PHOTO: Brazil: In December 2001, a girl, Elaine da Paixao Santos, stands in front of a wall on which she has drawn a heart and the inscription "I love you, mom" in Portuguese, on the grounds of the Mother City Foundation in La Paz, a poor neighbourhood in Salvador, capital of the eastern state of Bahia in Brazil. Elaine lives with her grandmother to avoid the fighting in her parents’ home. (UNICEF/HQ01-0442/Claudio Versiani)
Home page > Background documents
Background documents

This page contains some of the key documents related to the Study

In 2001, on the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the General Assembly in its resolution 56/138 requested the Secretary-General to conduct an in-depth study on the question of violence against children and to put forward recommendations for consideration by Member States for appropriate action. In 2003, Prof. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro was appointed independent expert. From 2003 until 2006 the Study development process was documented in reports presented to the UN General Assembly, the former Commission of Human Rights and the Human Rights Council.

The study was guided by the Convention on the Rights of the Child which emphasizes children’s rights to physical and personal integrity, and outlines States parties obligations to protect them from "all forms of physical or mental violence", including sexual and other forms of exploitation, abduction, armed conflict, and inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It also obliges the State to enact preventive measures and ensure that all child victims of violence receive the support and assistance they require.

Resolutions from the Assembly in 2006 and 2007 also determined the need to follow up on the Study. In 2006 the Expert was asked to extend his support for a further year disseminating the Study and promoting follow up. In 2007 the GA requested the appointment of a Special Representative of the SG on violence against children to ensure continued high level attention to this problem.

Committee on the Rights of the Child:

-  Letter of Request of the Committee on the Rights of the Child

Resolutions:

-  UN General Assembly Resolution 56/138 (2001)
-  UN General Assembly Resolution 57/190 (2002)

-  Commission on Human Rights Resolution 2002/92
-  Commission on Human Rights Resolution 2003/86
-  UN General Assembly Resolution 2006
-  UN General Assembly Resolution 2007

Reports to the UN General Assembly
-  Progress report to the General Assembly 2004
-  Progress report to the General Assembly 2005
-  UN Study on Violence against Children
-  Progress report on the follow up to the UN Study on Violence against Children (2007)

Reports to the Commission on Human Rights and Human Rights Council

-  Progress report to the Commission on Human Rights 2004
-  Progress report to the Commission on Human Rights 2005

Official Statements by the Independent Expert:

-  Statement to the Commission on Human Rights 2004
-  Statement to the Human Right Council 21 June 2006
-  Statement to the General Assembly 2004
-  Statement to the General Assembly 2005

-  Report to the General Assembly 2006
-  Statement to the General Assembly 2006
-  Statement to the UN General Assembly 2007

Other official Statements during the Study launch
-  Statement of the WHO Acting Director-General
-  Statement of UNICEF Executive Director
-  Statement of the Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
-  Statement issued by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General
-  Children and young people’s statement


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