Next week on this site Senator B******* tells how bullying at school made him the person he is.

Some of his victims also come forward.

What are children’s rights?

Children as well as adults have human rights. Children also have the right to special protection because of their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse.

The main international human rights treaty on children’s rights is the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world. Australia ratified the CRC in December 1990, which means that Australia has a duty to ensure that all children in Australia enjoy the rights set out in the treaty.

Discover how the Commission wants all Australians to get involved in human rights. You can learn more by signing up for our email list.

Most violence is perpetrated against children and young people by someone they know, often in the family. Addressing family violence raises multiple challenges due to its ‘private’ nature and the widespread recognition that the family is the natural environment for its members and should provide physical and emotional safety.[63]

The Commission has identified a range of risk factors, vulnerable groups and protective factors that can have an impact on the levels of violence, harassment and bullying experienced by children and young people. These factors may also affect the level of resilience that individuals, families, schools and communities have to tackling these issues.

All types of violence, harassment and bullying are harmful and unacceptable. The Committee on the rights of the child has clearly stated that there are no exceptions to this. To emphasise this he UN Committee on the Rights of the Child[33] defines violence as including all forms of physical and mental violence including forms of violence that may be legal:

Violence, harassment and bullying of children and young people are hidden, under recorded and under reported.[29] This makes it is difficult to know accurately the extent of the problem. There can be considerable fear and stigma associated with reporting violence and sexual abuse, in particular when appropriate and accessible support services are not available. There are also limitations to the extent of legal protection children have against physical punishment in the home.[30]

In the 2006, there were 6.64 million people living in Australia under the age of 25. This is about one third of the population.[26] In June 2009 there were 4.19 million children under 15 years of age, almost 20% of the total population.

Violence harassment and bullying can occur at home, online, at school, work, or in the broader community. It is often the extreme cases of violence that are newsworthy. However, there is strong evidence that the daily occurrence of what might seem like minor cases of violence, harassment and bullying have a significant negative impact on children and young people.[1]