NEW DELHI: According to a report by the World Health Organisation, over 1 billion children are estimated to suffer from various forms of violence, such as child maltreatment, bullying, physical or emotional abuse,sexual violence.
According to the report, a child or adolescent dies from homicide every 13 minutes, amounting to approximately 40,000 preventable deaths each year. Only half of the affected children share their experiences of violence, and only 10% receive any assistance.
According to the World Health Organization, around 9 in 10 children still live in countries where prevalent forms of childhood violence, such as corporal punishment and sexual abuse, are not yet prohibited by law, and over half of all children aged 2-17—more than 1 billion—experience some form of violence each year, which contributes to anxiety, depression, risky behaviors like unsafe sex, smoking, and substance abuse, as well as reduced academic achievement.
Concerned with the rising violence against children, including corporal punishment, over 100 governments made historic commitments at a landmark event in Bogotá, Colombia, on Thursday to end violence against children. Nine of these governments pledged to ban corporal punishment, an issue that affects three out of every five children regularly in their homes.