Global Prevalence of Past-year Violence Against Children: A Systematic Review and Minimum Estimates

Abstract

CONTEXT: Evidence confirms associations between childhood violence and major causes of mortality in adulthood. A synthesis of data on past-year prevalence of violence against children will help advance the United Nations' call to end all violence against children. OBJECTIVES:Investigators systematically reviewed population-based surveys on the prevalence of past-year violence against children and synthesized the best available evidence to generate minimum regional and global estimates. DATA SOURCES:We searched Medline, PubMed, Global Health, NBASE, CINAHL, and the World Wide Web for reports of representative surveys estimating prevalences of violence against children.STUDY SELECTION: Two investigators independently assessed surveys against inclusion criteria and rated those included on indicators of quality. DATA EXTRACTION:Investigators extracted data on past-year prevalences of violent victimization by country, age group, and type (physical, sexual, emotional, or multiple types). We used a triangulation approach which synthesized data to generate minimum regional prevalences, derived from population-weighted averages of the country-specific prevalences.RESULTS: Thirty-eight reports provided quality data for 96 countries on past-year prevalences of violence against children. Base case estimates showed a minimum of 50% or more of children in Asia, Africa, and Northern America experienced past-year violence, and that globally over half of all children-1 billion children, ages 2-17 years-experienced such violence.LIMITATIONS: Due to variations in timing and types of violence reported, triangulation could only be used to generate minimum prevalence estimates.CONCLUSIONS: Expanded population-based surveillance of violence against children is essential to target prevention and drive the urgent investment in action endorsed in the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

Ending violence in childhood: a global imperative

“…Collective action and concerted efforts succeeded in ending great evils such as the slave trade and apartheid. Violence in childhood is also a great evil affecting at least 1.6 billion child victims every year (Hillis, Mercy, Amobi, & Kress, 2016). It has long-lasting consequences through childhood, into adulthood, inter-generationally and for society.…”

Homophobic and transphobic violence against youth: The Jamaican context

“…Violence is the 'intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation' (Krug, Mercy, Dahlberg, & Zwi, 2002, p. 5). Globally, an estimated 1.4 billion children and youth in the under 17 years-age cohort experience violence against them annually in various spheres of their lives (Hills et al, 2016). Violence includes behaviours such as bullying, harassment, physical and sexual assault, and even death.…”

“…Consistent with global trends, violence against LGBTI people in Jamaica goes largely underreported and undocumented (Amnesty International, 2015;Human Rights Watch, 2014;J-FLAG, 2016). According to Hills et al (2016), because violence against children does not normally come to the attention of authorities, incidences such as child sexual victimization is 30 times higher than official reports and physical abuse numbers are 75 times higher than official reports. Additionally, because of the sparse local LGBTI data are not disaggregate on the basis of age, the number of youth who may identify as LGBTI in Jamaica is unknown (UNESCO, 2016).…”

Challenges to Researching Childhood Sexual Violence in Indonesia

“…It is noted that the terms 'violence against children', 'violence in childhood', 'child maltreatment', 'child abuse', and 'child victimisation' are used most frequently in internationally published studies and reports (Hillis, Mercy, Amobi, & Kress, 2016;Interagency Working Group in Luxembourg, 2016;Krug et al, 2002;WHO, 2014a). This research also uses these terms, especially in the systematic review, to not mispresent the cited studies.…”

“…This information is critical to designing and monitoring the impact of interventions aimed at eliminating violence against children, including sexual violence. There is a pressing need to strengthen research and build evidence about sexual and other forms of violence to inform scaled-up, sustainable prevention interventions (Hillis, Mercy, Amobi, & Kress, 2016;Temmerman, 2015).…”