Peer-reviewed articlePubMed (US National Library of Medicine)
A crucial juncture for evidence-based action to end violence against children.
Amber Peterman, Joan Njagi, Horace Gninafon et al.
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Amber Peterman, Joan Njagi, Horace Gninafon et al.
Each year, one billion children globally experience violence, which carries lifelong detrimental effects. In 2016, WHO and partners launched the INSPIRE Framework: seven strategies to end violence against children. A decade after INSPIRE's development, this systematic review updates its evidence base and assesses which interventions could be prioritised for implementation. This systematic review of systematic reviews searched 152 information sources from Jan 1, 2010, to May 15, 2023, to identify systematic reviews evaluating the effectiveness of policies or interventions in addressing violence against children. Reviews were narratively synthesised and interventions were ranked using a decision matrix based on the amount and quality of evidence and the consistency of effectiveness. From 22 117 initial articles screened, 216 unique systematic reviews were included, of which 149 focused on interventions that do not have WHO implementation guidelines. Of these 149 reviews, 47 (32%) were assessed to be high or moderate confidence using the AMSTAR2 tool. Across outcome domains and countries, the strongest evidence of effectiveness includes parenting programmes for reducing child maltreatment, safe and enabling school environments (whole-school approaches) for preventing youth violence, healthy romantic relationships education for reducing adolescent intimate partner violence, cash-plus life-skills training among adolescents in low-income and middle-income countries for reducing youth violence (including sexual violence), and cognitive behavioural therapy for children exposed to violence. Parenting programmes might also reduce maternal intimate partner violence, although few studies have directly examined this outcome. Scaling up these evidence-based approaches is essential to ending violence against children. This study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023427487).
Madison T Little, Alexander Butchart, Greta M Massetti et al.
BACKGROUND: Adolescents who have been sexually abused often experience trauma symptoms, and caregiver emotional support has been highlighted as fundamental to the recovery process. Yet the benefits of caregiver emotional support may differ for adolescents of different ages. OBJECTIVE: This study examines whether the relation between caregiver emotional support and adolescent trauma symptoms after sexual abuse varies across adolescents of different ages. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants were 829 adolescents; 92.7 % were female and the remainder was male. All reported sexual abuse and were brought to a Children's Advocacy Center in the United States. The mean age was 13.98 years (SD = 1.78), and 62.7 % identified as Hispanic/Latine. METHODS: Adolescents reported on trauma symptoms and on general and abuse-specific emotional support received from a non-offending caregiver. Adolescents also reported on cumulative traumatic events and abuse severity. RESULTS: Adolescent age moderated the association between caregiver general emotional support and adolescent trauma symptoms (B = 0.08, SEB = 0.03, t[825] = 2.39, p = .017, sr2 = 0.01), with a stronger association for younger adolescents than for older adolescents. Severity of the abuse accounted for some of the moderator effect in the total sample, but not in sensitivity analyses conducted with only female adolescents. Adolescent age did not moderate the association between abuse-specific emotional support and adolescent trauma symptoms (B = 0.03, SEB = 0.03, t[825] = 0.85, p = .397). CONCLUSIONS: Caregiver general emotional support was more protective against trauma symptoms among younger, as compared to older, adolescents.
Ernest N Jouriles, Melissa J Sitton, Rachel Chan et al.
BACKGROUND: Violence against children poses short- and long-term risks to health, society and economy. The Parenting for Lifelong Health for Young Children (PLH-YC) programme has been shown to be effective in reducing child maltreatment for 2- to 9-year-old children in Thailand. We assessed the costs and budget requirements across multiple scenarios for scaling up the PLH-YC programme in Thailand. METHODS: Five scaling-up scenarios at varying levels were identified through a consultative workshop and semistructured interviews, with implementation planned via existing infrastructures. A bottom-up costing approach was employed to estimate the cost and budget impact using data collected through document review, website search and interviews. Costing was performed using the provider's and societal perspectives. RESULTS: The cost per caregiver based on the societal perspective ranged from 262 to 300 USD (1 USD = 35.36 THB in 2024). From the provider's perspective, the cost per caregiver trained was estimated at 82-195 USD. Assuming nationwide programme implementation, the estimated total budget impact for 1 year ranged from 50 to 76 million USD. CONCLUSIONS: Scaling-up PLH-YC incurs different unit costs per caregiver depending on the levels of programme delivery. However, budget requirements for all scenarios can be prohibitively high. To increase financial feasibility, programme modifications while maintaining quality, such as fewer parenting sessions or hybrid implementation, should be explored. Strong political commitment and financial support by key stakeholders are necessary for programme adoption and scaling up.
Hsu Myat Mon, Wilaiwan Pongpaew, Nopphol Witvorapong et al.
Sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth face a heightened risk of sexual violence, yet their experiences are often overlooked in mainstream frameworks of prevention and care. Access to appropriate support may be further limited by biased or uninformed professional attitudes toward both SGM identities and sexual victimization. This study explored how professionals in Israel understand and interpret sexual violence against SGM youth and how structural, psychological, and cultural factors shape vulnerability and barriers to healing. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty professionals working with SGM youth in clinical, educational, and community settings. Three interconnected themes emerged: (1) Longing for Recognition, showing how unmet attachment needs and isolation drive SGM youth into unsafe digital spaces; (2) When Shame Meets Shame, illustrating how internalized stigma and identity-related shame complicate the recognition and disclosure of harm; and (3) Silenced Pain, highlighting how family rejection, institutional neglect, and intra-community denial contribute to systemic invisibility. Five subthemes, including digital risk-taking and the burden of double disclosure, further detailed these dynamics. Identity-based stigma, digital vulnerability, and institutional gaps converge to create complex pathways of harm. Trauma-informed, LGBTQ-affirming interventions are urgently needed across clinical, educational, and policy domains.
Ateret Gewirtz-Meydan, Ruth Berkowitz, Shir Maoz
Victims of Violent Extremism - Psychological Consequences and Treatment Options. Violent extremism is directed against societies and institutions and aims to destabilise such structures and trigger uncertainty. The expressive effect of these acts therefore also arises from the public's evaluation of them. The specific nature of the violent act also has implications for those children and adolescents directly and indirectly affected by violent extremism. Within the framework of a narrative review, the specific aspects resulting from this for the treatment of trauma related disorders in children, adolescents and their relatives are presented.
Marc Allroggen, Cedric Sachser
Women with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and/or adolescent-adult sexual assault (ASA) can have different trauma-related symptom presentations in early adulthood, but the role of coping resources in mitigating victimization-related distress is understudied. Thus, the present study examined women with sexual victimization histories by developmental period (CSA-only, ASA-only, or CSA + ASA) and the role that mindfulness and emotion regulation play as coping resources that may buffer against post-traumatic stress. Participants were 247 cisgender community women aged 21-30 recruited for a larger study on high-risk drinking and sexual behaviors. Negative binomial regression models revealed significant differences in PTSS severity by victimization pattern: CSA + ASA was associated with the greatest PTSS severity, followed by ASA-only, and CSA-only reporting the lowest severity. Though no buffering effects were found, emotion regulation and mindfulness were directly associated with lower PTSS severity across all victimization patterns. Results indicate the need for targeted interventions for those who have experienced both CSA and ASA. Findings also suggest that improving mindfulness and emotion regulation may be beneficial, though not sufficient, for recovery following sexual victimization regardless of victimization pattern. Future interventions could prioritize increasing coping resources to reduce distress for victim-survivors of sexual victimization.
Sharon S Wang, Jessica A Blayney, Anna E Jaffe et al.
On December 23, 2025, the Delhi High Court (HC) issued an order suspending the life sentence of Kuldeep Singh Sengar - convicted in 2019 for the rape of a minor Dalit girl, and for the death of her father, following an assault in custody by Sengar's brother and others - and approving his bail application in the rape case [1]. On December 29, 2025, after public protests, the Supreme Court of India (SC) stayed the Delhi High Court order [2], giving some respite to the survivor and her family. Even so, the Delhi HC order raises several concerns which could weaken public trust in the justice delivery system, particularly regarding sexual crimes against women and children. The Delhi HC decided that, regardless of the serious crime, as a legislator, Sengar could not be considered a "public servant". Hence, a life sentence for child rape by a public servant, mandated by the law, was not applicable to Sengar. Further, as he had already served jail time for over 7 years - the minimum sentence for rape of a child - the HC remitted the sentence [1].
Sunita Sheel Bandewar
Bela Janare Putra, Muhammad Ferdiansyah
Typologies classify persons based on characteristics and motivation of offending and inform clinical treatment, and management of, people who commit acts of sexual harm. Research examining typologies of women who have sexually offended (WWSO) is limited. We address this gap by examining court sentencing decisions for WWSO against children and adults in New Zealand, Australia and Canada (N = 62) to formulate typologies. We consider a broad range of individual and developmental factors, including offender background and psychosocial factors (e.g. experience of sexual abuse, adverse childhood experiences and mental health difficulties) to further describe this heterogenous population. Four typologies of WWSO emerged: 'Anti-social' motivated by revenge, malice or material gain; 'Seeking Love' motivated by seeking intimacy and love; 'Seeking Sexual Gratification' motivated to fulfil their own sexual desires; and 'Seeking to Please Others' motivated to please others or win others' affection. These typologies have clinical implications for identifying key assessment and treatment targets for WWSO.
Tess Patterson, Linda Hobbs, Elliott Brown et al.