Violence against children: UN conference calls for immediate action!

Violence against children: UN conference calls for immediate action!

Geneva/Bogota – A shocking reality: Hundreds of millions of children and young people worldwide are victims of violence! According to alarming figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than one billion minors between the ages of 2 and 17 experience violence in their own homes or at school every year. Physical abuse, bullying and even sexual violence are commonplace. These shocking figures show that three in five children experience physical violence at home, while one in five girls and one in seven boys are exposed to sexual assault.

The WHO warns urgently about the lifelong consequences of this violence. Depression, anxiety, and an increased risk of substance abuse are just some of the devastating consequences that can result from these experiences. It is also shocking that only about half of the children affected talk about their experiences, and less than ten percent receive the urgently needed help. Because of these traumatic experiences, many children do not reach their full learning potential in school.

Global initiative against violence

At the first UN conference on violence against children in Bogota, Colombia, more than 100 countries pledged their support to address this horrific reality. Governments plan to better support overwhelmed parents, introduce school programs against bullying and healthy social behavior and raise the marriage age. In addition, some countries want to generally ban hitting children in schools and at home. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasizes: “Although violence is preventable, it remains a terrible daily reality for millions of children around the world, leaving scars that last for generations.”