Ms Rana Flowers UNICEF Representative responds to recent abuse allegations

It has been deeply shocking to learn about the allegations of abuse of children by adults and our thoughts are with the children and families who have been affected. There is no excuse, ever, for abusing children. Any individual involved in any form of abuse acts outside the law and has broken the trust placed in them by parents, employers and by the children themselves. UNICEF welcomes the announcement by the authorities that there will be a criminal investigation and we also welcome the announcement by the government of a special inspection into the management of kindergartens.

It would be inappropriate to comment on the specifics of the cases currently under investigation but they serve as a reminder to us all that we must make preventing and tackling child abuse an urgent priority.

These cases are not unique to China and happen in countries across the globe. We have seen other countries take steps to strengthen supervision and management which may be considered for introduction here in China. We must pursue every opportunity to keep children safe from harm.

Anyone working with children must be screened with reference and police checks to ensure they have no record of child abuse. In addition, or when it has not been possible to get such checks, anyone employed or volunteering to work with children should sign a self-declaration form to confirm that they have never had allegations made against them, been charged with or found guilty of violence or abuse of children.

We must ensure that all adults working with children have the right qualifications, training and are properly supervised. All adults working with children should sign a code of conduct which sets out clear standards and expectations of behavior required to keep children safe from harm. Adults working with children and their supervisors must be trained to identify the signs of abuse and a clear process must be in place to enable them to report incidents or concerns. 

Parents and caregivers should be made aware of signs of abuse and receive clear information about where they can report their concerns. Children too must be encouraged to speak openly about anything that worries them. However, we must recognize that children, especially very young children, may not be able to speak out which is why we need strong safeguards in place.

A review of the current guidelines for childcare facilities can help to identify other ways to help keep children safe such as the need to always have two workers, the mandatory reporting of incidents and ways to enable parents to check in on children during the day.

We must make every effort to focus on preventing abuse from happening, improving the response when it does and supporting victims and their families.