Presenting her report to Member States, Dr. Maalla M'jid noted that while violence against children has never been so prevalent, "an exceptional movement of States and global champions determined to make child protection a political priority has emerged for urgent and coordinated global action.”
This was reflected in the first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children in November 2024, for which 120 country delegations were present. The conference led to commitments, pledges, and the launch of the Pathfinding Global Alliance to End Violence against Children, which has grown to 47 Member States, with a number of other States wishing to join.
"Most importantly, States are already taking concrete action on the investment case for ending violence, both identifying the cost of violence against children and undertaking the analysis of the returns on investment in violence prevention. Following the launch of the investment case toolkit, we are seeing more and more countries cooperating and sharing experiences on investing in integrated child protection services, strengthening coordination, and engaging children, civil society, and the private sector in decision-making."
The 2025 report focuses on poverty as a key driver of violence against children. Nearly one billion children live in multidimensional poverty. Yet, only 23.9 per cent are covered by social protection, leaving 1.8 billion children without safety nets.
"I have to choose between education and survival. Instead of holding pens, I am holding tools for hazardous work. I feel bad because of bullying and discrimination. I feel I am a second-class citizen." Child, Focus group meetings with children
The report highlights that despite many actions, poverty and social exclusion remain high. But the report also highlights the solutions that need to be implemented at scale to deliver child-sensitive social protection. This means more than cash transfers - it means also access to basic services, such as health, education, nutrition, housing, and decent living conditions for children and their caregivers.
Social protection must be seen as an investment in sustainable development and in building human capital, through a life-cycle approach starting in early childhood.