November 19: World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse

Every November 19, the World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse is commemorated, an initiative of the Foundation of the World Summit for Women (FCMM). To celebrate this day, 149 organizations from 59 countries around the world have joined forces to support prevention strategies for this serious problem, which affects, to a greater or lesser degree, all countries, whether developed or not.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child states in its article 19 that “it is the State party's obligation to protect children from all forms of violence and abuse, whether by parents or by any other person dedicated to their care”. For this reason, governments and social organizations are called to play an important role in promoting respect for children's rights, as specifically stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, articles 19 and 34.

In Venezuela, these rights are reflected in the Organic Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents (LOPNA), in order to contribute to the protection of children against abuse, and in accordance with the World Women's Summit Foundation, which launched in 2000; The World Day for the Prevention of Child Abuse. Argentina, for its part, incorporated this Convention with constitutional status in 1994.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that in Latin America at least six million children are victims of serious aggression and 80,000 die each year from various forms of domestic violence.

The importance of the World Day for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse lies in the fact that child abuse and exploitation, especially of a sexual nature, constitute a universal and alarming problem. Cases such as those in Ireland are of global concern because of the number of reported cases of child abuse by pastoral figures. This is why UNICEF calls for efficient and sustained prevention and protection measures as necessary within the family, local, national and international spheres.

Mazo News Team