Abuse, maltreatment – Three in five children are victims of violence

In most cases, the violence takes place behind closed doors. According to the WHO, more than half of two to seventeen year olds, a total of more than a billion minors, are confronted with violence every year. Three in five children and young people experience physical violence at home, and one in five girls and one in seven boys experience sexual violence. According to the information, a quarter to a half of minors are affected by bullying.

Lifelong consequences for those affected
According to estimates, only half of children talk about their experiences with violence and less than ten percent receive help. Lifelong consequences can include depression and anxiety or tobacco and drug use. As a result, many children did not reach their learning potential at school, as stated.

“While violence is preventable, it remains a horrific daily reality for millions of children around the world, leaving scars that last for generations,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Support for overburdened parents
At the first UN conference on violence against children in Bogota, Colombia, more than a hundred countries have now pledged to do something. They want to better support overwhelmed parents, set up school programs against bullying and for healthy social behavior or raise the marriage age, among other things. Some countries wanted to ban children from being hit at school or at home in general.