VOA
28 Sep 2017, 09:05 GMT+10
Nearly three out of four children around the globe experience violence each year. That's according to a new study of children in both rich and poor countries.
What's more, the report confirms that violence in childhood is linked with violence against women. Children who witness abuse of their mothers are more likely to become victims or perpetrators of abuse when they grow up, it said.
The report, Ending Violence in Childhood: Global Report 2017, was issued by Know Violence in Childhood, an international advocacy group launched three years ago in India.
The study found that violence in childhood is nearly universal, affecting 1.7 billion children over the course of a year. This includes bullying or fighting, sexual abuse, corporal punishment at home and in school, and sexual violence.
The researchers focused on violence between the perpetrator and the child. They did not include violence from war and other events. They took more than three years to document the scale of violence experienced by millions of the world's children.
The report also looked at strategies to end the violence.
Rayma Subrahmanian, executive director of Know Violence in Childhood, said children are exposed to emotional and physical punishment from as early as 2 years old.
FILE - Adriana Maria dos Santos, mother of the late Vanessa do Santos, and a friend, Laisa, cry over Vanessa';s casket during her burial in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, July 6, 2017. The 10-year-old child was killed two days earlier after being hit in the head
Subrahmanian said violence is a learned behavior that is rooted in deep cultural norms. In some societies, beating is a form of discipline.
Children who are victims of violence often suffer immediate harm, but they also face lifelong physical and mental health problems - anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or attachment disorders, among others. As teens, boys are more likely to be involved with homicide and suicide. Girls are more likely to suffer sexual assault.
Violence in childhood also inflicts an economic cost on society. Know Violence in Childhood said that children who experience violence at home or at school are more likely to be absent from school or to drop out. They are less likely to succeed in life and to get an education, researchers found. Also, up to 8 percent of global GDP is spent each year on repairing the damage caused by childhood violence, the study said.
While governments can put preventive measures in place, most governments fail to invest in tackling the root causes of violence, the report said.
Get a daily dose of Philippine Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Philippine Times.
More InformationMOSCOW, Russia: The UK newspaper, the Telegraph, has been blocked in Russia, following a request from the Russian prosecutor-general.The TASS ...
LAHORE, Pakistan - An Airbus 320 carrying 171 passengers narrowly avoided an accident at Allama Iqbal International Airport, Pakistan's second-largest ...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday vowed to "do all in my power" to protect a woman's ...
YANGON, Myanmar - According to military-run media, a junta delegation discussed nuclear technology collaboration with a Russian state-owned atomic energy ...
DHAKA, Bangladesh - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing more than Tk2.3 crore in emergency funding ...
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia: Cambodian villagers on the Mekong River have caught a stingray fish weighing 661 pounds, which is the ...
TOKYO, Japan: Amidst semiconductor shortages and COVID-19 parts supply disruptions, Toyota has reduced its July global production target by 50,000 ...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Electric vehicle (EV) sales could reach 33 percent globally by 2028, and 54 percent by ...
BERLIN, Germany: To prevent large increases in food prices, officials from G7 countries, including Germany and the UK, will push ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is preparing to order Juul Labs to stop selling its e-cigarettes ...
WASHINGTON D.C.: As average home prices surged to a record high, reaching the $400,000 mark for the first time, and ...
MOSCOW, Russia: Russia's consumer price index has fallen by 0.12 percent for the third consecutive week.This drop in the consumer ...