DILI, 06 March 2025 (TATOLI) – President and Nobel Peace Laureate, Jose Ramos Horta, met with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Violence Against Children, Najat Maalla M’jid of Morocco, at the Nicolau Lobato Presidential Palace.
Najat’s four-day visit from March 3 to March 6, 2025, at the invitation of the Government of Timor-Leste, highlights the country’s progress since joining the Alliance and making comprehensive pledges at the Global Ministerial Conference in Bogota, Colombia last November.
The pledges made by Timor-Leste cover critical areas including parent and caregiver support, safe school environments, improved response services, strengthened legal frameworks, increased resources, and enhanced data collection systems. These commitments include expanding comprehensive parenting education programs, implementing mandatory training on positive discipline for teachers, professionalizing social workers in child protection, approving the Juvenile Justice Law, and increasing the budget for services to end violence against children.
The visit of Najat coincides with Timor-Leste’s official launch as a member of the “Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence against Children,” a significant milestone in the nation’s dedication to protecting its youngest citizens.
During the meeting, Najat presented an overview of her official mission to Timor-Leste, which concluded today, to the President.
She commended President Horta for being a true champion of children’s and women’s rights, particularly in awareness-raising, prevention, and prosecution of domestic violence cases.
Najat also congratulated Timor-Leste for joining the International Task Force created to prevent, protect, and combat all forms of violence against children.
The President shared his involvement with an International Committee led by 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi, dedicated to children’s rights and combating child labor. He discussed various practical cases of domestic violence, child labor, maternal-child malnutrition, economic hardship faced by women, and crimes related to gender-based violence.
Horta stated: “My activism in defense and protection of children’s and women’s rights, including combating domestic violence, is carried out daily through concrete actions, not through occasional seminars or conferences.”
The President highlighted the Women’s Empowerment Unit as a positive example of supporting disadvantaged women and victims of domestic violence by focusing on education in science and technology, vocational training, and access to tools and conditions for economic activities.
“We must give greater attention to Women’s Empowerment as the most effective way to interrupt cases of domestic violence that persist due to women’s economic disadvantage,” said President Horta. “When women have access to regular income, they can choose to distance themselves from their aggressors and report these crimes.”
Both leaders agreed on the need to promote improved systems for detection, monitoring, social protection, and access to justice for victims, properly funded to address the economic deprivation affecting women and children.
The meeting concluded with acknowledgment of the importance of international solidarity and support for programs defending and protecting children’s rights in Timor-Leste and worldwide.
TATOLI
