Peer-reviewed article
Violence against children in South Africa: the cost of inaction to society and the economy
Celia Hsiao, Deborah Ann Fry, Catherine L. Ward, Gary Ganz, Tabitha Casey et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001A South African costing study examined the social and economic impact of violence against children, including physical violence, sexual violence, emotional abuse, neglect, and witnessing family violence. The research found that preventing violence could significantly reduce population-level harms such as drug abuse, self-harm, anxiety, and alcohol abuse. The study estimated that inaction on violence against children cost South Africa nearly 5% of GDP in 2015, and calls for intersectoral collaboration and better monitoring to prioritise prevention.
Key points
- Drug abuse in the entire population could be reduced by up to 14% if sexual violence against children were prevented
- Self-harm could be reduced by 23% in the population if children did not experience physical violence
- Anxiety could be reduced by 10% if children were not emotionally abused
- Interpersonal violence in the population could be reduced by 16% if children did not witness family violence
- The cost of inaction amounted to nearly 5% of South Africa's GDP in 2015
Limitations
The document does not describe the methodology in detail or specify which types of violence were included in the costing model. It also does not provide information about the year of data collection or the specific interventions that would be needed to achieve these reductions.
Abstract
Despite the extent and magnitude of violence against children in South Africa, political and financial investments to prevent violence against children remain low. A recent costing study investigating the social burden and economic impact of violence against children in South Africa found notable reductions to mental and physical health outcomes in the population if children were prevented from experiencing violence, neglect and witnessing family violence. The results showed, among others, that drug abuse in the entire population could be reduced by up to 14% if sexual violence against children could be prevented, self-harm could be reduced by 23% in the population if children did not experience physical violence, anxiety could be reduced by 10% if children were not emotionally abused, alcohol abuse could be reduced by 14% in women if they did not experience neglect as children, and lastly, interpersonal violence in the population could be reduced by 16% if children did not witness family violence. The study further estimated that the cost of inaction in 2015 amounted to nearly 5% of the country's gross domestic product. These findings show that preventing children from experiencing and witnessing violence can help to strengthen the health of a nation by ensuring children reach their full potential and drive the country's economy and growth. The paper further discusses ways in which preventing and ending violence against children may be prioritised in South Africa through, for instance, intersectoral collaboration and improving routine monitoring data, such as through the sustainable development goals.