Publications

	Building the investment Case For Ending Violence Against Children Children have the right to live free from violence. Ending violence is a commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Yet more than half the world’s children are exposed to some form of violence every year. The impact of this violence is devastating and long-lasting. In addition to the human cost, violence against children imposes significant economic burdens across countries, regardless of income status, region, or cultural context.
	Children in street situations are children first and foremost Children in Street Situations discusses the challenges faced by children living on the streets, including their exposure to violence, exploitation, and lack of access to basic services such as education and healthcare. It highlights the need for a comprehensive approach to address their needs, which includes legal protection, social services, and community support. The document emphasizes the importance of understanding the root causes that lead children to the streets and implementing policies focusing on prevention, protection, and rehabilitation.
	We need to act now to end child domestic servitude Child domestic workers represent probably the largest and most ignored group of child workers. The root causes of child domestic labor are multiple and multi-faceted. Poverty and its feminization, the persistence of traditional hierarchies, debt bondages, social exclusion, lack of education, gender and ethnic discrimination, domestic violence, displacement, rural-urban migration and loss of parents due to conflicts and diseases are just some of the multiple “push factors” for child domestic workers worldwide.
	End Immigration Detention of Children Immigration Detention is never in the best interests of the child and constitutes a child rights violation. It is a form of violence that impacts a country’s capacity to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, especially targets 10.7 and 16. All children, regardless of their legal or migratory status or that of their families, have the right to be cared for and protected from violence, abuse and exploitation. This advocacy brief provides an overview of promising practices and lessons learned to end child immigration detention and sets out a range of policy actions needed to scale up efforts to end this form of violence.
	Investing in children: An accelerator for the Sustainable Development Goals This brief explores how investment in a holistic approach to the SDGs can contribute to the prevention of – and response to – violence against children, illustrated with examples from the 2023 VNRs.These examples are not exhaustive, but they highlight promising practices with the aim of encouraging Member States to enhance overall investment in children and their well-being. The brief also shares other examples that have impressed the SRSG-VAC during her engagements with various stakeholders.
	Rethinking travel and tourism: Placing child protection at the core of sustainable travel and tourism The travel and tourism sectors are vital in supporting the livelihood and development of communities and countries worldwide. Promoting responsible, accessible, and sustainable tourism is also essential to achieving the 2030 Agenda. However, many child protection challenges emerge in the context of travel and tourism, whether due to offenders moving within or between States or as an unintended result of the activities and operations of the sector itself.
	Protecting the Rights of Children on the Move in Times of Crisis The number of children on the move, including refugee and displaced children, is increasing. This puts massive pressure on governments, communities, and the humanitarian agencies that protect them. An estimated 89.3 million people had been forcibly displaced from their homes by the end of 2021, which increased to a staggering 100 million by mid-2022. In at least 17 countries, refugees or internally displaced people account for at least five percent of the population.
	A safer digital environment for children - Now is the time to ACT! It is estimated that one in three Internet users worldwide is under 18 years of age. While the digital environment offers new opportunities for the realization of children’s rights, it also poses risks of the violation or abuse of those rights. The online risks to children can entail different forms of violence and harm. The lack of comprehensive data on violence against children in that environment remains a challenge.
	The Climate Crisis and Violence against Children The paper recalls that children – who bear the least responsibility for the climate crisis - are among those hit hardest by its impacts, with around 1 billion of them exposed to its risks. The advocacy brief demonstrates that climate crisis is a ‘threat multiplier’ for violence against children, exacerbating every challenge – from poverty to displacement and loss of education – that enables such violence to thrive. While no child is immune to the combined impact of the climate crisis and violence, that impact falls most heavily on the children who are already the most disadvantaged.
	The Violence Prevention Dividend - Why Preventing Violence Against Children Makes Economic Sense This paper gives an overview of the economic case for investing in the prevention of violence against children. It is intended to alert policymakers to the substantial economic and social costs of violence against children and the potential dividend that would accrue from investment in violence prevention. The paper outlines where governments can strengthen and improve engagement in violence prevention in light of post-COVID-19 recovery planning and beyond.

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