The Secretary-General's study on violence against
children will provide an in-depth picture of the prevalence, nature and causes of
violence against children. It will put forward recommendations for consideration by
Member States, the UN system and civil society for appropriate action, including
effective remedies and preventive and rehabilitative measures at the national and
international levels.

National Action Briefings:
A briefing document on the Secretary-General's study on violence against children
(available in English, Spanish and French) has just been produced by the NGO
Advisory Panel for the study specifically for national-level NGOs. This action
briefing:
- Provides details of the history, aims and scope of the Study;
- Highlights the importance of national action;
- Identifies first steps to be taken by NGOs and other elements of civil society to
make the most of this Study at national level;
- Lists possible national activities;
- Provides contact details for the study secretariat, NGO contacts, and the regional
focal points for regional consultations to be held in 2005.

Government Questionnaires:
Earlier this year, the UN circulated questionnaires to all governments, requesting
information regarding key legislation, policy, programmes, data and other
information related to violence against children. Governments were asked to submit
the completed questionnaire by July 31. However, so far only about 30 governments
have responded. Below is a provisional list of these governments. Although other
governments are reportedly close to finishing, you might consider contacting your
government if it does not appear on the list below, to encourage it to complete the
questionnaire as quickly as possible.

Responses to the questionnaire have been received from:
1. Andorra
2. Argentina
3. Armenia
4. Australia
5. Azerbaijan
6. Burkina Faso
7. Chile
8. China
9. Costa Rica
10. Democratic Republic of Congo
11. Denmark
12. El Salvador
13. Estonia
14. Finland
15. Guatemala
16. Guinea
17. Hungary
18. Italy
19. Japan
20. Kuwait
21. Latvia
22. Malaysia
23. Mauritius
24. Mauritania
25. Pakistan
26. Qatar
27. Russian Federation
28. Singapore
29. Slovak Rep
30. Ukraine
31. Uzbekistan

For more information, contact:
Jo Becker, Human Rights Watch
Email: beckerj@hrw.org
Melanie Gow, World Vision International
Email: Melanie_Gow@wvi.org
Co-conveners, Subgroup on Children and Violence

To read the National Action Briefing in English, French and Spanish, go to:
http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/NGOCRC/subgroup-violence/Update_27_08_04.doc.

For more information on the United Nations Study on Violence against Children, and
to access the questionnaire in five languages, visit:
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/study.htm

To read previous updates, UN resolutions, and other documents related to the study,
visit: http://www.crin.org/docs/resources/publications/NGOCRC/subgroup-violence.htm [Source: CRIN]