Involving children and young people in violence prevention and protection

Executive summary of a two-day regional technical workshop held in Bangkok 5-6 March 2009 attended by Save the Children staff and partners from 18 countries in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Broadly, the workshop on involving children and young people in violence prevention and protection, stressed two points: that the child’s views and experiences should be at the centre of all matters affecting his or her protection; and that effective child protection must be part of a broader strategy to fully implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC).

The three key workshop objectives were: • Increase participants’ understanding, knowledge and skills so that they can effectively involve children and young people in the design, implementation and evaluation of legislation, policies and interventions that seek to prevent and protect them from all forms of violence; • Demonstrate how child protection systems can realise the rights of individual children and young people to be heard and taken seriously, as well as the different ways in which children and young people can be involved collectively in the design, implementation and evaluation of legislation, policies and interventions • Working within a human rights framework, provide guidance on ethical considerations, minimum standards of practice, and other specific requirements, including the allocation of resources, human and financial.