Rabat – This week, Morocco’s Dr. Najat Maalla M’jid stepped into her new role as Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) on Violence against Children.
#newyork
Le SG des #NationsUnies @antonioguterres a procédé à l’installation de Najat Maalla M’jid comme nouvelle Représentante spéciale sur la violence à l’encontre des enfants, avec grade de SG adjoint.
Elle a prêté serment ce mardi au siège de l @ONU_fr. Vidéo ⏬ pic.twitter.com/2NgEZB7mwi— 2M.ma (@2MInteractive) July 3, 2019
As the SRSG on Violence against Children, she will be a global independent advocate to promote the prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against children.
According to the UN, the core responsibility of the SRSG is to advance the implementation of the recommendations of the United Nations Study on Violence against Children. This entails building upon health and child protection initiatives and developments and promoting the protection of children from violence as a human rights imperative.
Dr. M’jid is well suited to the role, with over 30 years of experience in the promotion and protection of children’s rights and a doctorate in pediatric medicine. She also served as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography from 2008 to 2014.
Further adding to her impressive resume, as a member of the Moroccan National Council on Human Rights, Dr. M’jid also founded the NGO Bayti, which helps children living and working on the streets of Morocco.
Dr. M’jid holds a Doctorate from the University of Rabat and a Master of Human Rights from the Human Rights Institute, in Geneva. She has also worked as an expert-consultant for national and international projects, strategies and policies relating to child rights’ promotion and protection.
She has notably been involved in the drafting of studies on the condition of children that have been subjected to violence, abuse, and exploitation; children living in the streets; institutionalized children; unaccompanied migrant children; child workers; as well as children deprived of parental care.
Dr Najat Maalla M’jid has also worked as a lecturer in Moroccan and international universities on child rights protection, promotion, programming, and monitoring, as well as social and development policies, as well as helping train social workers, law enforcement, teachers, judges, and medical staff on children’s rights.
She succeeds Ms. Marta Santos Pais of Portugal, who was appointed in 2009 as the first SRSG on Violence against Children.
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