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Violence affecting children

Violence affecting children

Violence affecting children manifests differently in every society. The most effective interventions address both the immediate needs of children and the broader social causes of violence. The Multi Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children, led by Innocenti and national partners in Peru, Zimbabwe, Viet Nam and Italy, builds national research capacity across the four countries. National reports and policy briefs synthesize findings to create a composite picture of violence. Field research tests if interventions to prevent violence are addressing the underlying drivers. An Advisory Board  provides advice and guidance for the Multi Country Study.  

Several countries neighboring the four main field sites have initiated the Research to Policy & Practice Process, called R3Ps.. These are scaled-down studies on the drivers of violence allowing UNICEF Country offices and partners to systematically review and prioritize best possible prevention and response interventions based on local evidence.

Young Lives is a longitudinal study following the lives of 12,000 children in Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam over a 15 year period. The study measures the effect of violence on child outcomes at multiple points in time. Young Lives study data is powerful in suggesting when, where and how risk and protective factors manifest in children’s lives; this work complements the Multi Country Study findings and contributes to new understandings for violence prevention policy and programming.  

For a list of the studies, reports, videos, blogs and other related content produced by the Multi-country Study and its spin-off studies, see our list of outputs.

 

Publications

2018 Results Report
Publication

2018 Results Report

In 2018, significant gains were made in generating evidence to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged children, build organizational capacity to conduct and use quality, ethical research on children, and set a foundation as an important convening centre for expert consultation on next-generation ideas on children. 2018 marks the first year the UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti is reporting on the progress of research under the new UNICEF Strategic Plan (2018-2021). This plan is the first to clearly delineate the role of research and evidence as one of the eight priority change strategies for children. This report therefore is an account of the first year of work to generate critical evidence to inform programmes, policies and advocacy for children and young people around the world
Research that Drives Change: Conceptualizing and Conducting Nationally Led Violence Prevention Research
Publication

Research that Drives Change: Conceptualizing and Conducting Nationally Led Violence Prevention Research

Globally, studies have demonstrated that children in every society are affected by physical, sexual and emotional violence. The drive to both quantify and qualify violence through data and research has been powerful: discourse among policy makers is shifting from “this does not happen here” to “what is driving this?” and “how can we address it?” To help answer these questions, the Multi-Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children – conducted in Italy, Viet Nam, Peru and Zimbabwe – sought to disentangle the complex and often interrelated underlying causes of violence affecting children (VAC) in these four countries. Led by the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti with its academic partner, the University of Edinburgh, the Study was conducted by national research teams comprised of government, practitioners and academic researchers in each of the four countries.
Innocenti Research Digest: Adolescence 5
Publication

Innocenti Research Digest: Adolescence 5

This quarterly digest synthesizes the latest research findings in adolescent well-being over the previous three months. Key themes in this latest edition include: the new UN General Comment on the Rights of the Child during adolescence; the risks refugee and migrant children face on the central Mediterranean migration route; and the work of the Know Violence in Childhood: Global Learning Initiative, established as a collective response by individuals from multilateral institutions, non-governmental organizations and funding agencies concerned about the global impact of violence in childhood and the need for investment in effective violence prevention strategies. The Digest offers News, Upcoming Events, Resources and Latest Research.
The multi-country study on the drivers of violence affecting children. A cross-country snapshot of findings
Publication

The multi-country study on the drivers of violence affecting children. A cross-country snapshot of findings

Understanding Children’s Experiences of Violence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India: Evidence from Young Lives
Publication

Understanding Children’s Experiences of Violence in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, India: Evidence from Young Lives

This paper explores children’s accounts of violence in Andhra Pradesh, India, and the ways in which factors at the individual, family, community, institutional and society levels affect children’s experiences of violence. The paper analyses cross-sectional survey data and case studies from longitudinal qualitative data gathered over a seven-year period, from Young Lives.
Understanding Children’s Experiences of Violence in Ethiopia: Evidence from Young Lives
Publication

Understanding Children’s Experiences of Violence in Ethiopia: Evidence from Young Lives

After a brief description of the policy context and literature review, the paper describes the study then presents findings from the survey and qualitative research, exploring home, schools, communities, differences by age and gender, and children’s responses to violence. The report adds to knowledge about the nature and experiences of violence affecting children in resource-poor settings, and concludes with some suggestions for policies, programming and practice.
Understanding Children’s Experiences of Violence in Peru: Evidence from Young Lives
Publication

