World Vision launches “It takes a world to end violence against children” campaign on Universal Children’s Day

Every year, over a billion children experience different forms of violence globally. These forms of violence include war and conflicts, trafficking, child marriage, and child labour. Violence robs children of their dignity, rights, potential and future. Threatening their lives, health and education opportunities, it is the biggest issue affecting children around the world today.

This is why World Vision Hong Kong is partnering with World Vision offices across the globe in launching the campaign“It takes a world to end violence against children”. This campaign aims to catalyse a global movement of people committed to keeping children safe from harm. Its name reflects the fact that no individual, group or organisation can solve this problem alone. Everyone needs to come together to end the suffering of hundreds of millions of children.

World Vision Hong Kong will kick off the campaign on20 November, the Universal Children’s Day. On that day, World Vision Hong Kong will release a short film showing how a group of local kids had a taste of the “violence” faced by their counterparts around the world through different experiential workshops. This film aims to help the local audience understand more about the violence faced by children living in poverty, to raise the public’s concern and to mobilise action on this issue.

Violence against children affects their social, emotional, mental, and physical development and has far-reaching consequences into their future and their community. Children who are exposed to violence as a victim or a witness are more likely to become victims or perpetrators later in life. The cost of inaction is high.

It is estimated that globally:

• There are approximately 168 million child labourers and over half of them (85 million children) are involved in hazardous work.

• 28 million children have been forcibly displaced across or within borders due to violence and insecurity.

• More than 700 million women got married before their 18th birthday.About 1 in 7 adolescent girls (aged 15 to 19) worldwide is currently married or in union.

• Children make up 28% of all detected trafficking victims.

• Violence against children costs up to US$7 trillion each year, up to 8% of global GDP.

World Vision works in communities to help strengthen local and national child protection systems in contextually-appropriate ways so that governments, civil society, faith-based actors, community stakeholders and children are empowered and coordinated to work together to create an environment that protects children from violence.Our work in preventing and responding to violence against children includes:

• Establishing children’s club, girls group to empower children to speak for themselves and influence local stakeholders to implement necessary policy changes

• Implementing livelihood projects to help impoverished families increase their income so children can go to school instead of work

• Setting up Child Friendly Spaces in disaster, conflict and fragile communities to ensure safe space for children, etc.

World Vision encourages the public to become child sponsors or World Vision Partners, and be a part of the movement to end violence against children.

For details about the campaign, please visit here.

Published on 9 Nov 2017