MADRID, Nov 20 (IPS) – Did you know that hundreds of millions of children around the world are currently suffering from physical, sexual and psychological violence, including child labour, child marriage, female genital mutilation, gender-based violence, war, trafficking, bullying and harassment Internet?
This is the sad reality of up to a billion children who are at risk of abuse in various ways, as shown by the United Nations? Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children. Speaking in a special report on the issue, the UN Special Representative, Najat Maalla M’Jid, revealed that violence against children has reached “unprecedented levels.” Meanwhile, the specialized agencies of the UN, led by the UN Children Fund (UNICEF), and the World Health Organization (WHO), among others, have produced remarkable results during the 2024 International Day for Disaster Reduction.
There is no safe place for children
This finding by the United Nations highlights that “there is no safe place for children” anywhere in the world. Indeed, climate killings, wars, human trafficking, slavery and cyber violence, among many other forms of abuse of innocent children, are the cause of their painful lives. See more related facts:
- UNICEF and other UN agencies report that part of the children of the world are “highly vulnerable” to the impacts of climate and related disasters,
- More than a billion children their lives have been disrupted by disasters since 2000, with more than 80,000 schools damaged or destroyed,
Punished and Abused
If all these facts are not scary enough, please know that400 million children under the age of five regularly endure mental abuse and physical punishment at home;
And that 300 million children have been affected by sexual exploitation and cyberbullying in the last 12 months.Adolescent Girls: Most Vulnerable
“Today’s generation of girls is disproportionately affected by global climate issues, conflict, poverty and the rollback of hard-won gains in human rights and gender equality,” the United Nations reported on the occasion of the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child. Did you know that:
- About 1 in 5 girls do not finish second grade and about 4 in 10 girls do not finish high school today.
- Globally, girls aged 5-14 spend 160 million hours more each day on unpaid care and housework than boys of the same age.
- Adolescent girls continue to account for 3 out of 4 new HIV infections among adolescents.
- About 1 in 4 married/single girls aged 15-19 have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner at least once in their life.
- Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, 100 million girls were at risk of child marriage in the next decade.
Rape: A Weapon of War
In addition to all of the above, more than 370 million girls and women alive today – or 1 in 8 – were raped or sexually abused before they turned 18, warns UNICEF. And that “children in vulnerable areas are at greater risk of sexual violence,” said Russell. “We see horrific sexual violence in conflict zones, where rape and gender-based violence are often used as weapons of war.”
The Digital Threat
Among the emerging challenges are the dangers children face in digital environments, including the tactics used by armed groups to recruit and exploit children. According to UN data, most sexual violence against children occurs during adolescence, with a significant increase between 14 and 17 years of age. Survivors often carry the trauma of sexual violence into adulthood, facing higher risks of sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, social isolation, and mental health problems such as anxiety and depression, as well as challenges in building healthy relationships. Although many girls and women are affected, and their experiences are better documented, boys and men are also affected, with an estimated 240 to 310 million boys and men. Today’s children have been brought up in a violent world, thus, they will probably fall into the hellish trap of showing violence when they grow up. These hundreds and hundreds of millions of children will be the backbone of the near future. Do you think their sad fate is in the agenda of political leaders—and businesses?
© Inter Press Service (2024) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
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