Understanding Children’s Experiences of Violence in Peru: Evidence from Young Lives

The paper discusses how living in poverty affects relationships between parents and children. Meeting the basic economic needs of a family is the priority for parents, who then have limited time, energy and resources to devote to their children. We also found that children exposed to violence in the home are also frequently exposed to corporal punishment at school.
Understanding Children’s Experiences of Violence in Viet Nam: Evidence from Young Lives
Publication

Understanding Children’s Experiences of Violence in Viet Nam: Evidence from Young Lives

This paper explores children’s accounts of violence at home in Viet Nam, and the ways in which factors at the individual, family, community and society levels affect their experiences of violence. The paper analyses cross-sectional survey data and qualitative data gathered from Young Lives.
Experiences of Peer Bullying among Adolescents and Associated Effects on Young Adult Outcomes: Longitudinal Evidence from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam
Publication

Experiences of Peer Bullying among Adolescents and Associated Effects on Young Adult Outcomes: Longitudinal Evidence from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam

This study uses a mixed methods approach combining survey analysis of the predictors and associations with being bullied, with qualitative data to explore the context in which bullying occurs and the social processes that underpin it. Findings show that better data collection and increased resource allocation to bullying prevention are needed. The development and evaluation of different types of effective, sustainable and scalable bullying prevention models in low- and middle-income country contexts are priorities for programming and research.
Social Protection and Childhood Violence: Expert Roundtable
Publication

Social Protection and Childhood Violence: Expert Roundtable

This Brief summarizes the proceedings of the Know Violence Roundtable examining the evidence on the role of social protection in reducing childhood violence hosted by UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, 12-13 May, 2016.
Measurement of Interpersonal Violence in National Social Cash Transfer Evaluations
Publication

Measurement of Interpersonal Violence in National Social Cash Transfer Evaluations

Over the past decade, more than a dozen government-run cash transfer programmes have been launched in sub-Saharan Africa as part of national social protection strategies. Recently there has been increased interest in examining whether such programmes reduce interpersonal violence, including between partners and against children. In this Research Brief we discuss different approaches that have been implemented in evaluations supported by the Transfer Project.
Corporal Punishment in Schools - Longitudinal Evidence from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam
Publication

Corporal Punishment in Schools - Longitudinal Evidence from Ethiopia, India, Peru and Viet Nam

Globally the use of corporal punishment in schools is increasingly prohibited in law, yet in many contexts its use continues, even where outlawed. Proponents argue that it is an effective and non-harmful means of instilling discipline, respect and obedience into children, while others point to a series of detrimental effects, including poor academic performance, low class participation, school dropout and declining psychosocial well-being. Establishing whether corporal punishment has lasting effects on children’s cognitive development and psychosocial well-being has been hampered by a lack of longitudinal data, especially from Low- and Middle-Income Countries.
Restorative Justice after Mass Violence: Opportunities and risks for children and youth
Publication

Restorative Justice after Mass Violence: Opportunities and risks for children and youth

There is growing interest in the role that restorative justice can play in addressing mass atrocities. This paper describes the associated principles and practices within juvenile justice systems and in societies emerging from mass violence. It also examines the meaning, opportunities and limitations of restorative justice in transitional societies, particularly in relation to the needs of young victims and offenders.
Children, Agency and Violence: In and beyond the United Nations study on violence against children
Publication

Children, Agency and Violence: In and beyond the United Nations study on violence against children

How has the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) made a difference in the everyday lives of children, particularly those needing special protection? There have been reforms in law policy. There have also been resource allocations, an increase in the number of training and awareness raising programmes, and the development of plans of action for children. However, there is a lack of evidence of the impact of all these actions on the day to day lives of children.

