High-Level Launching Event “Council of Europe Campaign to stop sexual violence against children”

Rome, Italy, 29-30 November 2010

Speech by Vice-President Dubravka Suica, Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, Council of Europe

Mr President,

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is not easy to speak after such an emotional testimony, a testimony which is a sombre reminder of what brought us together today. What we have just heard is sad proof of the gruesome reality of sexual violence against children, a nightmare for far too many. But the fact that we are here today, striving to put a stop to this violence, is a first sign of the awakening.

For the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities which I represent, this High-Level Launching Event is as solemn as it is tragic. It is tragic because this continent, which has suffered the most terrible wars in its history and has seen the most hideous crimes against humanity, has rebuilt itself on the philosophy of non-violence and respect for the rights of everyone. It is tragic that in Europe today, we are witnessing a widespread scourge of child abuse and violence, including sexual violence, against these most vulnerable and defenceless members of our society.

Yet this event is solemn because with the launching of the Council of Europe campaign to stop this violence, we recognise the problem loud and clear, and commit ourselves – all levels of society, all levels of government – to rise up to the challenge and put an end to this ugly crime. This is why I am proud to be here today, and I am proud that the Council of Europe Congress has been actively contributing to the work on violence against children and the Platform on Children’s Rights, much as we were part of the campaign to stop violence against women, and have been an active stakeholder in the programme “Building a Europe for and with children”.

It is only natural because violence against children and their sexual abuse are not taking place in a void. They are happening in our cities and regions, in a house next to us, behind the closed doors, shrouded in secrecy and protected by privacy. They are here, under our noses, within the reach of our ears. And if anybody can do something about it, local and regional authorities certainly can, which was fully proved by the campaign to stop violence against women. This is why the Congress has been mobilising the cities and regions of Europe to take an active stand in this matter.

The experiences and best practices at local and regional level, revealed through the participation in that campaign two years ago, resulted in a Congress resolution and recommendation adopted last year. We said that we must stop treating domestic violence as a private matter, and start dealing with it as we would with any other public crime. We proposed to take measures that are within the competences of local and regional authorities to protect, punish and prevent – protect the victims, punish the perpetrators, prevent the occurrence.

Also last year, the Congress focused specifically on domestic violence against children, which is sadly on the rise against the backdrop of the economic crisis. There are some crucial issues in the field of child protection which may come under the remit of regions or of local authorities – for example, the regulation and organisation of social and health services, and the adoption of specific quality standards for child-care services. In addition, regional and local governments usually have significant institutional competencies that can be used to balance across their territory the distribution of resources earmarked for the protection of children, by harmonising local needs, resources and priorities with national and international standards.

In our resolution and recommendation, we stressed the need to develop child protection strategies at territorial level, integrating the three dimensions of networking and participative planning, regulation and quality standards, as well as monitoring and evaluation. We also called for national action plans and coordination mechanisms, and asked governments to make the necessary legislative changes for the mandatory reporting of such crimes as well as the introduction of child-friendly judicial procedures. This would mean, among other things, ensuring that children are accompanied and supported along the whole judicial pathway by a mediator representing their interests, legal and otherwise.

These recommendations fully apply to sexual abuse as well. Sexual violence is a crime that cannot enjoy any shred of protection under privacy or family laws. It is a flagrant violation of children’s rights guaranteed under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. So, it is a matter for which we already have a legal basis, and indeed infrastructures and services built to address other problems of children. We do not need to begin from zero.

Finally, it is a problem that is clearly within the competence of local and regional authorities as well, because it affects the human rights situation in our communities. We must make sure that the conditions exist at territorial level for the full exercise of individual rights by all the residents, including children. This is why the contribution of local and regional authorities must also include more global efforts to create a child-friendly environment in our towns and cities, as the Congress proposed in its recommendation on the Child in the City, and as many European municipalities are already doing within the Cities for Children network. We are convinced that child-friendly justice in particular must be an integral part of this environment.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

As for any phenomenon covered in secrecy, speaking in a loud voice about it and raising awareness, especially among children and young people, is a first step. The slogan of the Council of Europe campaign to stop violence against women was “Break the silence on domestic violence”. Bringing down the wall of silence on what may be seen as private or family-related clears the way for public and civic action. It also brings out and brings together the different forces of society committed to taking this action – international organisations and European institutions, national governments and parliaments, local and regional authorities, civil society and the private sector.

This is why this campaign, the campaign to stop sexual violence against children, is so important. The high-level and very diverse participation in this event today is resounding proof that this scourge is a matter for all of us. For their part, local and regional authorities of Europe, who are the first line of defence of human rights in our communities, are standing up to this challenge together with you.

Thank you.