UN On Child Abuse
Written by Brian Garst, Posted in General/Misc.
Child abuse ‘widespread’, UN says
Violence against children is widespread and tolerated around the world, a report by the UN has claimed.
A four-year study to be presented in New York says many youngsters faced physical abuse that was either hidden or socially approved.
Almost six million children have been forced into work and many more have become prostitutes, the UN said.
This is certainly a serious matter. Unfortunately, things that we should be rightfully concerned about are overshadowed by the radical agenda of the study’s sponsors.
The report’s authors found that more than one billion children around the world could still be beaten legally by their teachers.
Other statistics outline sexual abuse, domestic violence and the treatment of children being held in detention.
The author of the report, Professor Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, told BBC News it was time for children to have the same rights under law as adults.
“This is the moment to recognise children as being protected by rights, as full citizens, and not as mini-human beings or the property of their families,” he said.
The author starts from the assumption that discipline administered by teachers is always wrong, and therefore prima facie evidence of “abuse.” I suspect many parents would disagree. Nevertheless, while it may be erroneous to assume such a position, it is at least still a legitimate viewpoint.
His other argument, that children should have the same rights as any adult, is simply absurd. Children are incapable of making the decisions adults have to make. That’s why parents make them for them. Parents assume the responsibility to care for their offspring until they can care for themselves.
One cannot simply ‘wish away’ the necessity for this arrangement. There is no magical piece of legislation that will make a 5 year old capable of getting a job, paying bills and making life decisions.
It’s precisely this kind of stupidity that makes the UN a laughing stock in the eyes of so many Americans. It’s unfortunate that they are incapable of keeping their radical nonsense out of their work, even on issues as important as child welfare.
If these people were truly serious about the welfare of children, they’d address the brainwashing of children into the cult of violent jihad.
I serve as Vice President of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a non-profit think tank dedicated to preserving tax competition and free markets. This site features my personal views, which are not reflective of CF&P.