History
In 2012, ChildFund Alliance began a global campaign for a world where all children would be free from violence and exploitation. We urged stakeholders to prioritize the protection of children from violence and exploitation in the new global goals. Over 680,000 people signed our petition in support of this call.
As part of that campaign, we also consulted with more than 16,000 children from 50 countries to gather their opinions about violence against children and the related global priorities. View the results.
In September 2015, the United Nations unanimously adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of universal goals and targets that frames the global agenda for the next 15 years. The SDGs include a stand-alone target on violence against children (SDG target 16.2).
Facts & Stats
- Violence against children costs the world up to US$7 trillion. (Source: ODI/ChildFund Alliance)
- More than one billion children are exposed to violence each year. (Source: CDC)
- Every five minutes, a child dies as a result of violence. (Source: UNICEF UK)
- 168 million children are engaged in child labor. (Source: ILO)
- Corporal punishment in schools is still allowed in 69 countries. (Source: Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children)
- 15 million girls under the age of 18 are married every year. (Source: Girls Not Brides)
- Close to one quarter of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have experienced physical violence. (Source: UNICEF)