The United Nations has reported alarming levels of violence against children worldwide, exacerbated by interconnected global crises. On October 11, 2024, Najat Maalla M'jid, the UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children, revealed that approximately 300 million minors experienced online sexual exploitation in the past year, with the actual number potentially being higher.
Furthermore, nearly half of the global child population—around one billion—are identified as being at high risk due to climate change. Many more are vulnerable to violence stemming from multidimensional poverty.
Children face various forms of abuse, including physical, sexual, and psychological violence, both online and offline. This includes child labor, child marriage, female genital mutilation, gender-based violence, trafficking, harassment, and cyberbullying. M'jid emphasized that no nation or child is immune to these risks, highlighting that the vulnerability to violence is a global issue that transcends geographical and socio-economic boundaries.
The UN data indicates that 160 million children are still subjected to child labor, while one in eight girls and women have experienced sexual assault before the age of 18. M'jid acknowledged the interconnected nature of different forms of violence, noting that many child labor victims are also subjected to trafficking and sexual exploitation.
The impact of such violence can have lasting consequences on children's mental health, leading to increased rates of suicide, behavioral disorders, eating disorders, drug addiction, despair, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, this context adversely affects their education, performance, and learning capabilities.