This report is report No. (55) of the economic and social rights series issued by the LCHR. The report aims to monitor violence against children during the first half of 2007. The report analyses the contents of newspapers to identify how the press describes violence against children, and the problems they suffer from, in addition to approximately knowing the scale of the violence to which children are exposed to. The report has depended on a vast majority of the daily and weekly Egyptian newspapers in monitoring violence against children.
These incidents were published during the first half of 2007 and have happened in most of the governorates of Egypt.
In its introductory section the report reviews the causes and manifestations of violence around the world and shows that this phenomenon can be eliminated by political will and realistic programs, and by improving the conditions of poor families and marginalized areas.
In its first part the report dealt with the most important manifestations and causes of domestic violence, which amounted to (41) incidents that have happened due to a variety of reasons such as: the child asking to see a family member, enuresis, suspicion of bad behavior or trying to evade child support…etc. These violent incidents have resulted in: murder, burns, injury, poisoning, bone fractures and bruises, complete coma, or - in some cases - the sale of children and waiving them for others.
In its second part the report monitors the sexual abuse against children which amounted to (86) incidents. These violent incidents have resulted in: the sexual abuse of children in the vicinity of their families - Girls were the ones most abused.
In its third part the report monitors the beatings of children inside and outside of school and inside and outside the family. These incidents have amounted to (37) incidents. These violent incidents have resulted in: death, injury and burns…etc. in addition to psychological damages.
In its forth part the report monitors the killings of children, which amounted to (28) incidents that have happened due to a variety of reasons, such as: theft, disagreements between friends or neighbors, family conflicts and – in some cases - to force the child to beg or to leave work.
The fifth part of the report shows the negligence of children's social, health, education and food rights, which amounts to (111) incidents of negligence.
The number of incidents of social welfare negligence amounted to (60) incidents that have happened for a variety of reasons, such as: lack of proper care from parents or state officials, having children from sinful relationships, a child falling from the balcony of his home, or the abusing rule of orphanages…etc. These violent incidents have resulted in: death, drowning, injury or imprisonment in some juvenile correction facility, child trafficking, in addition to the corruption of some of some social care facilities.
The number of incidents of healthcare negligence amounted to (33) incidents that have happened for a variety of reasons, such as: medical neglect, poor medical care by doctors, neglect of treatment and the corruption of officials. This neglect of children's rights has resulted in death and injury.
The number of incidents of educational care negligence amounted to (13) incidents that have happened for a variety of reasons, such as: the arbitrariness and corruption of school officials and the absence of care in addition to teachers beating pupils. These violent incidents have resulted in: injury, death, and humiliation
The number of incidents of food care negligence amounted to (5) incidents that have happened for a variety of reasons, such as: children eating bad and expired school meals or the disappearance of child milk. These violent incidents have resulted in: poisoning and deprivation of dairy products for infants.
In its sixth part the report shows the violence against working children, which amounted to (5) incidents that happened because of because of the mistreatment of employers and the poverty of the people. These violent incidents have resulted in: murder, injury and addiction.
The seventh part of the report addressed the problems of endangered children or children against the law, which amounted to (8) incidents. These incidents happened because of violence in the family, the neglect of families to take care of their children, drug trafficking, theft, pickpocketing and forcing children to beg. These violent incidents have resulted in imprisonment in some juvenile correction facility.
The eighth part of the report monitors official violence against children. These violent incidents have resulted in injury and detention .
In its ninth part the report reviews road accidents that claimed the lives of children, and other incidents which did not fall in any of the previous divisions, and which amounted to (68) incidents. These incidents happened for a variety of reasons, such as: the explosion of some waste, the leakage of gases that lead to suffocation, imbalance, drowning due to lack of swimming skills, or excessive car speeding…etc. These violent incidents have resulted in: death and injury.
In its conclusion the report reviewed the most important recommendations: banning all forms of violence against children, including all cruel and inhuman actions, removing all the causes that produce violence, implementing programs for the protection and support of homeless families and finding a suitable shelter for them, providing economic and social services in the areas suffering from violence, ensuring accountability and putting an end to impunity, and broadcasting programs that raise awareness through heard, seen and readable Media on the causes of these phenomena and how to address it and the role of civil society to resolve and improve the general climate in Egypt in order to implement alternative programs and policies which will lead to an Egypt without violence that protects its children and ensure the safety of all its citizens.
The full report will be published on our website as soon as we finish the translation.