COST OF VIOLENCE

The prevention and elimination of violence against children is an ethical imperative founded on the human dignity of children and their rights to protection from maltreatment enshrined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols, as well as a range of other human rights instruments. The almost universal ratification of the CRC is a potent symbol of the global consensus around the principle that no violence is ever justifiable and all violence can be prevented. 

At the same time, there is growing awareness that VAC has significant short, medium and long-term economic costs that are borne by individuals, communities and societies. Realizing the right of children to a life free from violence requires public expenditure on child protection and criminal justice systems to safeguard them from harm. At the same time, investment in prevention programmes is required in order to reduce the costs to individuals and society. See more

INTERNET USERS WORLDWIDE

On 17 November 2010, the Child Online Protection (COP) Global Initiative was launched by the new Patron of COP, H.E. Laura Chinchilla, President of Costa Rica, and ITU Secretary- General, Hamadoun Touré in San José, Costa Rica.

The COP Global Initiative aims to shift COP Guidelines, developed by ITU and partners from industry, civil society, governments, UN agencies and other stakeholders, into concrete activities by leveraging the active support from COP members.

The strategies for achieving these guidelines span five main areas: i) legal measures; ii) technical and procedural measures; iii) organizational structures; iv) capacity building; and v) international cooperation. ITU will work with partners to develop cybersecurity strategies across these areas, in order to deliver significant national and societal benefits.

In particular, it is designed to achieve the development of industry codes of conduct; the establishment of national hotlines; ; the development of national roadmaps and legislative toolkits; provide training for parents, guardians and educators; and harnessing the power of multistakeholder collaboration through resources such as an online platform for sharing advice and information. See more

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE

Worldwide, up to 50 percent of sexual assaults are committed against girls under 16.

An estimated 150 million girls under the age of 18 suffered some form of sexual violence in 2002 alone.

The first sexual experience of some 30 percent of women was forced. The percentage is even higher among those who were under 15 at the time of their sexual initiation, with up to 45 percent reporting that the experience was forced.

Approximately 130 million girls and women in the world have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting, with more than 3 million girls in Africa annually at risk of the practice.

Over 60 million girls worldwide are child brides, married before the age of 18, primarily in South Asia (31.3 million) and sub-Saharan Africa (14.1 million). Violence and abuse characterize married life for many of these girls. Women who marry early are more likely to be beaten or threatened, and more likely to believe that a husband might sometimes be justified in beating his wife. See more

CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES

There are at least 93 million children with disabilities around the world. Many are considered to be a cause of shame to their families and a curse and misfortune for their communities. The lives of children with disabilities can be surrounded by stigma, discrimination, cultural prejudices, ill-perceptions and shocking invisibility. In addition, children with disabilities are at dramatically heightened risk of violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation.

In spite of limited data and research, available studies reveal an alarming prevalence of violence against children with disabilities – from higher vulnerability to physical and emotional violence when they are young to greater risks of sexual violence as they reach puberty.

Indeed, children and adolescents with disabilities are 3 to 4 times more likely to experience physical and sexual violence and neglect than other children; and they are at significantly increased risk of experiencing sexual violence: up to 68% of girls and 30% of boys with intellectual or developmental disabilities will be sexually abused before reaching their 18th birthday. See more

VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS

An estimated 246 million girls and boys experience school-related violence every year and one in four girls say that they never feel comfortable using school latrines, according to a survey on youth conducted across four regions. The extent and forms of school-related violence that girls and boys experience differ, but evidence suggests that girls are at greater risk of sexual violence, harassment and exploitation. In addition to the resulting adverse psychological, sexual and reproductive health consequences, school-related gender-based violence is a major obstacle to universal schooling and the right to education for girls - See more

CHILD LABOR

Global number of children in child labour has declined by one third since 2000, from 246 million to 168 million children. More than half of them, 85 million, are in hazardous work (down from 171 million in 2000).

Asia and the Pacific still has the largest numbers (almost 78 million or 9.3% of child population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region with the highest incidence of child labour (59 million, over 21%).
There are 13 million (8.8%) of children in child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean and in the Middle East and North Africa there are 9.2 million (8.4%).

Agriculture remains by far the most important sector where child labourers can be found (98 million, or 59%), but the problems are not negligible in services (54 million) and industry (12 million) – mostly in the informal economy.
Child labour among girls fell by 40% since 2000, compared to 25% for boys. See more