WHO: One Billion Children Worldwide Face Violence Every Year

The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean has stated that approximately one billion children worldwide are exposed to violence every year. A child dies from violence every five minutes, TASS reports.

“According to the WHO, one billion children around the world experience physical, sexual or emotional violence each year, which can lead to long-term consequences for their physical and mental health,” the regional office noted. “Every five minutes, a child dies as a result of violence.”

“These deaths, as well as the long-term harm caused by all forms of violence against children, are preventable,” the WHO stressed.

The WHO Regional Office highlighted Pakistan’s newly developed National Strategy to End Violence Against Children for 2026–2031, aimed at “strengthening prevention and protection measures for the 120 million children living in the country.” The strategy was jointly presented by the WHO and Pakistan’s Ministry of Human Rights on 14 October. According to the document, around 80% of children in the country are subjected to violent methods of discipline; one in every sixteen adolescents aged 12–17 who use the internet experiences technology-facilitated exploitation or abuse; 8.6 million children are engaged in child labour; and more than 57% of children under the age of five are not registered with civil authorities, which “makes them vulnerable to violence and limits their access to protection and essential services.”

The objective of Pakistan’s National Strategy to End Violence Against Children, the WHO explained, is “to strengthen systems of prevention, protection, response, recovery, reintegration and justice for every child, regardless of their social or economic status.” The strategy addresses various forms of violence, neglect of children’s needs, and exploitation. The risk of experiencing violence — including exploitation, early marriage, trafficking and child labour — is “disproportionately high for the most vulnerable groups,” such as children of displaced persons and migrants.

“Pakistan can count on WHO’s support in fulfilling its commitments to eliminate all forms of violence against children,” said Dr Luo Dapeng, WHO Representative in Pakistan.