Safe and child-sensitive counselling, complaint and reporting mechanisms to address violence against children

Counseling, reporting and complaint mechanisms are still often unavailable or difficult to access, particularly by vulnerable children. Where they exist, they often lack the needed resources and skills to address the concerns of children and promote the healing and reintegration of victims.

Based on information from governments and many other stakeholders, as well as research conducted, this report provides an overview of existing counseling, complaint and reporting mechanisms, drawing attention to positive developments and persisting challenges.

While many efforts have been made, the report recognizes that these initiatives remain fragmented and are not always developed specifically for children. They are insufficient to secure children’s protection from violence and fail to be accepted as core components of a robust child protection system.

The report provides a set of guiding principles derived from existing human rights standards, and puts forward practical recommendations to accelerate progress in making safe, child sensitive and effective mechanisms available for all children.