With 46,000 suicide deaths annually among those aged 10 to 19, it is the fourth most common cause of death for those in the 15–19 age range.
The UN’s special envoy on violence against children has warned that conflict, the climate crisis, starvation, and displacement are causing an unprecedented surge of violence and sexual assault against young people.
“Wavering is not the fault of children. The climate catastrophe is not their fault. And they are paying a hefty (price),” stated UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children Najat Maalla M’jid.
“Violence against children has reached unprecedented levels, caused by multifaceted and interconnected crises,” she stated.
Moroccan doctor M’jid will deliver a devastating study to a UN meeting on Thursday, demonstrating the prevalence of horrific violence against children and the unprecedented ease with which crimes against youth are being enabled by technology.
According to M’jid, “ending violence is possible, and it makes economic sense,” highlighting the widespread commitment of people around the world to do away with the evil.
“The problem is how we can support them, to put all these (solutions) at scale.”
But as her sobering analysis demonstrates, the situation is serious.
By the end of 2022, there were over 450 million children living in conflict zones, 40 million children were among the 120 million displaced people at the end of April, and 333 million children were living in extreme poverty.
More than 1 billion children are at a heightened danger of being impacted by the climate crisis, which M’jid refers to as a risk multiplier.
“The parents of tomorrow”
M’jid cautions that child marriage is a pervasive evil that affects up to 640 million people.
A different UNICEF research estimates that 370 million women and girls experienced rape or other forms of sexual violence as children.
“Children may become victims of offline or online child exploitation. M’jid stated, “They might become victims of child labor, child slavery, and a host of other crimes… including children in armed conflict.”
As conflict and lawlessness permeate many nations around the world, including Sudan and Haiti, she issued a warning that “violence becomes normal.”
“When your children are experiencing violence since their early childhood, seeing only that… how are you going to deal with all this?”
The paper contends that violence against children has a knock-on impact that harms the children’s mental health, hinders their schooling, and stifles their production in the future.
“Even if you look at it from the perspective of the cost, it is 11 percent of the national GDP in some countries,” said M’jid.
According to her, the answer is in a concerted effort to increase public spending, the participation of industry and civic society, and the active involvement of young people.
But M’jid cautioned that attempts to stop violence against minors run the risk of being hampered by tight funds and the growth of conservative attitudes about sexual health and reproductive rights.
“The issue of the far-right wing and conservatism in many countries will also set back some forms of action regarding sexual reproductive health (and) gender issues,” M’jid stated.
“This is a very challenging time for us,” she continued.
“These children will be the parents of the future generation.”
