Children are being subjected to horrific violence and abuse in over 50 countries, according to a new report published by Amnesty International to mark Human Rights Day tomorrow.
The report, Hidden Scandal, Secret Shame, says children are tortured because they are caught up in wars and political conflict. But the report also says children suspected of criminal activity are most at risk of torture at the hands of the state.
The report is published as part of Amnesty's International Campaign Against Torture. According to the report, children are often detained in conditions that pose a threat to their health and safety, and many children face being beaten or sexually abused by the adults who are supposed to protect them.
"The reason we wanted to emphasise the torture of children is that it is a hidden scandal," said Amnesty International's Secretary-General, Mr Pierre Sane. "It is a world shame as we enter the 21st century."
"Torture can have a profound impact on the mind and body of a developing child," said Ms Mary Lawlor, director of Amnesty International Irish Section.
"Most children suffer in silence. Their stories are never told, and their torturers are never called to account.
"Around the world we see the same patterns of abuse: there is little difference between how police treat children in China and how they treat them in Brazil; there is little difference between conditions of detention in Paraguay and Russia," Ms Lawlor said. "And violence against children is equally devastating in Sierra Leone and Afghanistan."
The report highlights cases where children have been struck with fists, sticks, chair legs, gun-butts, whips, iron pipes and electrical cords. As a result of torture, they have suffered concussion, internal bleeding, broken bones, lost teeth and ruptured organs.
The report says children detained by police have also been sexually assaulted, burned with cigarettes or electricity, exposed to extremes of heat and cold, deprived of food, drink or sleep, or made to stand, sit or hang for long hours.
According to Amnesty's report, boys and girls are vulnerable to rape and sexual abuse, both from state agents and other inmates. "Many children try to hide the fact that they have been raped," said Ms Lawlor.
"Others are simply too embarrassed or ashamed to talk about it, and many cases go unreported and unpunished."
The annual Amnesty International carol service is this evening in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, at 8 p.m. Amnesty International's report is available on www.stoptorture.org