Save the Children: UNICEF Child Protection
The Big Picture
Hundreds of millions of children across the globe are victims of exploitation, abuse and violence each year. They are abducted from their homes and schools and recruited into the army. They are trafficked into prostitution rings. They are forced into debt bondage or other forms of slavery.
The consequences can be devastating. Violence and abuse can kill; more often they result in poor physical and mental health, deny a child education, or lead to homelessness, vagrancy, or a sense of hopelessness. Moreover, if and when they have children of their own, abused children are more likely to subject them to some form of abuse.
UNICEF in Action
For decades, UNICEF has served as the world’s leading advocate for children and children’s rights, a voice for the defenceless. Over this time, our country offices have responded to a multitude of child-protection issues, addressing those that were most pressing at the time.
In Sierra Leone, we helped more than 3,600 child soldiers leave army life. In Burkina Faso, our support helped secure passage of legislation that made female genital mutilation/cutting a punishable offense. In Romania, we provided counselling and material support to pregnant women in difficult circumstances to dissuade them from abandoning their newborns. In Mexico, we piloted educational materials in Federal District schools about violence and how to avoid it, targeting teachers, parents and children. In Asia, we facilitated a cross-border agreement between China and Viet Nam to end child trafficking.
A protective environment strategy creates layers of safety nets that, if strong enough, can prevent abuse. Those conditions and factors that permit abuse can and must be addressed and corrected in order to sustain protection for large numbers of children over time.
The tools that UNICEF and its partners use to strengthen the protective environment include advocacy aimed at government officials; community education programmes to transform attitudes and customs that are harmful to children; advocacy and training within the community on the signs, symptoms and treatment of abuse; and educational programmes for children to help them develop life-saving skills.