Children around the world are experiencing an “epidemic of violence” during the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research from World Vision.
The research, based on interviews with 763 children and young people aged seven to 19 years in six regions around the world, found that 81 per cent had seen or experienced violence during the coronavirus pandemic while 82 per cent said it had disrupted their education. It also found more children are being forced to work.
GRAPHIC: Courtesy of World Vision.
The study follows an earlier warning from World Vision that up to 85 million children are at risk of violence, whether physical, sexual or emotional, during COVID-19 quarantines and restrictions.
It also comes as more than 50,000 people, including children, have signed a World Vision global petition urging governments and institutions to increase funding for health, education and other social services to protect children from violence during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mercy Jumo, World Vision Australia’s senior policy advisor on child rights, said this year has been a particularly difficult one for the most vulnerable children.
“COVID has increased pressure and threats to children globally, especially in the most fragile communities. It’s clear we have another epidemic on our hands – an epidemic of violence against children…” she said in a statement.
“In every crisis, children – especially the most vulnerable – pay the highest price. This is a crisis like no other our generation experienced and the pandemic has already decimated some children’s access to education, while vital child protection facilities such as schools, helplines and social groups have been completely inaccessible for many children who need them the most. The lockdowns that helped to slow the spread of the virus have also locked children and young people in terrible conditions.”
In Australia, World Vision is calling on the Federal Government to invest $A55 million in specific programs to address the issue of violence against children around the world including in the Pacific.
The research, which was released Wednesday and which was conducted between April and August, also found that 67 per cent of the children and young people interviewed said the coronavirus pandemic had affected their ability to interact with friends. Some 47 per cent said they or someone they knew had faced one or more online risks during the pandemic, while 87 per cent said they had followed one or more measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus.
The six regions focused on in the research included parts of Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific and South and Central America.
