A report from the Child Protection Working Group (CPWG), with ChildFund Alliance, outlining the various reasons why protecting children from violence and exploitation is a life-saving intervention during and after emergencies, and should be prioritized for funding in all humanitarian crises.

Joint paper from ChildFund Alliance and Save the Children on accountability for the targets on violence against children.

At least 1 out of 2 children has experienced some form of violence and 18 million girls aged between 15 and 19 have experienced sexual abuse.

The Swedish Government, in collaboration with the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children and WePROTECT Global Alliance, hosted the Agenda 2030 for Children, End Violence Solutions Summitin Stockholm, Sweden, on 14 and 15 February 2018.

Government ministers from 20 countries, youth delegates and high-level representatives of UN bodies, civil society, the academic world and the private sector participated in the conference.

The purpose of the conference was to share good experiences and new solutions in work to end violence against children.

ChildFund Alliance was represented by Secretary General Meg Gardinier; Laurence Cambianica of Educo; Angeles Belén Cowan Ruiz, age 17, from Paraguay; and Luisa Futboe, age 16, from Indonesia. Our youth representatives were accompanied by Maria Ferreira and Reny Haning. Suzanne Berman of ChildFund International (USA) and Jorge Méndez-Rheineck of Christian Children's Fund of Canada/Paraguay were civil society representatives for their respective countries. 

Read more: 

The Solutions Summit websitehas lots of information about the Summit.

Agenda 2030 for Children: End Violence Solutions Summit Proclamation

Call to action for attendees to the Agenda 2030 for Children: End Violence Solutions Summit (signed by the Civil Society Forum of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, of which ChildFund Alliance is a member). The members of the Civil Society Forum are all members of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children. The call to action calls on governments and others to fulfill their commitments to end violence against children. The members of the Forum pledge to take seven actions that will contribute to ending violence against children. 

End Violence Solutions Summit: Statementby Marta Santos Pais, Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against Children

Where Next? Ending Violence against Children, by David Steven, Center on International Cooperation, New York University (paper)

Former sponsored child speaks for her peers on global stage, a blog by youth participant Angeles, reflecting on her experiences at the summit.

Japan Contributes US$ 5.9 million to the Fund to End Violence Against Children as First Humanitarian Donor.

In a study of the views of children on the issues of violence and exploitation, ChildFund Alliance conducted over 50 focus groups in 41 countries so that their voices can be heard as part of the post 2015-agenda. The children cited the top three things they want world leaders to do – raise awareness of the issues, enact laws and punish offenders – as well as give examples of the worst forms of violence and exploitation.

The annual Small Voices, Big Dreams report published by the ChildFund Alliance focuses this year on violence and exploitation, with 6,499 children asked to examine the issue of violence in their communities. They were also asked to describe what makes them feel safe and provides them with a sense of happiness.

For the first time, a review of official development assistance (ODA) to end violence against children has been done. The report "Counting Pennies: A review of official development assistance to end violence against children" found that in 2015, total ODA spending was $174 billion and of that, less than 0.6 percent was allocated to ending violence against children. This amounts to less than $0.65 per child in aid-receiving countries to end this scourge that affects more than one billion children every year.

ChildFund Alliance's advocacy paper on six lessons for investing in the protection of children from violence, ahead of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (Addis Ababa, July 13th-16th, 2015).

By Ángeles, CCFC former sponsored child, Paraguay

(Translated by Maria Ferreira, program officer, Paraguay)

It’s been a busy few months for Ángeles, a former sponsored child from Paraguay. This past fall, she attended a violence-prevention meetingin Ottawa, hosted on behalf of the World Health Organization and the Government of Canada. And, she’s just returned from a global meeting in Sweden. The 17-year-old attended the End Violence Solutions Summitwith academics, civil-society organizations, private-sector leaders and government officials. (She even met the Queen of Sweden!, See below.)

Here Angie opens up about her impressions of this special trip — one she shared with Leticia, a peer from SOS Children’s Villages.

ChildFund Alliance's advocacy paper on six lessons for investing in the protection of children from violence, ahead of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (Addis Ababa, July 13th-16th, 2015).

ChildFund Alliance and World Vision International commissioned Ipsos Reid to ask a question on the need to prioritize the prevention of violence against children at the global level. Support was unambiguous, with 93% of the 11,000 respondents stating that preventing violence against children should be a global priority.

Our progress for positive change in Paraguay is setting the stage for collaboration with governments and civil-society organizations around the world

If you’ve ever been to Paraguay, you might understand the feeling of community you experience from people in all corners of the country. I experienced this genuine welcome on my recent trip there a few days ago, but my eyes were also opened to one side of the country I couldn’t see.

I couldn’t see what happens behind closed doors. Jorge Méndez Rheineck, our country director in Paraguay, spoke frankly about the situation: “Violence against children in the home is a problem for too many. Worse, children suffer sexual abuse from adults they trust — relatives, family, friends and neighbours,” he said.