Annual Report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children 2020

The Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children of 2020 was marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and its unprecedented global impact, which necessitated swift adaptation of the mandate holder’s planned activities.

The pandemic and the mitigation measures taken have increased the risk of children to violence, especially those who were already vulnerable before the pandemic. They have also reduced the capacity of essential services to effectively prevent and respond to violence, and threaten to undermine the progress for children promised in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Children urgently need access to sustainably financed social protection systems linked to properly resourced child-protection services. The allocation of adequate budgets and the strengthening of services for the well-being of children and their protection from all forms of violence must be recognized as an investment that will be key to the success of the pandemic recovery. 

This annual report presents both accomplishments and arenas for further development in the goal towards a world free from violence against children.