Bahrain attends HRC dialogue on violence against children

Bahrain’s delegation headed by Plenipotentiary Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Dr. Yusuf Abdulkarim Bucheeri, participated yesterday (Thursday, 7 March 2013), in the Interactive dialogue on violence against children and the Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. Ambassador Bucheeri spoke on behalf of the Arab Group, he condemned all forms of violence against children: mental, physical and psychological, and all appalling crimes of sexual violence, fully supporting the opinion of the Special Representative that any violence against children cannot be justified, and to prevent all forms of violence effectively is a shared responsibility of the international community. He stressed on the need to strengthen international cooperation to prevent and protect children from all forms of violence, and to put an end to impunity for crimes against children, reaffirming the Arab Group’s commitment to do all possible to aid the international community in this important issue. Ambassador Bucheeri welcomed the recommendations of the Permanent Representative which came in the special report on the integration of the recommendations of the Global Survey on the national policy agenda, he also called for states to intensify efforts to promote a culture of nonviolence, and to overcome the social acceptance of violence, as well as providing all types of support to the role played by the United Nations Children's Fund ( UNICEF) and other international organizations working to provide protection and support for child victims and those affected by sex tourism. Ambassador Bucheeri called for the international community to do more to ensure the protection of this vulnerable group from falling victim to abuse and exploitation of prostitution, trafficking and other means of abuse. In addition, he stressed on the need to focus on the root factors that which will lead to commercial sexual exploitation of children and to intensify efforts to address them, taking preventive measures to effectively to eliminate this phenomena. In conclusion, Ambassador Bucheeri praised recommendations made by the Special Rapporteur, and called on States parties to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols to strengthen their commitment to international laws providing legal responsibility to protect children from all forms of violence and sexual exploitation.