Violence Against Children
The term violence against children
encompasses all forms of violence directed at individuals under the age of
18—whether perpetrated by parents, caregivers, peers, or strangers.
Types of Violence Against Children
Violence often takes one or more of
six main interpersonal forms, occurring across different stages of a child’s
development:
1.
Maltreatment
(including violent punishment): Physical, sexual, or
psychological/emotional abuse, as well as neglect of infants, children, and
adolescents by parents, teachers, or other responsible figures—often at home,
but also in schools or care institutions.
2. Bullying (including cyberbullying): Unwanted aggressive behavior by a child or group of
children, causing repeated physical, psychological, or social harm, often in
schools, gatherings, or online.
3. Youth violence: Occurs among children and young people aged 10–29,
typically in community settings among acquaintances or strangers, and may
involve bullying or physical assault with or without weapons such as knives or
firearms.
4. Emotional or psychological violence: Includes restricting a child’s movement, insults,
bullying, threats, intimidation, discrimination, rejection, and other hostile
non-physical treatment.
The Impact of Violence
Violence against children has lifelong
consequences for their health and well-being, and affects families,
communities, and nations:
- Fatal outcomes: Intentional homicide—often involving knives or firearms—is among
the four leading causes of adolescent death.
- Impaired brain and nervous system development: Exposure to violence at an early age can hinder brain growth and damage other systems
such as the endocrine, circulatory, muscular, and immune systems,
negatively affecting cognitive development and leading to poor educational
and professional outcomes.
- Risk behaviors and health threats: Children exposed to violence are more likely to
smoke, misuse alcohol and drugs, and suffer higher rates of anxiety,
depression, other mental health problems, and even suicide.
- Future opportunities and generational impact: Victims are more likely to drop out of school,
struggle to find or keep jobs, and face greater risk of becoming victims
or perpetrators of violence later in life—meaning the cycle of violence
can extend to the next generation.
Prevention and Response
Violence against children can be
prevented through systematic efforts. The World Health Organization has
outlined seven strategies to end violence against children under the framework INSPIRE:
1.
Implementation
and enforcement of laws (banning violent
punishment, restricting access to alcohol and firearms).
2. Changing norms and values (challenging cultural norms that condone aggressive
behavior among boys).
3. Providing safe environments.
4. Supporting parents and caregivers (training new or first-time caregivers).
5. Strengthening income and economic
stability.
6. Ensuring responsive services (guaranteeing that victims have access to emergency
care and psychosocial support).
7. Education and life skills (ensuring school enrollment and training in social
and life skills).
A Global Issue
Violence against children is a global
problem with far-reaching effects on physical and mental health, education, employment, society, and future
generations. Evidence shows prevention is possible, and WHO’s INSPIRE
framework provides a clear, evidence-based roadmap. Success requires
multi-sectoral collaboration, policy and legal reforms, parental support, safe
environments, and strengthened education and life skills.
Confronting this phenomenon is not
only a moral duty—it is an investment in the health of individuals, the
resilience of communities, and the future of generations to come.
