'Ending violence against children is possible with greater government accountability' says World Vision

Children have paid the price when governments’ ambitious commitments to end violence are diluted by unclear accountabilities and inadequate resources, explains a new report by aid agency World Vision. The report outlines how the goal of ending violence against children is possible if governments are held accountable to deliver on specific services and enforceable policies that protect children and young people.  

Launched on 1 December at an event hosted by MEP Nathalie Griesbeck in the European Parliament, the report Accountability and Getting to Zero Violence Against Children explains a ‘business as usual’ approach to achieving the new Sustainable Development Goals will not be sufficient.

“Ensuring the promises of the Sustainable Development Goals become reality in the lives of children will require creativity, persistence and accountability,” said World Vision Senior Policy Advisor Tamara Tutnjevic. “Accountability is crucial. Without it, our promises to protect the world’s most vulnerable children will be in jeopardy.”

The World Vision report say challenges include inadequate data and data collection mechanisms about violence against children, poor service coverage that depend on a diverse range of providers with vague responsibilities, often spread across a variety of facilities, institutions and ministries.

Overcoming these challenges will be critical to ensure the new global goals deliver on their commitments, says World Vision. The aid agency says one approach is to put in place social accountability systems, which creates real-time feedback loops between citizens and their governments. Social accountability systems involve local service providers, local government, community members, traditional and faith leaders.

Accountability and Getting to Zero Violence against Children includes five key recommendations:  

1)        Governments should be held accountable to ensure specific services and enforceable policies that protect children.

2)        Health, education and other relevant public sectors should be held accountable for their role in preventing and addressing violence at community levels.

3)        Governments are accountable for accessibility and performance of family and child support services to prevent and respond to violence against children, especially those that are most vulnerable.

4)        In contexts where formal accountability mechanisms linked to the elimination of violence against children are weak or under-developed, innovative partnerships involving government, civil society and the private sector can be an alternative in the short to medium term.

5)        Governments must put in place or strengthen national co-ordination mechanisms to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are engaged in developing national strategies aimed at eliminating violence against children. Sufficient flexibility must be allowed to cater for different local contexts

“By adapting social accountability strategies to address the unique, contextual aspects of child protection, governments, civil society and the public can work together to ensure the Sustainable Development Goals delivers for the vulnerable children who should be at the centre of the new global agenda,” added Tutnjevic.