CHILD PROTECTION FROM VIOLENCE, EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE

© UNICEF/NYHQ2010-2511/Olivier Asselin

A statistical snapshot

June 2011

Statistics and Monitoring Section DIVISION OF POLICY AND PRACTICE

Violence, Exploitation and Abuse are Widespread The births of half of children under five living in the developing world have not been registered Percentage of children under five whose births are registered, by region 100

96

77

71

60

40

Lack of birth registration often puts children beyond the reach of the protection and services to which they have a right .

90

80

51 41

36

36

Eastern and Southern Africa

South Asia

20

0 Developing countries (excluding China)

CEE/CIS

Latin America Middle East and East Asia and West and and Caribbean North Africa Pacific (excluding Central Africa China)

Note: Global estimates are based on 101 countries, covering around 92% of the under five population in the developing world (excluding China). These estimates do not include China as data on birth registration are not available in UNICEF databases for this country. Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50% of the regional population. Source: DHS, MICS and other national surveys and vital registration systems, 2000-2009.

Large proportions of girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) during their childhood

Three out of four children experience violent discipline at home, in selected countries with available data

Percentage of girls and women 15-49 years old who have been cut Percentage of children 2–14 years old who have experienced violent discipline in the past month, by type, in selected countries with available data

100 80

76

73

60

Less than 10%

48

40

10% - 40% 41% - 70%

46

17

20

More than 70% Missing data/FGM/C not widely practiced

0 Any violent discipline

Psychological aggression

Physical punishment

Both physical Severe physical punishment and punishment psychological aggression

Disclaimer: The boundaries and the names shown and the designations used on these maps do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

Note: Estimates are based on data from 33 low- and middle-income countries, covering around 10% of the world’s population of children.

Source: DHS, MICS and other national surveys, 1997-2009.

Source: MICS and DHS, 2005-2006.

Violence, Exploitation and Abuse are Widespread 67 million young women were first married or in union by age 18 in the developing world

The prevalence of child marriage has been declining, but progress remains slow Percentage of women 20-49 years old who were first married or in union by age 15 and 18, by current age of the women

Number of women 20-24 years old who were first married or in union by age 18, by region (in millions, 2009) East Asia and Pacific (excluding China) 5.2 Eastern and Southern Africa 6.6

Middle East and North Africa 3.8

Latin America and Caribbean West and 7.5 Central Africa 7.9

South Asia 34

Boys are also at risk of being married as children, although to a lesser extent than girls. More than 7 million men 2024 years old were first married or in union by age 18 in South Asia, and more than 2 million in Sub-Saharan Africa.

60 Women married after age 15 but before age 18 Nigeria Women married before age 15 8.6 million

50

Pakistan 7.3 million

40 26

26

27

30

26 25 23

20

21

10

20

18

18

15

12

0 45-49

40-44

35-39

30-34

25-29

20-24

Current age of the women Note: Global estimates are based on 94 countries, covering around 90% of the population of women 20-24 years old in the developing world (excluding China). These estimates do not include China as data on marriage are not available in UNICEF databases for this country. Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50% of the regional population. Source: DHS, MICS and other national surveys 2000-2009.

Note: Estimates are based on 92 countries, covering around 88% of the population of women 20-49 years old in the developing world (excluding China). The estimates do not include China as data on child marriage are not available in UNICEF databases for this country. Source: MICS, DHS and other national surveys, 2000-2009.

One in six children in the developing world is engaged in child labour

Significant proportions of adolescent girls report that they have been victims of sexual violence

Percentage of children 5-14 years old who are engaged in child labour, by region

Percentage of girls 15-19 years old who report that they have ever experienced sexual violence, in selected countries with available data 40

40 33 30

30

20

20

21 16

9

10

10

11

21 17

16

16 13

12

11 10

10

9

8

7 5

5

5

0

0 Developing countries (excluding China and Nigeria)

CEE/CIS

Latin Middle East Asia South Asia SubAmerica East and and Pacific Saharan and North (excluding Africa Caribbean Africa China) (excluding Nigeria)

Note: Global estimates are based on 92 countries, covering around 80% of the child population in the developing world (excluding China and Nigeria). Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50% of the regional population.

Note: Data for the Democratic Republic of the Congo refer to girls 18-19 years old. Sexual violence includes being forced to have sexual intercourse or perform any other sexual acts against one’s will.

Source: DHS, MICS and other national surveys, 2000-2009.

Source: DHS, 2005-2009.

Some children are at higher risk of violations Levels of birth registration may vary significantly by geographical location within countries Percentage of children under five whose births are registered in selected countries with available data (national prevalence and regional variation within countries) 100

80

60

40

Birth registration rate at the national level (dot) and intra-country variation in birth registration rates by area of residence (line)

20

0

Source: MICS, DHS and other national surveys, 2003-2010.

