A publication about girls escaping natural disasters and violent conflict in Eastern Africa
Children are on the move. In East Africa region, it is estimated that over 5 million children have migrated across borders or been forcibly displaced in
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their own country.
Forcable displacement is pushing more and more children out of their homes and communities, escaping the violence of war and conflict, only to fall vulnerable to other forms of violence. Girls are particularly vulnerable and need extra protection.
Every day, girls on the move in East Africa face a variety of rights violations, including:
• Exploitation and violence
• Being separated from their families
• Deprivation of essential services
• Use and recruitment by armed groups
• Sexual abuse
• Child marriage
This report highlights concerns that girls in eastern Africa face and calls on international and national decision makers to prevent and end violence that children face when they are forced to flee their homes.
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Miscellaneous
Chapter J.3
Palm Oil and Children in Indonesia : Exploring the Sector's Impact on Children's Rights
This document provides a guidance on the importance of consulting with children with disabilities. It provides practical suggestions for consulting with children and young people with disabilities in a variety of situations. It aims to equip indivi
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duals working on child rights with the knowledge and skills necessary to communicate with children with a variety of disabilities.
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In its resolution 34/16, the Human Rights Council decided to focus its next full-day meeting on “Protecting the rights of the child in humanitari
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an situations” and invited the Office of the High Commissioner to prepare a report on that issue, in close collaboration with relevant stakeholders. The report is to be presented to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-seventh session to inform the annual day of discussion on children’s rights.
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The report showed commitments made three decades ago to protect the rights of children remain unfulfilled for millions. Violence still affects countless children. Discrimination based on age, gender, disability, sexual orientation
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and religion harms children worldwide.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty in history. It has prompted substantial investment in children’s health, education and safety and the adoption of laws and policies that recognise the rights of children, particularly in areas where they are vulnerable, including labour exploitation, corporal punishment, alternative care and forced and early marriage.
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Vol 5 No 27 | ISSN 2039-2117 (online) | ISSN 2039-9340 (print) | The rate of sexual victimization of mentally retarded children is alarming and it goes unnoticed because the perpetrators could be parents, step- parents, relatives, well-respected ind
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ividuals by family members, neighbours and educators. Drawing from labelling theory that the mentally retarded have low IQ, majority of perpetrators tend not to get arrested because of lack of evidence. Research indicates that educators struggle to identify the psychological, behavioural and physical symptoms of sexual abuse owing to their limited training. Having employed systematic review as methodology, this research study found that mentally retarded children are prone to HIV/AIDS, PTSD and feelings of helplessness owing to uninvolvement of parents, dysfunctional communities, poverty and their inability to differentiate between abuse and affection. Based on the findings, the recommendations are that: (1) extensive training for professionals, families and community members be executed to protect children with intellectual disability. Furthermore, the rights of the mentally retarded children must be respected in the court of law when reporting sexual abuse.
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A policy brief on child marriage in Zambia. Child marriage is a human rights violation, and enda
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ngers young people' personal development and well-being; thus reducing opportunities to realize their full potential. Protecting girls from child marriage is a national priority and key towards sustainable development.
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Palliative care for children with life-limiting illness is the active total care of the child’s body, mind, and spirit. It begins at diagnosis and
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continues regardless of whether the child receives treatment directed at the disease. It seeks to control all forms of suffering related to the illness, including pain. It involves social, psychological, spiritual, and legal support to siblings, parents, and other close family members. Effective palliative care for children requires health professionals trained to assess symptoms, care for children of different ages and developmental stages, and to provide medicines in pediatric formulations. Care may be provided in tertiary care facilities, community health centers, and at home. The child’s best interest must inform all aspects of the treatment andcare, and the child’s rights must be protected at all times.
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in Tackling the Migration Crisis under the safe third country and first country of asylum concept. Accessed at 5 April 2016
KEY MESSAGES
Always talk to a GBV specialist first to understand what GBV services are available in your area. Some services may take the form of hotlines, a mobile app or other remote support.
Be aware of any other available services in your area. Identify services provided by humanitarian pa
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rtners such as health, psychosocial support, shelter and non-food items. Consider services provided by communities such as mosques/ churches, women’s groups and Disability Service Organizations.
Remember your role. Provide a listening ear, free of judgment. Provide accurate, up-to-date information on available services. Let the survivor make their own choices. Know what you can and cannot manage. Even without a GBV actor in your area, there may be other partners, such as a child protection or mental health specialist, who can support survivors that require additional attention and support. Ask the survivor for permission before connecting them to anyone else. Do not force the survivor if s/he says no.
