World Report on Violence against Children

March 09, 2007: Violence against children is pervasive around the world, but only a small proportion of this violence is reported and investigated, and few perpetrators are brought to justice. Different cultures accept violence against children to varying degrees, yet violence has been shown to cause long-lasting social, emotional, and cognitive impairment in children and leads to high-risk health behaviors, producing social and economic losses at the societal level. In the U.S., the costs associated with child abuse and neglect were estimated in 2001 at $94 billion.

The U.N. study argues that all violence against children is preventable and that States have the primary responsibility to uphold children's rights to protection and access to services, and to ensure accountability in every case of violence. The report recommends actions that countries must take to prevent and respond to violence against children. Read the full report