Silenced and Exposed: Addressing the Realities of Torture Faced by Children

Everyday, far from the public eye, children face torture and other forms of ill-treatment, whether in detention, armed conflicts, in interaction with police or security forces, or other contexts. In detention or police stations, children are often victims of violent beatings, overcrowding, inhuman conditions of detention, detention with adults or sexual abuse, among others. Because they are children, their suffering is particularly invisible, either shut or disregarded, sometimes even tolerated in the name of discipline. 

This dark reality is far too invisible to the public, decision makers, or even international actors. Recent armed conflicts have put a focus on the atrocities inflicted on children, and current funding cuts to international aid puts millions of children at renewed risks of violations of their rights. With a specific programme dedicated to the protection of children from torture, the OMCT aims with this discussion at gathering experts and OMCT's network members to shed light on the realities, scope and irremediable physicial and psychological impact of torture of children and reflecting as a network and community on the specific approach and pressing ways forward to follow to address the issue.

Languages spoken: English, Spanish and Arabic
Interpretation available: EN / FR / ES / AR