Journal Articles

Addressing violence against children online and offline
Journal Article

Addressing violence against children online and offline

This paper calls for actors working to end violence against children to situate online violence within the broader violence against children agenda. This requires a common conceptual framework that addresses violence in all areas of children’s lives, improved data collection efforts and integrated implementation guidance for prevention.
Disclosure, reporting and help seeking among child survivors of violence: a cross-country analysis
Journal Article

Disclosure, reporting and help seeking among child survivors of violence: a cross-country analysis

Violence against children is a pervasive public health issue, with limited data available across multiple contexts. This study explores the rarely studied prevalence and dynamics around disclosure, reporting and help-seeking behaviours of children who ever experienced physical and/or sexual violence.Using nationally-representative Violence Against Children Surveys in six countries: Cambodia, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania, we present descriptive statistics for prevalence of four outcomes among children aged 13–17 years: informal disclosure, knowledge of where to seek formal help, formal disclosure/help seeking and receipt of formal help. We ran country-specific multivariate logistic regressions predicting outcomes on factors at the individual, household and community levels.The prevalence of help-seeking behaviours ranged from 23 to 54% for informal disclosure, 16 to 28% for knowledge of where to seek formal help, under 1 to 25% for formal disclosure or help seeking, and 1 to 11% for receipt of formal help. Factors consistently correlated with promoting help-seeking behaviours included household number of adult females and absence of biological father, while those correlated with reduced help-seeking behaviours included being male and living in a female-headed household. Primary reasons for not seeking help varied by country, including self-blame, apathy and not needing or wanting services.Across countries examined, help-seeking and receipt of formal services is low for children experiencing physical and/or sexual violence, with few consistent factors identified which facilitated help-seeking. Further understanding of help seeking, alongside improved data quality and availability will aid prevention responses, including the ability to assist child survivors in a timely manner.
Violence against children in Latin America and the Caribbean: What do available data reveal about prevalence and perpetrators?
Journal Article

Violence against children in Latin America and the Caribbean: What do available data reveal about prevalence and perpetrators?

Past-year physical and emotional violence by caregivers and students is widespread in LAC across all ages in childhood, as is IPV against girls aged 15 – 19 years. Data collection must be expanded in LAC to monitor progress towards the sustainable development goals, develop effective prevention and response strategies, and shed light on violence relating to organized crime/gangs.
Is Routine Screening for Intimate Partner Violence Feasible in Public Health Care Settings in Kenya?
Journal Article

Is Routine Screening for Intimate Partner Violence Feasible in Public Health Care Settings in Kenya?

More than a third of women worldwide have experienced either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV) or non-partner sexual violence. The short- and long-term health effects of violence can be disabling if left undetected. A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report indicates that Africa is one of the regions with the highest prevalence of physical and/or sexual IPV among ever-partnered women. Routine screening for IPV can potentially improve the care and treatment of women suffering from violence. Although routine screening is commonplace in European and American countries, health systems barriers in developing countries have deterred introduction of this practice. Results from this feasibility study indicate that providers are willing and able to incorporate IPV screening into their practice and that IPV screening in a variety of health care settings in a public hospital is feasible and welcomed by clients. Referral uptake by women suffering from IPV was low compared with provider referral rates, but ways in which referral and management services could be improved were identified.
Navigating Support, Resilience, and Care: Exploring the impact of informal social networks on the rehabilitation and care of young female survivors of sexual violence in northern Uganda
Journal Article

Navigating Support, Resilience, and Care: Exploring the impact of informal social networks on the rehabilitation and care of young female survivors of sexual violence in northern Uganda

Sexual violence is an issue of significant concern in conflict-affected societies, with girls often among those most affected. While formal support services such as medical care, psychosocial support, and legal assistance for survivors are undeniably important, informal actors also play a key but poorly understood role in assisting survivors. This study examines the experiences of young female survivors of sexual violence in northern Uganda in order to explore the variety of roles (both positive and negative) that informal support networks played in contributing to survivors’ healing and recovery. In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 female survivors of sexual violence between the ages of 13–17 who were living in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Lira, northern Uganda. Each girl participated in a series of 4 interviews over a 1-year period. Girls participating in this study identified social stigma to be the primary source of psychosocial distress following an incident of sexual violence, as well as the most significant barrier to their recovery and reintegration. Findings also suggest that the relationship between a girl and her perpetrator had a significant impact on the type of follow-up support she received—particularly with regard to her ability to access justice. Survivor accounts also indicate that family members played a complex role in girls’ lives following an incident of abuse—in some cases providing significant support, while in others exposing girls to additional stigma or marginalization. Findings offer important insights to inform the development of response initiatives that build upon community-based networks, while also strengthening linkages between formal and informal forms of support in the lives of survivors.
Physical, Emotional and Sexual Adolescent Abuse Victimisation in South Africa: Prevalence, incidence, perpetrators and locations
Journal Article

