A38, an organization in which the name itself connotes Article 38, special provision of International Court of Justice which deals with “Sources of International Law”. The organization’s main objective is to provide limited resources to the research students in the areas in International Law. The origination now organized an online symposium on topic “ The Rule of Law in addressing Violence against Children: Success or Failure?”
Violence against Children is a global concern for decades, still no effective measures taken anywhere to protect children from terrible experiences. We are noticing that the trend of harassment of children in all kinds of educational institutions, factories, companies etc are increasing more and more day by day despite increasing in the number of International instruments, national laws, and undertakings made by politicians to protect children from causing annoyance. It is argued in a study made by UN General Secretary on Violence against Children, that as per article 19 of Convention on the Rights of the Child, violence means all kinds of physical and mental violence, injury and abuse, neglect treatment, and ill-treatment which includes sexual abuse. The study also described five important places where violence against children takes place, viz., the family, schools, alternative care institutions and detention facilities, places where children work, and in their communities. It is known fact that children for centuries are suffering such violence with the adults and this issue was not taken care for decades. But it is emergent that governments should take initiatives to curb violence against the children in the tender age as it may upset the development of nervous and immune systems and may led to both physical and mental problems to the child. More recently happened events were attacks by the Boko Haram against children, gun violence in schools in Pakistan, institutional child sex abuse in India, and the use of child soldiers constantly in wars. We need raise the voice on behalf of the children as they are not able to express their actual distress. Children are very much has the right to respect and protection from various kinds of abuse and violence that has been guaranteed by various human rights treaties enacted by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other International legal instruments pertaining to International Criminal, human rights and labour law. Also International Covenant on Economic Social and Cultural Rights stipulated that children should be protected from being exploited from socially and economically. To protect future generation of nation, it is high time for all countries to recognize this children right to protection as paramount and think that whether rule of law laid down against this menace is success or failure? Or it is extremely necessary to enact more effective laws than the previous ones to safeguard the children who are the future generation for the nation, from physical and mental abuse. It is urged by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of India that all countries required to initiate programs and associations to ensure enforcement of child rights.
In the recent times, people’s moment in United Kingdom to culminate the exemptions from punishments given to the perpetrators of child sex abuse triggered to conduct this online symposium inviting legal articles analyzing on this issue with enlarged view through national and international laws. The main objective of organizing the current symposium is an effort to enhance the views in reality extensively on violence against children through various aspects.
Details of submission:
- Authors should submit their articles along with their profile by March 15, 2015.
- Articles not be more than 1,500 words (including footnotes) and to be submitted to A CONTRARIO ICL at acontrarioicl@gmail.com with subject line “Symposium.” (http://acontrarioicl.com)
- Articles with 3,000 -10,000 words (including footnotes) should be submitted to A38 Online Law Journal at submissions@athirtyeight.com with subject line “Symposium.” (www.athirtyeight.com).
Note: Eight papers (four in each group) will be chosen for a live online presentation through Google+ Hangouts.
by Anitha Gutti