OBJECTIVE: present and discuss the potential use of the concept of vulnerability for the development of practices to address violence against children. METHOD: this is a theoretical study that presents the characteristics of the phenomenon of violence against children, to which the concept of vulnerability is applied. RESULTS: proposal of a framework for the analysis of violence against children in the perspective of vulnerability, creating individual and collective dimensions. Violence against children, when analyzed in the perspective of this concept, broadens the understanding of this phenomenon, as it exposes aspects and conditions from outside the family that are co-responsible for the occurrence of this phenomenon. CONCLUSION: developing studies to identify the vulnerability of children to violence is essential for the development of practices to address this issue.
Paula Hino, Renata Ferreira Takahashi, Lúcia Yasuko Izumi Nichiata et al.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the reasons for the lack of priority given to addressing violence against children, and to identify the challenges that proponents must address to improve prioritization of this issue. METHODS: We reviewed relevant literature to identify experts to interview. We carried out a thematic analysis of the literature and interview transcripts. We iteratively developed data coding on the many characteristics of violence against children, on the framing of the issue by proponents, and on the problem of governance - that is, how proponents organize themselves for collective action. FINDINGS: The analysis of our data sources reveals many obstacles for global prioritization of addressing violence against children, including the forms of violence considered, inadequate data to describe prevalence and a lack of evidence of the effectiveness of proposed solutions. There exists fundamental disagreement among proponents on the recently introduced frame of violence against children, including differences in the types of violence that should be prioritized and in the proposed solutions (e.g. prevention or remediation). On governance, competition between networks focused on specific forms of violence is hampering efforts to create strong governing institutions. CONCLUSION: Despite the complex challenges identified, proponents have made some progress in global prioritization of addressing violence against children. To improve this prioritization further, proponents must resolve framing tensions and strengthen governance mechanisms to promote shared goals, while ensuring that networks focused on particular forms of violence are able to maintain their distinct identities.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected children's risk of violence in their homes, communities and online, and has compromised the ability of child protection systems to promptly detect and respond to cases of violence. However, the need to strengthen violence prevention and response services has received insufficient attention in national and global pandemic response and mitigation strategies. In this paper, we summarize the growing body of evidence on the links between the pandemic and violence against children. Drawing on the World Health Organization's INSPIRE framework to end violence against children, we illustrate how the pandemic is affecting prevention and response efforts. For each of the seven INSPIRE strategies we identify how responses to the pandemic have changed children's risk of violence. We offer ideas for how governments, policy-makers, and international and civil society organizations can address violence in the context of a protracted COVID-19 crisis. We conclude by highlighting how the current pandemic offers opportunities to improve existing child protection systems to address violence against children. We suggest enhanced multisectoral coordination across the health, education, law enforcement, housing, child and social protection sectors. Actions need to prioritize the primary prevention of violence and promote the central role of children and adolescents in decision-making and programme design processes. Finally, we stress the continued need for better data and evidence to inform violence prevention and response strategies that can be effective during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amiya Bhatia, Camilla Fabbri, Ilan Cerna-Turoff et al.
Importance: Sexual violence against children is a global concern, yet worldwide figures of its prevalence are scant. Objective: To estimate the global prevalence of sexual violence against children using national-level population-based studies. Data Sources: We searched the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, PsycINFO, ERIC, and APA PsycArticles databases from their respective inceptions to March 2022. Searches were updated through April 2024. Study Selection: Reports were included if (1) they were national-level population-based studies, (2) they reported lifetime or past-year prevalence data on any form of sexual violence against children (mean age ≤19 years), and (3) the data were based on children's self-reports of sexual violence perpetrated by anyone. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Data extraction included study and participant characteristics, prevalence rates, and types of sexual violence. Outcomes were pooled using a random-effects model. Exploratory subgroup analyses were performed with categorical moderators. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes included lifetime and past-year prevalence of forced sexual intercourse, contact sexual violence, and sexual harassment. Results: We identified 165 studies that included 958 182 children from 80 countries, with the majority of data focusing on girls (58.2%). The sample sizes of the studies ranged from 330 to 132 948; the mean age ranged from 10.5 to 19.4 years. Lifetime sexual harassment was the most prevalent outcome, with a pooled rate of 11.4% (95% CI, 8.5%-15.1%), followed by any contact sexual violence, with a rate of 8.7% (95% CI, 4.7%-15.5%). Furthermore, 6.1% (95% CI, 5.1%-7.3%) of children reported experiencing completed forced sexual intercourse in their lifetime, and 1.3% (95% CI, 1.0%-1.7%) reported experiencing it in the preceding year. Rates of lifetime completed forced sexual intercourse were higher among girls (6.8% [95% CI, 6.1%-7.6%]) compared with boys (3.3% [95% CI, 2.5%-4.3%]), similar to past-year violence (2.3% [95% CI 1.9%-2.7%] for girls and 0.6% [95% CI 0.4%-0.9%] for boys). We found considerable variation across regions and countries in the reported prevalence of sexual violence. Older age of children, lower national income levels, and the use of school-based surveys were associated with higher rates of sexual violence reporting in some exploratory analyses. Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis highlight the burden of sexual violence against children worldwide based on current available evidence. There is a pressing need to enhance data collection efforts globally, especially in underresearched regions and for boys. Study Registration: PROSPERO CRD42022327090.
Antonio Piolanti, Iason E. Schmid, Fabian J. Fiderer et al.