Physical, Emotional and Sexual Adolescent Abuse Victimisation in South Africa: Prevalence, incidence, perpetrators and locations

Background Physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children is a major problem in South Africa, with severe negative outcomes for survivors. To date, no known studies have used data directly obtained from community-based samples of children to investigate prevalence, incidence, locations and perpetrators of child abuse victimisation. This study aims to investigate prevalence and incidence, perpetrators, and locations of child abuse victimisation in South Africa using a multicommunity sample.Methods 3515 children aged 10–17 years (56.6% female) were interviewed from all households in randomly selected census enumeration areas in two South African provinces. Child self-report questionnaires were completed at baseline and at 1-year follow-up (96.7% retention).Results Prevalence was 56.3% for lifetime physical abuse (18.2% past-year incidence), 35.5% for lifetime emotional abuse (12.1% incidence) and 9% for lifetime sexual abuse (5.3% incidence). 68.9% of children reported any type of lifetime victimisation and 27.1% reported lifetime multiple abuse victimisation. Main perpetrators of abuse were reported: for physical abuse, primary caregivers and teachers; for emotional abuse, primary caregivers and relatives; and for sexual abuse, girlfriend/boyfriends or other peers.Conclusions This is the first study assessing current self-reported child abuse through a large, community-based sample in South Africa. Findings of high rates of physical, emotional and sexual abuse demonstrate the need for targeted and effective interventions to prevent incidence and re-victimisation.
Violence Against Children in the Asia Pacific Region
Journal Article

Violence Against Children in the Asia Pacific Region

Up to the year 2000, there was very little scientific evidence in this region about the scale of child maltreatment, its effects on children, families, and society, and the resultant economic burden. Since then, many agencies large and small, government and nongovernment, and university-based researchers have worked independently with diverse groups of people to measure violence, neglect and other childhood adversities and to understand the harmful consequences.While the accumulated evidence is mostly patchy and the methodological quality is variable, there is now enough data to compose an overall regional picture. Guided by the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific office in Bangkok, researchers completed several systematic reviews between 2012 to 2015 and that work has been complemented by reviews focused on China and Australia.

News & Commentary

Mapping what we know about ending violence against children
Article

Mapping what we know about ending violence against children

Jessica Marques, 20, was the victim of cyberbullying, social isolation and embarrassment during high school at age 17. (21 October 2020) While evidence on interventions to reduce violence against children (VAC) has increased in recent years, striking gaps remain that need to be addressed, according to a new report published today by UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti and the Campbell Collaboration. The report is based on an ‘Evidence & Gap Map’ (EGM) which graphically represents what we know, and what we don’t know, about VAC via a matrix of strong, weak, or no evidence.More than one billion children—that’s over half the children in the world—report having experienced some form of violence. Combined with what we know about the negative consequences of violence on children’s health and wellbeing, it’s impacts on education and the economy, and it’s long lasting effects well into adulthood, it is crucial that actions are taken at all levels to end VAC.The latest VAC evidence gap map, now detailed in a report and summarised in a brief, confirms that the evidence on prevention of violence, though growing, is as yet limited in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and poorly distributed across countries and regions. The EGM maps 152 impact evaluations and systematic reviews according to seven globally recognised INSPIRE strategies to end VAC. It quickly shows that the evidence is not equally concentrated across and within these strategies. More studies are needed to assess the effectiveness of strategies across the INSPIRE themes, with a sharper focus on specific forms of vulnerability, such as children with disabilities and children from minority groups.“Sharing and discussing these findings with policy makers and other key actors is necessary for a coordinated approach to filling knowledge gaps and ensuring research has a real impact”, explains Innocenti’s Chief of Child Protection, Ramya Subrahmanian. “Regular updating of such maps will help to maintain a global overview of gaps and tell us how well the violence prevention field is doing to strengthen evidence-informed strategies.” In recognition of this need, the map will soon be updated to include studies in Arabic, Chinese, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, for a more comprehensive representation of the evidence available.The roots of violence are complex, the global scale is significant, and the consequences are enduring for children, families, communities, and societies. Strengthening our understanding of effective interventions to reduce violence are essential for the development of evidence-informed policies and programmes. This EGM is a first step towards developing an evidence architecture to inform policy, programme, and investment strategies to prevent VAC.   Explore the Evidence Gap Map, read the full report, and find a summary of our findings in our Research Brief. Discover all our work on violence against children. Keep an eye out for our series of briefs which summarises the findings of the study under each of the seven INSPIRE pillars.
5 Questions on Research on Violence against Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Article

