Religious leaders endorse UNICEF-backed declaration on violence against children
Senior religious leaders from across the globe today endorsed the Declaration on Violence against Children, an instrument aimed at combating violence against society’s youngest members that was developed with the help of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Senior religious leaders from across the globe today endorsed the Declaration on Violence against Children, an instrument aimed at combating violence against society’s youngest members that was developed with the help of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Delegates representing more than 70 inter-religious groups made the endorsement at the Eighth World Assembly of Religions for Peace in Kyoto, Japan. The Declaration commits religious and faith communities to confront violence against children and protect children in their communities.
The document was developed during a global consultation this past May in Toledo, Spain, which was convened by UNICEF and Religions for Peace, a coalition of leaders representing the world’s major faiths.
“UNICEF has a long history of working with religious communities across the globe. Their moral authority and their vast constituencies make them uniquely powerful allies for children,” said the agency’s Executive Director, Ann Veneman. “This Declaration is a rallying call for religious groups to unite around this common cause: the protection of children from violence of all kinds.”
The Declaration will be presented, along with a report on violence against children, to the General Assembly on 9 October.