2009-11-19 13:13:07

Strasbourg, 18.11.2009 - The Council of Europe is calling on all of its 47 member States to adopt and implement a blanket national scheme to protect the rights of the child and eradicate violence against children.

The foreign affairs ministers of Slovenia and Switzerland, Samuel Žbogar and Micheline Calmy-Rey, welcomed today's adoption of guidelines to this end by the Council's Committee of Ministers.

The Council of Europe's recommendations include the prohibition of all forms of violence towards children, the setting up of independent child protection institutions and information campaigns on the rights of the child, beginning with the right to protection from all forms of violence. Information would cover the damaging consequences of violence against children, the principles of positive parenting and the need to guide children in their discovery of the Internet and limit the risks linked to new technologies (violence in certain video and on-line games, child pornography sites, bullying, blackmailing etc). These campaigns would target the general public but above all parents, teachers and internet access providers.

The Council aims to secure public condemnation and the elimination of social or cultural acceptance or even encouragement of violence (sexist clichés, discrimination, harmful customs etc).

The Council of Europe is also looking to increase understanding among Governments and individuals of their obligation to condemn and prevent violence and to assist the children that fall victim to it.

The professionals working with children should receive training and acquire the skills necessary to prevent and detect violence, particularly towards the most vulnerable children (disabled, minorities etc).

This text meets one of the objectives set at the Warsaw Summit in 2005. The awareness-raising campaign against corporal punishment entitled ''Raise your hand against smacking!'' launched in 2008 was a first step and forms the Council of Europe's contribution to the celebration of the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Convention on the rights of the child, of which Article 19 places States under a clear obligation to protect children from all forms of violence, any time and anywhere.

The Ministers Žbogar and Calmy-Rey were in Strasbourg today on the occasion of the handing over of the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers from Slovenia to Switzerland.

Link to the joint declaration of Ministers Žbogar and Calmy-Rey

Link to the full text of the guidelines

Link to the "Building a Europe for and with children" campaign site

Link to the ''Raise your hand against smacking!'' site

Council of Europe Directorate of Communication
Tel: +33 (0)3 88 41 25 60
Fax:+33 (0)3 88 41 39 11