GNV News, November 13, 2024

According to UN News, it is estimated that more than half of the world’s children aged 2 to 17—about one billion—suffer child abuse and sexual violence, including corporal punishment. Some children die as a result of violence, with murders due to violence occurring at a rate of one every 13 minutes. Such violence is often perpetrated by people whom children are supposed to trust, such as parents, stepparents, and teachers.

In light of this situation, at the invitation of the Government of Colombia and with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), the Bogotá Conference to end violence against children was held in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, over two days on November 7 and 8, 2024. The conference sought to advance initiatives such as a global violence-prevention movement led by children and adolescents. In nine of the participating countries, including Costa Rica, pledges were made to ban corporal punishment in the home, including strengthening the response of national institutions to eradicate domestic violence and changing legal and policy frameworks. It is hoped that the conference on ending violence against children will be held regularly to reduce, even if only a little, the number of children suffering from violence.

Learn more about children around the world and their coverage → “What are the realities of children worldwide and the gap in coverage?”

Learn more about human rights issues → “Exploring the current state of human rights reporting”

Children on their way to school in Honduras, where it is relatively common for children to be caught up in the criminal activities of gangs (Photo: EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid / Flickr [CC BY-NC-ND 2.0])