Violence against children: UN conference demands worldwide measures!

Violence against children: UN conference demands worldwide measures!

hundreds of millions of children and adolescents worldwide live in a nightmare! According to alarming reports from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than a billion minors experience violence in their own four walls annually. These terrifying numbers show that three out of five children experience physical violence at home, while every fifth girl and every seventh young sexual violence is exposed. Bullying in schools affects a quarter to half of the children - a shocking reality that takes place behind closed doors!

The devastating consequences

The WHO warns of the lifelong consequences of these violent experiences. Depression, anxiety and the consumption of tobacco and drugs are just a few of the devastating consequences that many children suffer. It is also shocking that only half of the children affected talks about their experiences and receive less than ten percent of help. These children often do not achieve their full learning potential at school-a tragedy that endangers the future of this generation!

At the first UN conference on violence against children in Bogota, Colombia, over 100 countries have promised their support to combat this grievance. Measures to support overwhelmed parents, school programs against bullying and the increase in marriage age are planned. Some countries even want to ban children in schools and at home. It is high time that this terrible reality ends!