Children in the community and family
Ugandan "Night Commuter" children are seen in front of their tent as they get ready to leave at sunrise from the Noah's Ark Night Commuters Center 10 December 2005 in Gulu, Uganda. Children from rural areas make nightly journey to the safety and relative comfort of the various refugee centres set up in local towns and run by humanitarian agencies. The practice of night commuting began as a means to safeguard children against possible abduction by the rebel Lord's Resistance Army, but has become increasingly a means to overcome the extreme deprivation of many of the remoter regions. Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images
Abuses faced by children in the family and community range from ill-treatment in institutions to violence at home, from child trafficking to child bonded labour. The vulnerability of children to such abuses often depends on other aspects of their identity, such as gender, ethnicity or economic status. The denial of one set of rights leads to the abuse of others.
Governments are obliged to protect children from physical or mental violence or abuse while in the care of ''parents, legal guardians or any other person who has the care of the child'', including teachers and employers. Children also have the right to be free from sexual abuse and exploitation, and to be protected from hazardous and exploitative forms of labour.
Similarly, all children in the care of public or private institutions must be protected from all forms of mental, physical and emotional abuse.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child reaffirms the rights of children to an adequate living standard and adequate health care, social security and education. Delivering on this commitment is an enormous challenge for any government, requiring a combination of legal, economic and social measures.
Updated: 6 February 2006