Poorest girls are three times as likely to get married before age 18 compared to richest girls Percentage of women 20-24 years old who were first married or in union by age 18, by region and by household wealth quintile

Girls from certain ethnic groups are more at risk of FGM/C Percentage of girls and women 15-49 years old who have been cut, by ethnicity, in selected countries with available data

100 90 80 70

Poorest 20% Second 20% Middle 20% Fourth 20% Richest 20%

Benin

Ethnic group Ethnic group with the highest with the lowest National prevalence rate prevalence in prevalence in the country the country 74 0 13

Burkina Faso

73

86

29

1

12

0

26

59

1

40

Cameroon Central African Republic Chad

45

95

0

30

Côte d'Ivoire

36

77

4

The Gambia

78

97

12

Ghana

4

19

0

Guinea

96

99

68

Guinea-Bissau

45

95

6

Kenya

27

98

0

Mali

85

98

28

Niger

2

66

0

Nigeria

19

61

0

Senegal

28

78

2

Togo

6

35

0

60 50

20 10 0 CEE/CIS

Middle East and North Africa

South Asia East Asia and Sub-Saharan Developing Pacific Africa countries (excluding (excluding China) China) Note: Global estimates are based on a subset of 80 countries, covering around 52% of the population of women 20-24 years old in the developing world (excluding China). Regional estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50% of the regional population. Regional estimates for Latin America and the Caribbean were not included due to limited population coverage (i.e. below 50% of the regional population).

Source: MICS, DHS and other national surveys, 2000-2008.

Source: MICS and DHS, 2003-2009.

Child protection: linkages with other dimensions of well-being Countries with high rates of child labour tend to have low rates of school attendance

Countries with high levels of child marriage tend to have high levels of early childbearing

Percentage of children 7-14 years old who are engaged in child labour and school attendance rates among children 7-14 years old, in selected countries with available data

Percentage of women 20-24 years old who were first married or in union by age 18 and percentage of women 20-24 years old who gave birth by age 18, in selected countries with available data

100

Women who gave birth by age 18

60

School attendance

80

60

40

20

50

40

30

20

10

0

0 0

10

20

30

40

50

60

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Women first married or in union by age 18

Child labour Source: MICS, DHS 1999-2007.

Source: DHS, 2000-2009.

Women who marry as children are more likely to Women with little education are more likely to have married as children, even in countries think that a husband is justified in beating his wife where the prevalence of child marriage is low Percentage of currently married women 15-49 years old who think that a husband is Percentage of women 20-49 years old who were first married or in union by justified in hitting or beating his wife if she goes out without telling him, by age at age 18, by level of education, in a subset of countries with available data first marriage, in selected countries with available data where prevalence of child marriage is 10% or below 30 19 Married at age 25 or later 27 27 Zimbabwe 27 No education or primary education Married between ages 18-24 33 Secondary or higher education 25 Married before age 18 23 Cameroon

23

30

22

40 20

33 Benin

45 50 14

27 Kenya

38

12

52 39

Burkina Faso

10

52

8 58

6

28 Nigeria

4

45

4

4

4

68 1

67

0

81 84

Zambia

0

20

Source: DHS 1999-2007.

40

11

60

80

100 Source: MICS, 2005-2006.

4

Changes in attitudes are not always enough to change practices Large proportions of children are subjected to physical punishment, even if their mothers/primary caregivers do not think it is necessary Percentage of mothers/primary caregivers who do not think that physical punishment is necessary and percentage of children 2-14 years old who experience physical punishment, even though their mothers/primary caregivers do not think that physical punishment is necessary, in selected countries with available data Montenegro Albania Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Bosnia and Herzegovina Macedonia TFYR Tajikistan Serbia Belarus Suriname Algeria Lao Ukraine Georgia Azerbaijan Iraq Central African Republic Guinea-Bissau Trinidad and Tobago Belize Guyana Gambia Togo Jamaica Djibouti Cote d'Ivoire Burkina Faso Viet Nam Ghana Yemen Cameroon Sierra Leone Syria Source: MICS and DHS, 2005-2006.

Percentage of children 2-14 years old who experience physical punishment, even though their mothers/primary caregivers do not think that physical punishment is necessary Percentage of mothers/primary caregivers who do not think that physical punishment is necessary 0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

In some countries, the percentage of daughters who undergo FGM/C is greater than then percentage of mothers who support the practice Percentage of women 15-49 years old with at least one daughter circumcised and percentage of women 15-49 years old who think that FGM/C should continue, in selected countries with available data 66

Mauritania

53 63

Eritrea

49 49

Djibouti

37 38

Ethiopia

31

Guinea-Bissau Burkina Faso

Percentage of women 15-49 years old with at least one daughter circumcised

35 28

Percentage of women 15-49 years old who think that FGM/C should continue

25 11

0 20 Source: DHS, MICS and other national surveys, 2002-2007.

40

60

80

100