and development: Poverty, poorly planned built infrastructure and life endangering practices such
as smoking, lack of play areas and the like.
Physical, economic,
social and political factors determine people's level of vulnerability and
the extent of their capacity to resist, cope with and recover from hazards. Poverty
is a major contributor to vulnerability. We have come up with Prevention
Communities of Best Practices (PCOBs). These tap into the traditional African
philanthropy and altruism as well as hierarchical organising of communities to
set child protection on the agenda at grassroots.
This is
part of our campaigns to mark International Days
According
to the UN, International
days are occasions to educate the public on issues of concern,
to mobilize political will and resources to address global problems, and to
celebrate and reinforce achievements of humanity. The existence of
international days predates the establishment of the United Nations, but the UN
has embraced them as a powerful
advocacy tool. We also mark other UN
observances.
Conclusion:
We
must provide opportunities for children to grow and develop in contexts that affirm
their dignity; protect them from vulnerability; and which ensure the child can
lead a happy and fulfilling quality life. Every child has the right to be born
well, to be cared for and raised well.
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