5 Questions on Research on Violence against Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic

@media screen and (max-width: 639px){ .imgInfographic { width: 100%;float: none;margin-left: 0px;} } @media screen and (min-width: 640px){ .imgInfographic { width: 35%; float: right; margin-left: 20px;margin-bottom:20px; } }  Download the guidance note on Research on violence against children during the COVID-19 pandemic.(14 October 2020) A new publication produced jointly by UNICEF Innocenti and UNICEF Data and Analytics provides guidance on ethical data collection and research on violence against children in the context of COVID-19 and beyond. We sat down (virtually) with one of UNICEF Innocenti’s researchers involved in producing this research guidance, Alessandra Guedes, Gender and Development Research Manager, to discuss what this publication is about, why it has been produced and what the key messages from the publication are. 1. How did this guidance note come about and why is it important especially in the context of COVID-19?Those of us working in violence prevention, realized early in the pandemic that measures necessary to contain COVID-19, while essential, were likely to increase risks of violence against children (and against women).   Immediate concerns relate to the increased vulnerabilities of children as a consequence of stay-at-home orders, school closures, economic pressures placed on families, and limited access to support services.  We are eager to understand how levels of violence were changing so that this evidence can be used to guide policy and programming, ultimately preventing such violence from taking place.  Nonetheless, collecting data on individuals’ direct experience of violence presents ethical and methodological challenges that can be exacerbated during the pandemic both because of the need to collect data remotely and as result of the COVID-19 crisis itself which may limit vital referral and response efforts.   We produced this document to encourage those commissioning or undertaking VAC research to prioritize the generation of sound and actionable data that can lead to immediate policy and programmatic change and improve children’s and families’ wellbeing.  We also hope that this document will outline how existing data sets and alternative data collection methods can be employed until lockdowns are lifted and support services are back in place, making in-person data collection on the experience of violence feasible. 2. What is the purpose of the guidance note?This guidance note is meant to serve as a simple guide to inform decisions related to VAC data collection and evidence generation during and after the COVID-19 crisis, and complements other resources focusing on violence against women. We start by reviewing the main types and sources of data on VAC and offer data collection options that can be used to assess how COVID-19 is impacting such violence, including changes in the availability of services for survivors. This section is followed by a review of the ethical aspects of VAC research that can be affected by the pandemic. Finally, we address key questions on VAC evidence that may arise during the pandemic. We tie all of this information together by offering readers a ‘decision tree’.  Throughout the note, we highlight the importance of having clarity about how the evidence produced will be used to improve policies and programs, suggesting that the risks inherent in undertaking research on violence during COVID-19 be carefully studied in relation to the potential benefits of the data produced. 3. What ethical considerations should be taken when collecting data on violence against children?“It is essential to adhere to well-established and standard principles and protocols for ensuring the safety and confidentiality of participants and researchers.” Collecting primary data from children or caregivers on the experience of violence presents ethical, safety and methodological challenges that can be exacerbated during the pandemic.  Table 2 of our guidance note summarizes critical issues that may arise when asking questions about children’s experiences of violence under normal circumstances and outlines how these can be affected during remote data collection and pandemic conditions.  For example, the ability to ensure privacy and confidentiality is a requirement for asking sensitive questions, including about direct experiences of violence.  This includes privacy and confidentiality of both direct verbal communication as well as data and communication related to the study (such as consent forms, text messages, etc.).  When collecting data remotely (for example, via telephone), it is challenging to ensure privacy if researchers are unable to confirm where participants are responding to questions, or to observe interruptions that would require halting an interview.  Additionally, in quarantine situations, especially in crowded dwellings, conversations may be easily overheard, screens monitored, and technology shared among family members.  The guidance note emphasizes that, regardless of the type and purpose of VAC data collection, it is essential to adhere to well-established and standard principles and protocols for ensuring the safety and confidentiality of participants and researchers and the quality of the data produced.  The need for evidence must always be balanced against the substantial risks to children, families and even researchers participating in violence-related data collection efforts.  4. What types and sources of data on VAC can be applied to generating evidence during COVID-19?"A key recommendation of our guidance note is that VAC-related evidence generation and data collection be carried out by, or in collaboration with, researchers with prior experience in VAC."In table 1 of the guidance note, we outline various types and sources of VAC data and provide examples of how these are being used during COVID-19, ranging from efforts to understand how services for survivors are being affected by the pandemic to those using social media data to shed light on public opinion, interest or attention to VAC.  It also provides examples of how existing data sets may be analysed to shed light on the potential impact of COVID-19 on levels of different forms of violence against children. For example, UNICEF and academics from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are using existing data from Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) to model how COVID-19 measures might have changed children’s exposure to violent discipline. This follows the development of a conceptual framework that combines exposures, outcomes and the potential effects of COVID-19.  A key recommendation of our guidance note is that VAC-related evidence generation and data collection be carried out by, or in collaboration with, researchers with prior experience in VAC. 5. What are the key recommendations from this publication and what is next for research on VAC in this context?   Evidence on violence against children (VAC) can play a crucial role in uncovering and understanding increased risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can also guide policy and programming to prevent such violence and promote victims’ continued access to compassionate and effective care.   Since the privacy and safety of children are more difficult to ensure amid COVID-19-related restrictions, primary data collection on individual’s direct experience of violence should be avoided.  Nonetheless, it is possible and advisable to generate evidence that allows us to begin to understand how measures to contain COVID-19 are impacting violence-related services and how to improve victims’ access to support.  Researchers and those commissioning research have an obligation to ensure that the data generated will be actionable and used to improve children’s lives and that children’s, families’ and researchers’ safety will not be compromised.   Despite these challenges, it is feasible and indeed imperative, that we look for creative ways to use available evidence and alternative data collection methods to raise awareness of the impact of COVID-19 on VAC, inform response efforts and better plan for future crises.   Download the publication: Research on Violence against Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance to inform ethical data collection and evidence generation   Note: The publication: Research on Violence against Children during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Guidance to inform ethical data collection and evidence generation is a collaboration between UNICEF’s Office of Research – Innocenti and the Data and Analytics Section, Division of Data, Analytics, Planning and Monitoring. It was conceptualized and written by Amber Peterman (independent consultant), Gabrielle Berman, Alessandra Guedes and Ramya Subrahmanian (Office of Research – Innocenti) and Claudia Cappa (Data and Analytics Section).
International effort to strengthen evidence on violence against children
Article

