Tuesday, March 26

UNICEF: Half of All Children in the World are Victims of Violence

Half of all children in the world are victims of physical, sexual or psychological violence, UN organizations including the child welfare organization UNICEF and the World Health Organization report.

 

Governments fail to protect children, according to UNICEF.

In total, a billion children are victims of violence or abuse. The global report shows, according to UNICEF, that many countries need to do more to enforce compliance with child abuse laws.

Although 88 percent of all countries have such legislation, only 47 percent of countries enforce it. The report also states that some 40,000 children were murdered in 2017.

UNICEF director Henrietta Fore warns that children are at even higher risk because of the corona crisis.

“Lockdowns, school closings and restrictions have far too many children locked up with their abusers without the safe place that schools normally provide,” said Fore.

“Efforts to protect children in these times and beyond need to be scaled up, including by assigning a vital role to social workers and strengthening helplines.”

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