Violence against children

Violence against children takes many forms. It can be physical, emotional or sexual. It happens in every country and any setting – in a child's home, school or online. And for many girls and boys, violence comes at the hands of the people they trust most.

Children who have been severely abused suffer lifelong consequences. They often experience significant learning difficulties, low self-esteem and depression that can lead to self-harm. In early childhood, toxic stress associated with violence can permanently impair brain development and damage other parts of the nervous system. Witnessing violence can also cause serious distress.

Still, many types of interpersonal violence remain hidden from public view. This can happen when the abuse is socially accepted or tacitly condoned, like corporal punishment. Victims may also be too young to disclose their experience – or to even understand it. Children who experience repeated episodes of abuse often grow up believing their own shortcomings are to blame.

While violence against children remains pervasive, it is not inevitable. Nor are its effects. With the right support, children can go on to heal and thrive.

What is physical violence?

According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, physical violence encompasses physical torture, cruel and inhuman physical punishment, physical bullying and hazing, and corporal punishment. It may involve someone using an object or body part to physically harm or control a child. Slapping, spanking, pushing, punching, kicking, choking and burning all constitute physical violence. In its most severe forms, physical violence leads to head trauma, disability and death.

This abuse can be committed by anyone, but adults in positions of authority – like caregivers or teachers – are often cited as perpetrators.

While all children are vulnerable to physical violence, various factors affect their risk of exposure. Young children tend to be most at risk of serious injury from violence by caregivers, while older children are more prone to violence by peers, including dating partners or gang members. Children with disabilities may be especially vulnerable to forced sterilization and violence in the form of ‘treatment’.

Suffering physical violence during childhood results in more than physical harm. Depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, dissociation, psychiatric disorders, suicidal behaviour and self-harm are all known consequences. Children who experience physical violence tend to struggle in school, with a greater chance of falling below the poverty line. Socially, these children may be more likely to withdraw and to have difficulty relating to others. They may engage in more risk-taking and even, as adults, re-enact the violence themselves.

None of these consequences is inescapable. With the right support, children can begin to heal, and go on to thrive.

What is emotional violence?

Emotional violence (also referred to as mental or psychological abuse) can be carried out in many ways. Threatening, insulting, rejecting, ignoring, ridiculing or scaring a child are all forms of emotional violence. So too are neglecting children’s educational needs, subjecting them to solitary confinement, or denying emotional responsiveness, for example.

Many children who experience physical violence also suffer from emotional violence, often perpetrated by the people closest to them. Parents and caregivers are some of the most frequently cited offenders.

While emotional violence may be difficult for both the victim and outsiders to detect, its scars can be just as severe as those left by physical violence. Children who experience recurrent episodes of psychological abuse often blame themselves, internalizing their abuser’s harmful words and actions. They may come to see themselves deficient in ways that follow them through adulthood, leading to depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, low self-esteem, isolation and insecure attachment. At least one study has revealed that the consequences of emotional violence may vary according to form: Children who are terrorized by their caregivers tend to face anxiety, trouble sleeping and other issues as adults, while those who are ignored or degraded may develop borderline personality disorders.

Again, none of these consequences is inevitable. Children who receive the right support can begin to heal and go on to thrive.

What is sexual violence?

Often accompanied by physical or emotional violence, sexual violence ranges from direct physical contact to unwanted exposure to sexual language and images. It encompasses situations in which a child is forced to perform a sexual act, coerced to expose her or his body parts (in person or online), pressed to view the sexual activities of others, subjected to sexual advances by adults or peers, and many other acts of abuse. Rape is a severe form of sexual violence that may be inflicted by an individual or group as a punishment or weapon of war.

Children are more vulnerable than adults to sexual violence. Their limited perception of what constitutes abuse elevates their risk of victimization. And they may be unaware of perpetrators’ motives, thus more susceptible to manipulation and coercion.

Suffering sexual violence during childhood impedes all aspects of development. Physically, abuse can result in considerable injury, early pregnancy, and HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. Psychological consequences include depression, anxiety, panic disorders and a range of self-harming behaviours, like eating disorders and suicidal thoughts. Children may cope with their experiences by running away, skipping school, turning to drugs and alcohol, or engaging in risky sexual activity – behaviours that often isolate them, raising their exposure to more abuse.

In these ways and others, the social harm associated with sexual violence can be severe. Child victims may develop insecure or disorganized attachments, especially when violated by a person they depend on. They may grow up struggling to trust others and to maintain close relationships. Some enter adulthood without ever receiving the support they need to speak of their abuse. Because sexual violence can be shrouded in stigma and shame, silence remains the crushing burden of the survivor.

But none of these consequences is inevitable. Children who receive proper care can begin to heal and go on to thrive.