torture at the hands of State agents; that frequently children are detained in conditions that involve danger for their health and physical integrity; and that many children are exposed to receive blows or to undergo sexual abuses at the hands of the same adult that in theory must protect them. There is also indicated that the torture and the bad treatments to the children are not only a social or cultural issue, but a violation of human rights which the State has an obligation to come up with effective measures to prevent.THE VICTIMSChildren and their rightsAccording to Amnesty International, a “child”, in most international legal standards, is anyone under the age of 18. Most of the world’s countries have also set the legal age of moajority or adulthood at 18. The term “juvenile” also appears on human rights texts although it is not exactly interchangeable; it usually refers to those who are able to be charged and tried in the juvenile justice system.Concepts that help define childhood, such as maturity and the age of criminal responsibility, rely largely on social and cultural factors. In some societies, childhood is a condition fixed by the condition of the child within the community rather than his or her age. Those still under parental authority are regarded as children, no matter what their age, while those who have taken on adult roles and responsibilities are given social rights and duties accordingly. In much of the world, even small children have significant economic responsibilities: they have to work, either to support themselves or as part of the family economy, so there is little time left over for school or play.“Humanity owes children the best it can give them. Children will enjoy special protection and will have opportunities and services, given by the law and other means, so that they can develop physically, mentally, morally, spiritually and socially in a healthful and normal way, ...
