Violence against children: what can we do?

This document describes violence against children, including physical, mental, and sexual harm that occurs across multiple settings such as homes, schools, and online. It identifies that perpetrators are often trusted adults like parents, teachers, or caregivers. The document highlights that certain groups of children—those with disabilities, those living with HIV/AIDS, those in poverty, homeless children, and migrants or refugees—face elevated risk of violence.

Key points

• Violence against children includes physical, mental, and sexual forms, as well as neglect and exploitation
• Violence occurs in multiple settings: home, community, school, workplace, and online
• Perpetrators are frequently trusted adults such as parents, caregivers, family members, neighbors, or teachers
• Children with disabilities, HIV/AIDS, extreme poverty, or in institutional care face higher risk
• Homeless children and migrants, refugees, or asylum seekers are at elevated risk of violence

Limitations

This document provides definitional and contextual information about violence against children but does not present empirical research, evaluation data, or evidence about the effectiveness of interventions. It cannot tell us about the prevalence of violence, outcomes of specific prevention or response programs, or comparative effectiveness of different approaches.