Youth & Children State Minister Balaam leads Uganda delegation to Colombia for Global Ministers meeting to end VAC

The Minister of State in charge of Youth and Children Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Hon. Balaam Barugahara, will lead Uganda’s delegation to the First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, which took place from November 7 to 8, 2024, in Bogotá, Colombia.

The conference according to the Gender Ministry was organized by the government of Colombia with support from Sweden, the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children.

The Ugandan delegation included Permanent Secretary AD. Kibenge and various members of the technical staff and civil society.

The conference kicked off with a strong plenary where Mr. Gustavo Petro, President of Columbia, 143 Governments and leaders, Child Rights Organisations, UN bodies pledge to end violence against children through universal access to well-designed parenting support, safe and enabling environments and efficient response and support services to victims of VAC to prevent recurrence & provide pathways to support children and parents.

Balaam Barugahare (2ndR)

While presenting at the conference Hon. Balaam said following the identification of the risk factor facing children, Uganda embarked on a journey to collect data on VAC. Policymakers and that the information supported their decisions to develop interventions and policies.

He said that the conference is a pivotal moment for global leaders to unite against violence affecting children while exchanging insights on effective strategies to safeguard children's rights.

“After establishing the scope of the problem, collecting and analyzing the data on violence against children has helped us as policymakers in Uganda to understand the magnitude and nature of issues. The information has been used to develop targeted intervention and policies” he said

Balaam said that while at the conference in a high-level session, he has engaged with renowned experts H.E Ms. Nhep Sopheap Min Cambodia, Hon Baroness Jennifer Champman Under Secretary of state Latin America and Caribbean FCDO UK, Dr Bessel Van Derkolk, Psychiatrist and author, Ms Laura Chinchill member International Olympic Committee, Mr. Sean Litton ED , Tech Coalition, Ms Kate Hampton CEO Child investment fund foundation and others.

At Global Ministerial Conference National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) Pakistan Chairperson  Ayesha Raza met with Ann Skelton Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

According to the statement, they discussed the impact of corporal punishment as a form of violence against children (VAC), noting extensive research linking it to harmful outcomes that affect children’s well-being and development.

They also emphasized the need for stronger protections and global commitments to end all forms of violence, including corporal punishment.

Uganda has been proactive in addressing violence against children, launching its first Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) in 2018, and in 2022, it became the first country globally to conduct a Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS).