Council of Europe standards: Made in Europe, but not meant for Europe only

Deputy Secretary General participates in a High Level Round Table on the Role of Regional Organisations on the elimination of violence against children. United Nations, New York, 11 October 2011

Addressing delegates from the United Nations member states, the Deputy Secretary General referred to the main results emerging from the Council of Europe commitment to the elimination of violence against children. She highlighted the 47 member states consensus in a number of far-reaching legal standards in the fields of trafficking, sexual violence and domestic violence. When referring to the need to promote a culture of respect for children’s rights, Mrs de Boer-Buquicchio explained that the Council of Europe “has tackled sensitive topics and challenged public attitudes and perceptions concerning children” in its process of promoting the implementation of the recommendations of the UN Study on Violence against Children. She in particular underlined the progress achieved thanks to the Council of Europe campaigns against corporal punishment and sexual violence, as well as the development of guidelines on child friendly justice and child friendly health care.

The round table was organised by Ms Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General on Violence against Children, in collaboration with UNICEF and was the first-ever meeting of regional organisations and institutions on violence against children. It gathered representatives from the Council of Europe, the League of Arab States, MERCOSUR Pro-Tempore Permanent Commission of the Initiative Nin@Sur, the South Asia Initiative to End violence against children (SAIEVAC) and the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.

Mrs de Boer-Buquicchio underlined that the standards adopted by the Council of Europe were at the disposal of any country and region in the world committed to the elimination of violence against children, as these standards are “made in Europe, but not meant for Europe only”.

Read the Joint Statement from the High-Level Round Table on the Role of Regional Organizations on the Protection of Children from Violence.

View the Webcast of the Event