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Today we celebrate the International Day for the Fight Against Child Abuse in one of the most difficult moments in the history of humanity, where a pandemic of COVID-19 is paralyzing the world, highlighting the vulnerability of women and men, regardless of age, nationality or social status. All countries on five continents have been forced to declare states of emergency and adopt health measures to contain the spread of a virus and preserve as many lives as possible.
There are other situations, which also compromise the lives of children that have been increasing as a result of the responses provided within the framework of COVID 19, but which nevertheless remain silent. Abuse of children and adolescents can be as lethal as or more lethal than a virus. Physical, sexual, emotional or neglectful abuse are some of the forms of maltreatment that mark the lives of millions of children around the world.
Most violence against children occurs in their homes and the pandemic has aggravated this situation due to, among other factors, the confinement measures implemented and the increased psychosocial stress on families. This is compounded by the interruption or low level of functioning of protective services, resulting in the invisibility of child maltreatment.
From civil society organizations in Latin America and the Caribbean we raise our voices for a world free of violence against children. There is sufficient bibliography on the negative effects of abuse against children and adolescents, ranging from death or serious injury to severe limitations in emotional and psychological development, being, at this time, the family the space where violence is present and day by day increases in frequency and severity.
Recalling the Pronouncement of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, the IACHR Resolution on The Pandemic and Human Rights in Latin America and the Call of the United Nations experts to mitigate the risks of violence against children, we call on the States of Latin America and the Caribbean to:
