Professor Sun Meng from our college was interviewed by China Women's News on the protection of children's rights.

"Violence against children is a pressing global human rights issue that severely harms their physical and mental health and overall development," said Sonam Drolma, associate researcher at the Institute of Religious Studies of the China Tibetology Research Center, during her speech at the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 12. She stated that China has established a multi-level, cross-departmental child protection system and implemented comprehensive measures to effectively safeguard children's rights. China also actively collaborates with other developing countries through social organization partnerships to promote child rights protection, contributing to the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

From February 24 to April 4, 2025, during the 58th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Sonam Drolma addressed the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on violence against children, emphasizing that violence against children remains an urgent global human rights issue that gravely endangers their physical and mental well-being and holistic development. She urged all nations to actively implement child protection components within the SDGs and increase investments.

"While the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development established Goal 16, a decade later, violence including wars and domestic abuse remains prevalent. The international community must take more urgent and effective actions," Sonam Drolma stressed in her remarks.

Regarding this issue, Professor Sun Meng from the Human Rights Institute of China University of Political Science and Law told China Women's News that "globally, violence against children has always been a core challenge in child rights protection, severely impacting their survival and development. All countries should prioritize this matter."

Sun Meng elaborated that current forms of violence against children include physical abuse (starvation, exposure, restraint, maltreatment), emotional violence causing psychological trauma, sexual violence with devastating impacts, systemic violence such as child labor and sexual exploitation, and emerging digital-era cyberviolence like online sexual harassment. She emphasized that SDG Goal 16 serves as the fundamental framework to address these issues, explicitly requiring the elimination of abuse, exploitation, trafficking, and all forms of violence and torture against children.

Sun Meng analyzed that violence against children stems from multiple economic, social, and cultural factors. Economically, frequent family financial crises leave parents overwhelmed, neglecting children's needs and lacking parenting knowledge. Socially, outdated perceptions in some regions still treat children as appendages rather than independent subjects. Moreover, community organizations and law enforcement sometimes dismiss child violence as "family matters," resulting in insufficient state intervention. Culturally, practices like honor killings and child marriage persist in certain areas, severely violating children's rights, particularly discriminating against girls.

Sun Meng noted that other SDG targets also support combating child violence. Target 5.2 mandates eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, including trafficking and sexual exploitation. Target 8.7 urges nations to eradicate forced labor, modern slavery, and child labor, including the worst forms like child soldiers. "These targets complement child rights protection and help eliminate violence against children," she added.

Regarding solutions, Sonam Drolma contributed "Chinese wisdom" at the UN session: "Countries should actively implement and invest more in SDG child protection measures. While many have policies, greater funding is needed for family support, violence prevention, and essential services like housing, education, and healthcare to eradicate root causes like poverty and reduce violence."

"Achieving Goal 16 requires systemic governance. China has established mandatory reporting and placement systems, creating a multi-departmental 'safety net' encompassing legal, medical, and psychological support," Sonam Drolma explained. She called for strengthened international framework application, enhanced monitoring, and experience-sharing to advance solutions and SDG implementation.

Sun Meng observed that the Council's focus on child violence addresses the most fundamental issues in child development against urgent real-world backdrops: escalating armed conflicts exposing child violence and emerging digital-era abuses. "Through exchanging practical experiences, we hope to forge global consensus, prompting nations to reflect and act, building safer futures for children worldwide," she concluded.

Original author: Gao Shufan

Reprinted from: China Women's News, WeChat Official Account "Ren Zhi Yan"