The implementation of the 2030 Agenda is giving tremendous impetus to the common endeavour to end violence against children. Many Member States are adopting comprehensive and cohesive nationally owned sustainable development plans towards reaching the Sustainable Development Goals. These plans need to be supported by predictable resources and informed by solid evidence and robust, reliable and disaggregated data. Progress towards the Goals needs to be periodically reviewed, and it is essential that such national reviews address progress on the violence-related targets.
Investing in children is crucial if the targets are to be reached, but there is still a long way to go. While half of those living in extreme poverty are children and half of the world’s children are affected by violence each year, budget allocations for these fundamental dimensions of children’s well-being are often inadequate. Furthermore, official development assistance mobilized towards ending violence against children remains wholly insufficient. Indeed, as noted in a recent report, the average official development assistance per child and per year to address violence in low-income countries amounts to less than $0.65, or less than 0.6 per cent of total official development assistance.
