04. 06. 12

RISE PRESS RELEASE: UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY OF INNOCENT CHILDREN VICTIMS OF AGGRESSION – JUNE 4^TH 2012

RISE (St. Lucia) Inc. today recognizes the UN’s International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression – June 4^th 2012 -with a call to all responsible and caring persons to promote at least this day free of ALL forms of violence

On 19 August 1982, at its emergency special session on the question of Palestine, the UN General Assembly, “appalled at the great number of innocent Palestinian and Lebanese children victims of Israel’s acts of aggression”, decided to commemorate 4^thJune of each year as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (resolution ES-7/8). The purpose of the day is to acknowledge the pain suffered by children throughout the world who are the victims of physical, mental and emotional abuse. This day affirms the UN's commitment to protect the rights of children.

RISE wishes to use this day to invite Media partners and other responsible persons to join us in a strategic re-framing of the advocacy approach to child abuse prevention. To better galvanize public support and accountability for child abuse and its prevention we will, over the next few months, concentrate our efforts on changing the public’s frame of reference as regards child abuse. Currently, largely due to media sensationalism, most discussions on child abuse are distorted by the public horror and outcry over very severe cases, ending with the comforting distance most persons, including child protection professionals, put between themselves and ‘those horrible abusive animals’. RISE wishes instead to draw the public’s focus to the little, common, everyday child rights issues, using the theme: “every adult is a potential child abuser, even Me”), in this way encouraging wide-spread community responsibility for child abuse prevention through personal reflection and redress, early identification and reporting of ALL cases, not just the most severe, and acceptance of each person’s positive role in support for challenged parents, families and children.

RISE, with other NGO partners, this week releases St. Lucia’s 1^st ever NGO shadow report on the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child.

J. Bird/S. King

484-3571/484-3470

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LZxZ-scMkDxwimm5yujH9HJX35P9NnqqQPyMyCCsd0k/edit