As defined in various international legal instruments, children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, physically or mentally. International law directs States to ensure that children are properly cared for and to protect them from violence, abuse and neglect. Should they be victims of violence, States shall take all appropriate measures to promote physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration.
The UNODC Ending Violence Against Children Team promotes, promulgates and protects a human rights and child rights-based approach to the phenomenon of violence against children.
The international legal framework on child rights serves as a benchmark for action to ensure the continued determination of the international community to protect and uphold the fundamental child rights which are enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other key international standards and norms pertaining to the rights of the child.
The Beijing Rules, Riyadh Guidelines, Havana Rules, Vienna Guidelines, Guidelines on Justice in Matters involving Child Victims and Witnesses of Crime and UN Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence Against Children are available in Part Two of the Compendium of United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice which is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.
