• Violence Against Children

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 40 million children under the age of 15 are victims of violence every year. Almost certainly, this statistic underestimates the problem. It is clear that violence against children is a serious problem and cause of concern.

Some four years ago, in its resolution 56/138, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, upon the recommendation of the Committee on the Rights of the Child,  requested that the Secretary-General conduct an in-depth study on the issue of violence against children. The Secretary-General thus appointed in February 2003 an independent expert, Professor Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, to direct the study in collaboration with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and WHO. 

This report will be based on available evidence, information and a series of regional consultations. Girls in Africa are particularly vulnerable to various forms of violence - both by virtue of their gender and because of the socio-economic and cultural conditions prevailing in their communities. African girls experience violence in the classroom, at home and in the community, and, in times of conflict and crisis, are special targets of violence. In their communities, girls face physical, sexual and psychological violence, and are harmed through inequalities in access to resources.

The African Child Policy Forum believes that ending violence against girls in Africa is one of the most pressing challenges facing Africa. Comprehensive information on the magnitude of the problem, its causes and consequences is essential if we are to approach violence against girls in Africa from an informed perspective. 

The The Second International Policy Conference on the African Child: Violence Against Girls in Africa problem must be thoroughly understood, and the means of addressing it comprehensively analysed, if these abuses are to be effectively tackled and ultimately stopped.

Hence, The African Child Policy Forum commissioned retrospective surveys in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda on young women's experiences of violence before they were 18 years old. The research intends to inform the discussions at the Second International Policy Conference on the African Child, which explores violence against girls in Africa and aims to provide the elements for a strategy for the way forward.

The survey aimed to capture the voices of African girls who have experienced violence and, by doing so, enable them to reach policy-makers who can effect change on their behalf. They call on us to take action to meet the  challenge of ending violence against girls. It is our duty to respond.