Do not proactively identify or seek out GBV survivors. Be available in case someone asks for support.
Remember your mandate. All humanitarian practitioners are mandated to provide non-judgmental and non-discriminatory support to people in need regardless of: gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability status, age, ethnicity/tribe/race/religion, who perpetrated/committed violence, and the situation in which violence was committed. Use a survivor-centered approach by practicing:
Respect: all actions you take are guided by respect for the survivor’s choices, wishes, rights and dignity.
Safety: the safety of the survivor is the number one priority.
Confidentiality: people have the right to choose to whom they will or will not tell their story. Maintaining confidentiality means not sharing any information to anyone.
Non-discrimination: providing equal and fair treatment to anyone in need of support.
If health services exist, always provide information on what is available. Share what you know, and most importantly explain what you do not. Let the survivor decide if s/he wants to access them. Receiving quality medical care within 72 hours can prevent transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and within 120 hours can prevent unwanted pregnancy.
Provide the opportunity for people with disabilities to communicate to you without the presence of their caregiver, if wished and does not endanger or create tension in that relationship.
If a man or boy is raped it does not mean he is gay or bisexual. Gender-based violence is based on power, not someone’s sexuality.
Sexual and gender minorities are often at increased risk of harm and violence due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. Actively listen and seek to support all survivors.
Anyone can commit an act of gender-based violence including a spouse, intimate partner, family member, caregiver, in-law, stranger, parent or someone who is exchanging money or goods for a sexual act.
Anyone can be a survivor of gender-based violence – this includes, but isn’t limited to, people who are married, elderly individuals or people who engage in sex work.
Protect the identity and safety of a survivor. Do not write down, take pictures or verbally share any personal/identifying information about a survivor or their experience, including with your supervisor. Put phones and computers away to avoid concern that a survivor’s voice is being recorded.
Personal/identifying information includes the survivor’s name, perpetrator(s) name, date of birth, registration number, home address, work address, location where their children go to school, the exact time and place the incident took place etc.
Share general, non-identifying information
To your team or sector partners in an effort to make your program safer.
To your support network when seeking self-care and encouragement.
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Accessed on 10.03.2021
This law guidebook is a simplified summary of Kenyan disability policy, so that those who have disabilities or are associated with them can be aware of their rights. This gu
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idebook is meant to be an introduction and a simple guide to Kenyan laws that concern people with disabilities. It must be noted that this guidebook is not comprehensive. If the reader wants to know more about a specific law, she or she should look it up. All of the laws and policies have been cited so the reader can find them in the respective legal documents.
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Accessed on 02.02.2020
Child marriage is a serious Violation of human Rights and a severe form of ch
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ild abuse, and disproportionately affects girls.
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Protecting the fundamental rights of people affected by HIV
Under the Constitution of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (2008), every citizen - including people living with HIV - has the right to work, access health care,
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and receive basic education.
However, stigma and discrimination remains, preventing people living with HIV (PLHIV) from accessing health services, maintaining employment and receiving education – denying them of the fundamental rights that all Myanmar citizens are entitled to under the law.
No publication year indicated.
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A policy brief highlighting key factors associated with adolescent pregnancy. Adolescent pregnancy undermines girls’ human rights and reduces opportunities to realize their full potential.
Five years into a conflict that has left 80% of Yemen’s population in need of humanitarian aid, the UN has issued a broad and scathing report detailing violations of international human rights
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and humanitarian law by all sides in the conflict.
A year of investigations by the Group of International and Regional Eminent Experts on Yemen found a disturbing pattern of violations ranging from arbitrary detention to sexual violence to child recruitment—and “a pervasive lack of accountability” for these violations.
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Sixty-four mayors in nine regions across Senegal are now budgeting locally for family planning—a transformation in prioritizing access to contraceptives for women there. Mayors only recently obtained the authority to budget for family planning due to a change in national
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law in 2014. Advocates acted quickly and strategically to capitalize on this new authority: from 2014 to 2017, 64 mayors budgeted a total of 73.8 million West African CFA francs (XOF), about US $125,000. Although many are seemingly small amounts, typically about $2,000, these commitments reflect important, first-time contributions from these local leaders—and a strong indicator of growing local ownership for family planning.
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