October 15, 2015 - October 16, 2015
CSO Event
The consultation is open to members of civil society organizations and the academe that are actively advocating for children’s rights and social budgeting in Asia-Pacific. Representatives of government agencies focusing on social welfare, children’s rights, and public finance will also attend the consultation. Children will have a separate session, but will also be invited as observers during the consultation.
Date: 15-16 October 2015
Venue: Quezon City, Philippines
The topics of violence against children and increased investment in children are very much related. Violence against children has immense social and individual cost. According to the 2014 study of UNICEF, the estimated economic burden due to child maltreatment in East Asia and the Pacific is $194 billion or 1.36% to 2.52% of the gross domestic product. On the other hand, increased investment in children can prevent and help protect children from violence. Efforts to combat violence on children need social and state investments.
At the regional level, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) will meet on 18-20 October 2015 in Manila, Philippines to discuss the Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Children, and the Commission’s five-year work plan. At the international level, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) is drafting General Comment No. 19 on Public Spending and the Rights of Children. The General Comment is being developed by the Committee through a transparent and consultative process, which involves a wide range of state and non-state actors at the national, regional, and international levels.
Local participation for these regional and international initiatives will be highlighted during the Regional Consultation on the Elimination of Violence against Children and Improved Public Investment on Children organized by Child Rights Coalition Asia (CRC Asia) and Philippine NGO Coalition on United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, through the support of Save the Children, UNICEF, and Plan International.
The consultation has the following objectives:
- To provide updated information to CSOs, national coalitions, and CRC Asia on child rights issues, especially on the elimination of violence against children and public investment in the realization of the rights of the child and other advocacy issues
- To learn and share experiences and ideas on developing programs to advocate for public investment in the realization of the rights of the child in the Asian region
- To involve the CSOs in the Asian region in the development of the General Comment on Public Investment and the Rights of the Child of the UN CRC
The consultation is open to members of civil society organizations and the academe that are actively advocating for children’s rights and social budgeting in Asia-Pacific. Representatives of government agencies focusing on social welfare, children’s rights, and public finance will also attend the consultation. Children will have a separate session, but will also be invited as observers during the consultation.
The first day of the consultation will include presentations on violence against children by ACWC commissioners, and country sharing of experiences on budgeting for children by selected civil society organizations. The second day of the consultation will be composed of workshops facilitated by UN CRC to get inputs on the contents of the draft General Comment No. 19.
For more information, please contact Hazel Bitaña at [email protected].
Further Contact
For more information, please contact Hazel Bitaña at [email protected].
