Marta Santos Pais (born in 1952) a Portuguese lawyer who has served as Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General on Violence against Children from September 2009 until May 2019.
The mandate of the SRSG on Violence against Children is anchored in human rights standards, and promotes the universal ratification and effective implementation of core international conventions.
On 1 May 2009, the Secretary General announced the appointment of Marta Santos Pais (Portugal) as his Special Representative on Violence against Children.
She was followed by The SRSG reports directly to the UN Secretary General,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] chairs the United Nations Inter Agency Working Group on Violence against Children and collaborates closely with a wide range of partners, within and beyond the UN system.
In November 2012, the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly approved by consensus the omnibus resolution on the promotion and protection of the rights of children A/67/152.
The Office of the Special Representative is located in New York and provided with administrative support by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Violence takes place in all contexts, including where children are expected to enjoy a secure environment and special protection – in care institutions, in the school and also within the home.
Widely perceived as a social taboo or a needed form of discipline, it is seldom reported; official statistics remain limited in their ability to capture the true scale and extent of this phenomenon; and, openly or implicitly, children feel pressed to conceal incidents of violence and abuse, particularly when perpetrated by people they know and trust.
Around the globe, political commitments and law reform for children’s protection from violence is gaining momentum and becoming a priority in the national agenda of several States.