MEDIA RELEASE

Disturbing levels of violence against children is pervasive in homes,

schools and communities, new global UNICEF report reveals

SYDNEY, Wednesday 1 November 2017 One third (34 per cent) of Australian children aged
13-15 years old report being bullied at least once a month, according to UNICEFs new A
Familiar Face: Violence in the lives of children and adolescents report, released today.
The report sources the very latest data to find that children experience violence across all
stages of childhood and in all settings: Staggering numbers of children some as young as 12
months old are experiencing violence, often by those entrusted to take care of them, the
report finds.
It highlights the fact that, despite growing awareness of the global nature of violence against
children, the misconception that it is relatively rare persists. While media tend to focus on
extreme cases, such as death or rape, which are relatively uncommon, it is the routine abuses
that typically remain unacknowledged, becoming normalised in childrens lives such as
physical punishment at home and bullying at school.
Worldwide, close to 130 million (slightly more than 1 in 3) students between the age of 13 and
15 experience bullying. Thirteen per cent of 1315 year olds report monthly bullying in
Kazakstan, 18 per cent in Japan and 47 per cent in South Africa, compared to 34 per cent in
Australia.. While peer violence can take many forms, available data suggest that bullying by
schoolmates is by far the most common.
732 million (1 in 2) school-age children between 6 and 17 years live in countries where corporal
punishment at school is fully prohibited. New Zealand, Great Britain, Canada and Japan are
among these, whereas it is only partly prohibited in Australia.
Only nine per cent of children under the age of 5 live in countries where corporal punishment at
home is fully prohibited. Australia is not among them, whereas New Zealand adopted legislation
in 2007.
In Australia, the homicide rate among 10-19 year olds is 5-10 deaths per 100,000 the same as
a large part of world whereas it is more than 20 per 100,000 in Brazil, Columbia, Guatemala,
Honduras, Venezuela, a block that accounts for 1 in 3 global homicides in this age group.
The harm inflicted on children around the world is truly worrying, said UNICEF Chief of Child
Protection Cornelius Williams. Violence against children spares no one and knows no
boundaries.
Other statistics include
Around 6 in 10 one year olds in 30 countries with available data are subjected to
violent discipline on a regular basis. Nearly a quarter of one-year-olds are physically
shaken as punishment and nearly 1 in 10 are hit or slapped on the face, head or
ears.
Worldwide, 1 in 4 children under age five 176 million are living with a mother who
is a victim of intimate partner violence.
 Worldwide, around 15 million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced
forced sexual intercourse or other forced sexual acts in their lifetime.
In the 28 countries with data, 90 per cent of adolescent girls who had experienced
forced sex, on average, said the perpetrator of the first incident was known to them.
Data from six countries reveals friends, classmates and partners were among the
most frequently cited perpetrators of sexual violence against adolescent boys.
Globally, every 7 minutes an adolescent is killed by an act of violence.
To end violence against children, UNICEF is calling for governments to take urgent action and
support the INSPIRE guidance which has been agreed and promoted by WHO, UNICEF and
the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.

About UNICEF
UNICEF works in some of the worlds toughest places, to reach the worlds most disadvantaged
children. Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, to build a
better world for everyone.
For more information about UNICEF and its work for children, visit www.unicef.org.au/
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The A Familiar Face: Violence in the lives of children and adolescents report can be
downloaded here.
For more information, please contact:
Georgina Thompson, UNICEF New York, + 1 917 238 1559, gthompson@unicef.org
Brinsley Marlay, UNICEF Australia, 0403 604 182, bmarlay@unicef.org.au