Among the pledges, nine countries pledged to ban corporal punishment. Corporal punishment is a problem that affects three in five children on a regular basis in the home.
World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Despite being highly preventable, violence remains a frightening everyday reality for millions of children around the world, leaving scars that last for generations.” “
“Today, countries have made an important pledge that, once enacted, can finally turn the tide on child violence,” he added.
1 billion children affected
More than half of the world’s children between the ages of 2 and 17, approximately 1 billion people, have experienced child abuse (including corporal punishment, the most common form of child abuse), physical or emotional abuse, sexual violence, etc. , presumed to have been subjected to some form of violence.
Three in five children experience regular physical punishment at home, and one in five girls and one in seven boys experience sexual violence.
Some of these children may die or be seriously injured as a result of the violence. Every 13 minutes, a child or adolescent dies due to homicide, which equates to approximately 40,000 preventable deaths each year. Additionally, violence, often involving firearms and other weapons, is now the leading cause of death among young men.
For some people, experiencing violence can have devastating lifelong effects. These include anxiety and depression, risky behaviors such as unsafe sex, smoking and drug abuse, and lower academic performance.
Violence against children is also often hidden, with WHO estimates that less than half of affected children confide in someone about the violence and less than 10 percent receive any support. That’s what it means.
Prevention strategies enacted
At the Bogota conference, countries committed to a range of evidence-based strategies aimed at preventing childhood violence.
Key measures include expanding parenting support programs that encourage positive, nonviolent discipline. School-based programs targeting bullying and improving social skills also play an important role in fostering safer learning spaces.
Additionally, governments pledge to improve child-friendly health and social services to support young survivors, while new digital safety initiatives aim to protect children from online exploitation. .
Research shows that implementing these strategies can reduce violence against children by 20 to 50 percent, highlighting the importance of these new efforts in turning the tide of child violence. .