International effort to strengthen evidence on violence against children

Students walking past their school in Brazil where 62 per cent of reported child victims of violence are girls and 60 per cent of reported cases occur at home. (14 March 2019)  Ending violence against children by 2030 is among the most important goals for children in the SDGs. The lack of robust, disaggregated data and evidence to understand the magnitude and nature of violence against children in their respective countries remains a challenge.   An international meeting to create a Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Data and Evidence to End Violence Against Children is held 18 – 19 March 2019 at UNICEF Innocenti, in Florence. The meeting is organized by the office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, and UNICEF on behalf of the Executive Committee of the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children. While advocacy and political will to support ending violence is on the upswing, challenges in the field of violence prevention remain around improving global, regional and national availability of quality data, evidence and learning. Resolving these issues and building consensus on greater global cooperation moving forward is necessary to ensure accelerated progress towards the scaling up of promising programmes and strategies, and also to ensure timely and effective monitoring of progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals.These factors further underscore the importance of “quality, accessible, timely and reliable disaggregated data to enable the measurement of progress and to ensure no one is left behind”. The international consultation brings together experts and stakeholders working on data and evidence on the protection of children from violence to discuss and build consensus on how to address the challenges in producing sound data and evidence.  The agenda includes discussions on how to build agreements on definitions, indicators and methodologies to ensure collective global effort to improve evidence standards and practices. The two-day meeting will focus on conversation and consensus building about:what data and evidence resources are needed to support countries taking action to end violence against children;what tools are currently used across agencies and places to collect data; what are the gaps in data, evidence and learning, and how can be addressed; how can current resources and platforms can be enhanced to create a dynamic and useful resource and avoid duplication; what actions should be taken to keep this agenda moving forward. The organizers expect an engaging and fast-moving meeting, setting an agenda for the Forum’s work, and resulting in a strong coordinated action plan to guide data and evidence efforts to meet the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals, for a world where children can live free from violence, abuse and exploitation. 

