1
Dont children deserve better than that?

• Sue Berelowitz
• Deputy Childrens Commissioner for England
• and
• Carlene Firmin
• Senior Policy Officer, ROTA

2
Childrens Commissioner (CA 2004) has a duty
to

• promote awareness of the views and interests
  of children
• consider or research any matter relating to
  children
• encourage people who work with children to
  gather their views and to
• take account of them
• focus on the five Every Child Matters
  outcomes
• focus on the most vulnerable children
• have regard to the United Nations Convention
  on the Rights of the Child
• (UNCRC)
• Unique powers
• to enter any premises where a child or young
  person is cared for except their private home
• to speak to any child in private as long as the
  child agrees

3
UNCRC

• Article 3 best interests
• Article 12 respect for views of the child
• Article 16 right to privacy
• Article 19 protection from violence
• Article 24 health and health services
• Article 34 protection from sexual abuse
  exploitation
• Article 35 abduction
• Article 36 protection from all other forms of
  exploitation

4
At risk of Sexual Violence in SYV
5
Distinctions and Clarifications

• Multiple Perpetrator Rape
• Gang-associated sexual violence
• Sexual Violence as SYV
• Sexual exploitation in a criminal gang context
• Sexual exploitation outside of a criminal gang
  context
• Misuse of gang-rape

6
Sexual Violence, VAWG and SYV

• Serious Youth Violence defined as murder,
  attempted murder, GBH and weapon use where victim
  and offender are both under the age of 21
• Why is sexual violence not included in this?
• Violence against Women rarely considers sexual
  violence where both the offender and the victim
  are under the age of 18 this is not the same as
  child abuse

7
To make life better for children, they should
listen to our point of view more. It is after
all our life. (Girl, 12 years)
www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk