By Aldio da Silva, Young Child Rights Advocate
DILI, 04 March 2025 (TATOLI) – Last week, my friends and I had a discussion on violence against children. Global statistics show that 1.6 billion children all over the world experience violence from people close to them such as parents or teachers.
In our conversation, we agreed that violence against children is also a common and concerning issue in Timor-Leste and for this, more public attention needs to be given to this problem.
Even though most Timorese are aware about the harmful effects of violence against children, they still practice it. Many people also consider it as a normal practice to discipline a child or teaching them morals.
Some of the common acts of violence against children include beating and kicking, sexual abuse, verbal and mental/emotional attacks including bullying and threats. Children are also witnesses to domestic violence, divorce or abandonment and excessive restrictions.
A lot of children in Timor-Leste, especially in the rural areas, are living in poverty. Some children are being forced to selling agricultural products and fish in the street, putting them at risk as they would still be too young to carry those burdens of life.
Although the constitution of Timor-Leste and the UN Convention on the Rights of the child, encourage for children to be protected from all forms of violence, many children continue to face violence.
I therefore wonder why violence still exists while this country has already passed various laws, legislations and international conventions on child rights and protection? Is our public policy not effective enough to tackle this issue? Or is our society not concerned about violence against children?
What is also concerning is that even when neighbours witness children being abused by their parents, they do not have enough courage to inform the police or relevant authorities. As a result, the children feel isolated, traumatized and without power to challenge this abuse.
The school environment is also a place where many children are canned, beaten with a ruler, slapped, face harsh punishments and are harassed by bullies. One of my friends was punished for failing to finish his assignment on time. He had to kneel on the hard concrete floor for three hours, watching as the rest of the class continued with the day’s lessons.
While the physical pain of kneeling was gone by the end of the day, it was the emotional pain, humiliation and shame which affected him for the rest of his life. Years after this punishment, school mates continue to bully him and laugh at him.
As children and young people, we are therefore very happy to know that the Government of Timor-Leste continues to make efforts to ensure that every child lives in a country where they are respected, protected and safe.
There are Laws and Policies which are in place to protect us from violence and abuse. For example, the Law on protection of children and youth in danger was passed in 2023.
What might be missing is ways to ensure that these laws are respected and enforced by everyone.
During the first week of March, Timor-Leste will formally join the Pathfinders Alliance, a move which shows the country’s commitment to prevent violence against children.
For the children of Timor-Leste, being stakeholders and contributing to this movement to end violence against children, is very important.
We are happy that in the coming week, we will have a chance to get our voices heard in the important circles of decision making to end violence against children. Through this, we hope to influence opportunities for more children to understand and identify abuse, and for them to know where to report and seek help when they face abuse. Involving us as children will also help in making children support efforts to identify their peers who are facing violence.
We also hope that the current momentum to end violence against children, will include educating parents on positive discipline as opposed to using violence as a form of discipline.
As children, we can lead by example and continue to treat our peers as the example of how to treat the children respectfully, to not letting them behind and stay alert to their unheard voices.
TATOLI