Events

Violence in the home before, during and after COVID-19
Event

Violence in the home before, during and after COVID-19

The UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti launches the second webinar series of “Leading Minds Online What the Experts Say- Coronavirus and Children: Violence in the Home”.
Bridging the Gaps: Reviewing the intersections of violence against women and violence against children
Event

Bridging the Gaps: Reviewing the intersections of violence against women and violence against children

Evidence on the points of intersection of the two forms of violence that follow parallel but distinct trajectories.
Expert Consultation on the Prevention of the Sale & Sexual Exploitation of Children
Event

Expert Consultation on the Prevention of the Sale & Sexual Exploitation of Children

The UN Special Rapporteuron the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material, Ms Maud de Boer-Buquicchioin, partnership with the UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti, held a two-day expert meeting in Florence, Italy.

Partners

Videos

Research watch

Violence against children: a silent threat

Programme summaries

Investigación para informar la política: El impacto del castigo fisíco en las escuelas en los resultados educativos y de bienestar de niños y niñas peruanos

Research to Policy and Practice Process (R3Ps): Overview

Research to Policy Brief: The impact of corporal punishment in Peruvian schools

The Multi-Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children: Emerging Researchers

The Multi-Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children: Overview

The Multi-Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children: Research Uptake

Young Lives four-country analysis on child protection: risk and protective factors

Manuals, tools and guidelines

A Child-Centred Integrated Framework for Violence Prevention

List of studies, reports, videos and related outputs of the Multi-Country Study on the Drivers of Violence Affecting Children

Social Norms Field Guide: East Asia and the Pacific Region (Viet Nam, Indonesia and the Phillipines)

Social Norms Field Guide: Eastern and Southern Africa Region (Zimbabwe and Swaziland)

Understanding the drivers of violence. A step-by-step guide to conducting preliminary research around what drives violence

Conferences & Meetings

Expert Roundtable on impact of social protection on childhood violence

Social Protection and Childhood Violence: Expert Roundtable

High level meeting on raising children without violence in Montenegro

Understanding Pathways

Viet Nam country study

Understanding the drivers of violence affecting children in Viet Nam

Italy country study

A multicountry study of the drivers of violence affecting children. Italian report

Studio multi-paese sui drivers della violenza all'infanzia. Rapporto Italia

Peru country study

Entender para prevenir. Violencia hacia las niñas, niños y adolescentes en el Perù

Peru country study - Infographics

Zimbabwe country study

Addressing social norms that underpin violence against children in Zimbabwe. Findings and stategic planning document

Exploring determinants of violence in childhood: methodology of research on social norms and violence prevention in Zimbabwe

Understanding determinants of violence in childhood: a secondary analysis of the national baseline survey of the life experiences of adolescents in Zimbabwe

Implementing and improving. A national case management system for child protection in Zimbabwe

Other country studies

A systematic literature review of the drivers of violence affecting children: the Philippines

A national study on the drivers of violence affecting children in Swaziland

Una revisión sistemática de los determinantes de la violencia que afectan a niños, niñas y adolescentes: Costa Rica

Violence aganist children in Serbia: determinants, factors and interventions. A national report

Drivers of violence affecting children in Serbia: a snapshot of findings

Blogs

Bringing data on violence out of the shadows in Peru: a 25 year journey

Investigating the drivers of violence affecting children in Vietnam

Can data help end corporal punishment?

Podcasts

Mary Catherine Maternowska on Peru making progress on violence against children

Journal articles

Violence Against Children in the Asia Pacific Region: The Situation Is Becoming Clearer

Violence against children in Latin America and the Caribbean: What do available data reveal about prevalence and perpetrators?

Prevalence of violence in childhood and adolescence and the impact on educational outcomes: evidence from the 2013 Peruvian national survey on social relations

What's new

Tanzania to integrate violence prevention for women and girls

Related external links

Applying Theory to Practice: CARE’s Journey Piloting Social Norms Measures for Gender Programming

The Population Council - Adolescent girls' empowerment

The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children

Global Early Adolescent Study

Know Violence In Childhood