HRC 61 | SIDE-EVENT | "Violence against Children and the Protection of Mental Health"
On the 9th of march, at the margins of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council (HRC 61), the Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations in Geneva organized a side event on violence against children and the protection of mental health, in the context of Portugal’s recent accession to the Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence against Children and building on the resolution on “mental, tabled in health and human rights”, which Portugal is leading in HRC 61.
Co-sponsored by Brazil, Colombia, Croatia, the Philippines, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and the Council of Europe, the event brought together a diverse and representative audience of Member States, international organizations, and civil society.
The session featured high-level interventions, including by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid, as well as powerful testimonies from youth participants.
The discussion highlighted the multifaceted impact of violence on children, particularly in conflict settings and in the digital environment, and its profound consequences for mental health.
As a member of the Pathfinding Global Alliance on Ending Violence against Children, Portugal remains deeply committed to combating all forms of violence against children.
