New York, 19 December 2023 - Four voices have shed light on a reality too often rendered invisible. Sedra, Sofia, Naya and Maksim, four child refugees, raised their voices during the Child Rights High-Level parallel event “Pledging with and for children” organized by multiple partners1 on the margins of the 2nd Global Refugee Forum in Geneva. They shared their experiences, needs and hopes because, in their own words, “children are capable of telling stories that change lives”.
News
29 November 2023
New York, 29 November 2023 - Gaza has become the incarnation of the child rights crisis the world is facing. As we call for a durable ceasefire and long-lasting peace, hundreds of thousands of children are in need of urgent life-saving support. As we call for a durable ceasefire and long-lasting peace, we cannot forget that hundreds of thousands of children and their communities will bear the cost of this violence for generations.
20 November 2023
New York, 20 November 2023 – The world is facing a global child rights crisis. Children’s rights are left behind. More children than ever are deprived of their rights. More children than ever are experiencing violence in all settings, being killed, forcibly displaced, being behind bars, and facing extreme poverty and social exclusion. On this World Children’s Day, we express our sorrow for the huge toll being paid by children worldwide, and we express our rage because we know that the violence children are facing is always preventable.
20 October 2023
Luxembourg, le 20 octobre 2023 - Dr.
18 October 2023
New York, 18 October 2023 - The outbreak of hostilities in Israel and Gaza is devastating. Our thoughts are with all who suffered the unbearable consequences of war and in particular children who, as always, are paying the heavy price of armed conflict. We urgently demand that Hamas immediately and unconditionally release all children and their caregivers who have been abducted and are currently held hostage. Children cannot be held hostage nor used as human shields.
16 October 2023
New York October 16th – The Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children has co-hosted, alongside the World Childhood Foundation and the Permanent Missions of Sweden and of the Dominican Republic to the United Nations, the high-level event “Placing child protection at the core of sustainable travel and tourism”, on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly.
05 October 2023
New York, 05 October 2023 – Children’s protection from violence in the context of travel and tourism was the focus of the annual report presented by Special Representative Maalla M’jid to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly. The report calls for the establishment of a renewed and relevant agenda for action that promotes sustainability, in a moment when the travel and tourism sector is being rethought while recovering from the pandemic.
08 September 2023
New York, 8 September 2023 - Education is not merely a privilege but a fundamental right that empowers children, shapes societies and paves the way for a brighter future. In times of crisis, the lifesaving role of education for children cannot be underestimated but it is still under constant threat in countries plagued by armed conflict.
28 July 2023
New York, 30 July 2023 - On the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, Special Representative of the Secretary General of the United Nations on Violence against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid, calls on all stakeholders to come together to protect all children by reducing their vulnerabilities and by increasing the risks to traffickers.
21 July 2023
New York, 20 July 2023 – SRSG Maalla M’jid joined high-level representatives of regional organizations, Governments, UN experts, and civil society representatives in a lively discussion on Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels. In her remarks, Dr. Maalla M’jid reflected on lessons learned from the pandemic particularly those related to UN response and recovery efforts, based on the work of her mandate.