VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

By protecting children, we uphold their rights and freedoms.

Our organization protects children as part of our commitment to human and civil rights and sex positivity, ensuring that child sexual abuse is never tolerated.

The violence against children

Every year, 275 million children around the world are victims and witnesses of assault and abuse towards their mothers. Stress, stunted growth, eating disorders and even drug use and suicide are just some of the effects domestic abuse can have on children

This figure, however, is a conservative estimate when compared with UNICEF, whose last study emphasized that a staggering figure of 300 million children aged between two and four suffer abuse at home; 176 million of whom live with a mother who suffers violence from her partner.

In other countries such as Australia, specifically in New South Wales, 65 children died between 2000 and 2014, according to a local Coroners Court study.

Children are at risk of violence - Act now to end violence against children

Sexual violence

Violence against women and girls in Nigeria is widespread and exists in all forms in public and private spheres. According to the 2014 Violence Against Children Survey (VACS), one in four girls, one in two girls and one in six girls have experienced sexual, physical and emotional violence respectively. Domestic violence remains pervasive (16% intimate partner violence prevalence rate) while 30% of women aged 15-49 have experienced sexual abuse (33% in urban and 24% in rural areas) (NDHS 2013). Moreover, out of the 10.5 million out-of-school children, two-thirds are girls and statistics reveal that by the age of 16, 21% of adolescent girls are either pregnant or have given birth.

Violence can take many forms, including physical, sexual and emotional violence, and varies in severity. While both boys and girls may experience violence, being a girl presents unique vulnerabilities – some with consequences that can last a lifetime. Gender discrimination, norms and practices mean that adolescent girls are likely to experience certain forms of violence, such as sexual violence, at much higher rates than boys and to be exposed to certain harmful practices, notably child marriage and female genital mutilation

According to UNICEF

Children between 6 and 12 years old may suffer from depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, isolation and poor school performance.

Children may also experience attention and concentration deficits while teenagers are more likely to use drugs, consume alcoholic beverages, commit crimes and even kill themselves. Aggressive attitudes are common in all age groups, which is a warning sign as this behaviour can be passed on through generations.