A/HRC/34/27
remedial action, and child protection systems must be strengthened in an integrated manner,
including through the transformation of legislation and policies to prohibit all forms of
violence against children, alongside supportive measures in relation to services and social
norms.
25.
Commitments under target 16.2 to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms
of violence against and torture of children in all circumstances; and targets under Goal 5 to
eliminate violence against women and girls (target 5.2) and to end harmful practices
including child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation (target 5.3), are
particularly important in this respect. Further to these, Goal 16 contains crucial targets for
children with respect to target 16.3 to promote the rule of law and equal access to justice for
all, which should in its implementation include children’s access to juvenile justice
systems; and target 16.9 to provide legal identity for all, including birth registration, which
should be implemented in accordance with the right of all children to legal identity.
Ending child poverty and ensuring access to quality essential services for all children
26.
While children represent approximately one third of the world’s population, almost
half of those surviving on less than $1.25 per day are children and young people under 18
years of age. In addition, child poverty is an increasingly global challenge, as growing
numbers of children in comparatively rich countries are falling into poverty as a result of
austerity policies due to economic recession. 10 In implementing the Sustainable
Development Goals, it must be considered that addressing childhood poverty is a particular
priority, as it is damaging to development outcomes and can lead to the lifelong denial of
multiple rights.
27.
Inequality and discrimination take the form of unequal access to essential goods and
services, which are the foundation of basic rights enjoyed by all children, including rights
to food, water, health and education. Deprivation in these respects often spans generations
due to entrenched cycles of poverty. Ensuring equal access for all children to quality
essential services is a crucial building block for the fulfilment of all goals and multiple
rights set out in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, including the right to an
adequate standard of living. Goal 1 of the Sustainable Development Goals aimed at ending
poverty in all its forms everywhere contains a key commitment to reduce at least by half the
proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions.
28.
The commitment under Goal 1 to halve child poverty is strongly supported by the
cross-cutting commitments to addressing inequalities, gender inequality and discrimination,
and by target 11.1 to ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and
basic services and to upgrade slums. The promise in target 1.3 pertaining to social
protection including “social protection floors” (minimum guarantees for those families and
individuals in situations of the greatest need) provides an essential foundation for
addressing child poverty, by guaranteeing minimum essential levels of economic and social
rights.
Health and nutrition
29.
The comprehensive nature of Goal 3 on health is supportive of the right to health
and for all children to survive and to thrive. It addresses the multiple health risks faced by
children throughout their life course, including under-5 mortality and both communicable
and non-communicable diseases. Target 3.2 makes key commitments pertaining to the right
to life, including to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age
10
8
See UNICEF, Save the Children and others, “Child poverty: indicators to measure progress for the
SDGs” (March 2015).
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