According to their age and capacity, children face challenges in protecting themselves from violations of their rights, or even take advantage of services or forms of protection that may be available in their communities. Particular situations or environment can be more dangerous for children than adults, and some violations leave permanent emotional and physical scars on their lives.
Save the Children Sweden works with partners at national and regional levels to ensure that children are protected against all forms of violence, abuse and exploitation. We let children know that violence against them is a violation of their rights. We build capacity of parents and caretakers of non-violence parenting and disciplining approaches. And we campaign for laws and mechanisms that provide greater protection for children in the longer term.
Positive Discipline – the non violent approach to childrearing
Since the introduction of Save the Children Sweden’s Positive Discipline Programme and materials in Southeast Asia and the Pacific in 2007, today Positive Discipline is one of the most sought after publications on non-violent approach to childrearing in the region. Translated into 13 languages, the publications are now available in Asia, Middle East, and Europe. Save the Children Sweden promotes Positive Discipline to change public attitudes towards corporal punishment and violence against children. Together with partners, we organise Positive Discipline training to shift childrearing approach and drum up support for further raising community awareness and support to national efforts in banning corporal punishment.
Child protection system
Our experience tells us that in order to protect children, we need not only to work with parents and schoolteachers, but also all people who have direct and indirect contact with children. Save the Children Sweden and partners support the formation of community-based system and group of people who volunteer to safeguard children from violence that may harm their ways. In Thailand, we establish and strengthen community mechanisms that will prevent, respond and protect children from abuse and violence. Not only parents are trained on positive discipline, but community members are also sensitised on the roles and responsibilities of local government officials who have the obligation to fulfil children’s rights.
Legal reform to prohibit violence against children
Physical and humiliating punishment is a form of abuse which is socially accepted, and remains legal in most societies across the region. Laws that tolerate violence against children when disguised as discipline undermine child protection. Save the Children and partners urge governments in Hong Kong, Mongolia, the Philippines and Thailand to insert an explicit prohibition on physical and humiliating punishment into family, civil, and education laws. The legal prohibition should apply to public and private schools, the justice system, other institutions and alternative forms of care.
Children and young people’s participation is essential in increasing the awareness and capacity of children and adults to end violence, and should be central to any action that aims to eliminate violence against children. Save the Children supports the Youth Network for Development in Thailand to gather children and young people’s opinions on the national policies policy and strategies on prevention and elimination of violence against children.