According to the WHO, more than half of the 2-17-year-olds, a total of more than one billion minors, experience violence on an annual basis.

The World Health Organization (WHO) called for international cooperation to curb violence against children at the first UN conference on violence against children held in Bogotá, Colombia.

According to the UN report presented at the conference, violence is part of everyday life for hundreds of millions of children worldwide, be it physical or mental abuse, even within the family or in the form of bullying at school, including sexual violence - which, according to the WHO warning, can have lifelong consequences . In most cases, violence against children takes place behind closed doors.

According to the WHO, more than half of the 2-17-year-olds, a total of more than one billion minors, experience violence on an annual basis. Three out of five children and adolescents experience physical violence at home, and one in five girls and one in seven boys experience sexual violence.

According to reports, a quarter to a half of minors are affected by some form of bullying. It is estimated that only half of children talk about their experiences of violence, and less than ten percent receive help. Lifelong consequences can include depression and anxiety, as well as smoking and drug use. As a result, many children do not reach their learning potential in school, the report continued.

"While violence is preventable, it remains a daily reality for millions of children around the world, leaving scars that last for generations"

said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the WHO.

At the UN Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (First Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children), 120 countries pledged to take action against violence against children, including by increasing the support provided to overburdened parents, and by launching anti-bullying school programs that raise awareness of healthy social behavior. , as well as raising the marriage age in some places.

MTI

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