Violence against children is a dynamic, changing social phenomenon. Every society, regardless of the level of development of democracy, economic and political development, regardless of the level of protection of human rights, encounters violence against children on a daily basis. The first professional interests in violence against children were made between the two world wars, but the first active measures to oppose it appeared in the mid-sixties of the twentieth century, in the most developed countries. In the 21st century, the countries of the "third world" remain in a civilizational, cultural, value cocoon. No matter how impossible and imaginary it may seem, in some countries, violence against children is still denied as a social phenomenon and a deviation. The negation of violence does not stem from the circumstance that the child is not physically and mentally punished, but that this "punishment" is justified for the purpose of good upbringing, tradition and similar found excuses. For many years, this attitude has been held in many post-communist states, states that have been isolated for decades, either because of politics or because of religion. However, with the globalization of society, the inevitable opening of borders, but also under great assets whose affirmation of ordinary organizations, primarily at the global and then at the state level, the topic of "violence against children" slowly gained its epilogue. Today, in 2021, violence against children is an open topic in most communities. There are no more taboos. And no turning heads from violence. Of course, there are exceptions, but the world is full of rules with some exceptions. The paper deals with two aspects: global and national, specifically the Republic of Serbia. The paper deals with the definition of the concept of the child, types of violence, legal acts regulating the rights of the child, applied measures, but also proposals for measures and moves to take exceptions (those who deny the existence of violence against children, those who it doesn't matter…) be if not zeroed, and at least minimized.
There is promising evidence that poverty-targeted cash transfer programs can have positive impacts on adolescent transitions to adulthood in resource poor settings, however existing research is typically from small scale programs in diverse geographic and cultural settings. We provide estimates of the impact of a national unconditional cash transfer program, the Kenya Cash Transfer for Orphans and Vulnerable Children, on pregnancy and early marriage among females aged 12 to 24, four years after program initiation. The evaluation was designed as a clustered randomized controlled trial and ran from 2007 to 2011, capitalizing on the existence of a control group, which was delayed entry to the program due to budget constraints. Findings indicate that, among 1,549 females included in the study, while the program reduced the likelihood of pregnancy by five percentage points, there was no significant impact on likelihood of early marriage. Program impacts on pregnancy appear to work through increasing the enrollment of young women in school, financial stability of the household and delayed age at first sex. The Kenyan program is similar in design to most other major national cash transfer programs in Eastern and Southern Africa, suggesting a degree of generalizability of the results reported here. Although the objective of the program is primarily poverty alleviation, it appears to have an important impact on facilitating the successful transition of adolescent girls into adulthood.
Amber Peterman, Sudhanshu Handa, Harsha Thirumurthy et al.
Abstract Exacerbated by 9 years of conflict and displacement, child marriage among Syrian refugees appears to be increasing, while in Gaza, the noticeable reduction in child brides over the past two decades has recently plateaued. This comparative study explores drivers and consequences of child marriage in protracted crises, drawing on mixed-methods research from Gaza and Jordan with married adolescent girls and their parents. Our findings suggest that conflict reignites pre-existing drivers of child marriage, especially conservative norms around family honour and clan inter-marriage. Poverty is a strong driver of child marriage among Syrian refugees, while social protection programmes and educational opportunities for girls have played a protective role in Gaza. In both contexts, our findings underscore the multiple and intersecting negative effects of child marriage on girls’ health and bodily integrity, and point to the urgency of tackling this harmful practice to ensure that no adolescent is left behind.
Bassam A. Abu Hamad, Samah Elamassie, Erin M. Oakley et al.
In this study, we synthesized findings from qualitative studies to identify the key factors that influence child marriage. We used a meta-ethnographic approach coupled with thematic synthesis. We searched literature from nine databases, which were in English language, covering areas in public health, psychology, and social science between 2008 and 2018. Twelve studies were included in the synthesis. We identified six main themes: human insecurity and conflict; legal issues; family values and circumstances; religious beliefs; individual circumstances, beliefs, and knowledge; and social norms. Our findings highlight the impact of human insecurity and conflict, as well as legal issues. In spite of global progress scaling up legislation against child marriage, the legal framework is insufficiently enforced in many settings. Most of the included studies were from the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. Studies from other parts of the world such as Latin America and Southeast Asia, which have the highest rates of child marriage, are needed.
Ayako Kohno, Teeranee Techasrivichien, S. Pilar Suguimoto et al.
Bangladesh ranks among the five countries with the highest rate of child marriage in the world. Community norms and values are among the underlying factors that support the practice of child marriage in Bangladesh. The Population Council is partnering with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs to delay marriage as part of the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Program to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage. This program is being implemented to generate evidence on reduction of child marriage through an adolescent skills-building program. The project works to empower girls with life-skills and livelihood and gender-awareness trainings, as well as engaging communities to address normative drivers of child marriage and identify the best strategy for reducing child marriage. The intervention approaches are evaluated in a four-arm cluster randomized control study with 72 intervention villages allocated to three arms and 24 control villages. As noted in this brief, the design intends to assess the impact of skills, as well as the added contribution of community engagement involving women and men.
ABSTRACT There were 21 cases of marriage dispensation submitted to the Tanggamus Religious Court. The purpose of this research is to determine the effect of health education on adolescent girl’s knowledge about early marriage. The research used was quantitative with pre-experimental research, with a one-group pretest-posttest design. The sample technique uses proportional random sampling. The research was conducted from February to May on 85 respondents using a questionnaire which was then analyzed and presented in the form of a distribution table on characteristics and knowledge. The mean score of knowledge of adolescent girl about early marriage before health education was 72.36±13.88. While the mean score of knowledge after health education is 88.90± 8.83. Research found that there was an effect of health education on increasing knowledge of adolescent girl about early marriage.There is an effect of health education on increasing knowledge of adolescent girl about early marriage. It is hoped that State Senior High School 1 Kota Agung can take advantage of the animated video that has been provided by the School Health Effort staff and can educate students about early marriage. Keywords: Knowledge, Early Marriage, Adolescent Girl
Tria Adinda, Susilawati Susilawati, Yuli Yantina et al.
