Survivors, advocates and experts call on govts to confront the alarming crisis of violence impacting 1 in 2 children worldwide in UN-backed open letter

• Public figures, including world-renowned actors Will Poulter, Forest Whitaker, and Gillian Anderson add their voices to open letter to world leaders
• One in two children globally - over 1bn minors - experience violence each year 
• Leading experts against child violence, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr Denis Mukwege, stand alongside survivors in calling for urgent action, backed by the World Health Organisation, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) and UNICEF

London17 September 2024 - Survivors, experts and advocates from around the world are launching a global effort to tackle the shocking issue of violence against children. According to World Health Organization figures, one in two of all children globally - over 1 billion -  experience violence each year. ​​They have come together to launch an open letter calling for urgent government action ahead of the first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, taking place in Colombia this November.

Every year, one in two children across the globe are subjected to violence. From sexual abuse, to bullying, gang violence, child marriage, online harm, violent discipline, and child labour, acts of violence take many forms - all leaving scars that can last a lifetime. Violence against children erodes every investment made in their future, from education to physical and mental health, affecting societies on a global scale. This issue is cyclical, with each act of violence increasing vulnerability to further harm.

To put a human face to this devastating statistic, survivors of violence have come together with high-profile advocates and activists across the world, including artists, actors, creators and authors such as Calle & Poché, Forest Whitaker, Gillian Anderson, Shudu Musida, Úrsula Corberó, and Will Poulter. They have also been joined by leading experts like trauma specialist Bessel van der Kolk; child rights activists Hina Jilani and Princess Mabel van Oranje; Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Dr Denis Mukwege and Kailash Satyarthi; and NGO leaders such as the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the Secretary General of World Organization of the Scout Movement.

By raising awareness and mobilising governments, the group seeks to inspire urgent action and drive change at both local and global levels. They are calling on world leaders to use the upcoming Ministerial Conference to focus on critical strategies: ensuring that parents and caregivers receive essential support, creating safe and empowering school environments, and making response and support services universally accessible to every child in need. This conference is a vital opportunity to address both the immediate needs and systemic changes required to protect current and future generations of children.

To amplify the urgency, the group has released a powerful open letter, released today, calling on world leaders to attend the Colombia conference and commit concrete, innovative pledges that match the scale of the challenge and the severity of the crisis:

“Our hands can shape the very fabric of a child's life. They hold an extraordinary power to comfort, cradle and protect. To offer the most heartwarming hugs. And to show those little signs of support – a loving wave, a reassuring thumbs up or an embarrassingly loud round of applause.

They can also hold a sinister power. One where they abuse. They attack. And they incite fear. These hands type hateful messages online. They bruise fragile bodies. They invade the most intimate places. And withhold the love and care that every child needs […]

Childhood is in our hands. 

The power to act is now in yours.”

It calls on world leaders to “change the course of a billion childhoods and secure a safer, more just world for generations to come.” Supported by a worldwide social media campaign, this message will reach millions across the globe to galvanise public and political will to end violence against children. View the full letter HERE from 17th September. 

Evidence shows that with the right approaches, violence against children can be significantly reduced. Countries implementing evidence-based strategies can see reductions in violence by up to 50% in the short and medium term. 

World leaders have already committed to end violence against children in all its forms under the Sustainable Development Goals - a collection of 17 interlinked goals set by the United Nations in 2015, which aim to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all by 2030 - but progress has stalled. The Champions for Childhood coalition urges these leaders to attend the Colombia conference with bold, transformative commitments. The future of a billion children—and the future stability and prosperity of societies—depends on it.

Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health at the World Health Organization, said: 

“Half of all children are subject to cruel acts of violence every year, yet the issue does not receive the attention, funding, or political prioritisation it deserves and so desperately needs. Evidence from around the world demonstrates that violence against children can be prevented - and the health sector has an important role to play in that. Governments worldwide must now seize this crucial opportunity to make that change a reality for the 1 billion children on this planet who experience harm every year."  

As a survivor of child violence, Dr Daniela Ligiero, member of the Global Survivor Council, shared their personal experience:

“I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I decided to go public with my story about 13 years ago when I was working at the US Department of State on issues of gender-based violence for foreign assistance. I came forward because I felt like the silence around the issue of sexual violence was deafening and there were no survivors at the table–at least not that were survivors who were public about it.

If we work together, centering survivor voices, we can tell a powerful story that can help create real change.”

-ENDS-

For further information please contact Chris Bull at Goodness PR on cbull@goodnesspr.co.uk / 07760 273 160   

Notes to editors 

Letter Signatories

Survivors of child violence and abuse, high profile advocates, and leading experts have come together as signatories of an open letter to call on world leaders to step up their commitments to children. The full list of signatories is as follows:

Survivors

The following individuals are part of the Global Survivor Council, which brings together people from survivor-led networks across the globe who can speak to all forms of violence against children.

• Benjamin Holman, USA
• Dr Bukola Ogunkua, Nigeria-USA
• Dr. Daniela Ligiero, Brazil-USA 
• Dr. Denise Buchanan, Jamaica-USA
• Loveness Mudzuru, Zimbabwe 
• Lydia Matioli, Kenya
• Michelle Duffy, UK
• Mié Kohiyama, France 
• Professor S. Caroline Taylor,  Australia 
• Sebastián Cuattromo, Argentina
• Sophia Luu, UK 
• Dr. Stellah Bosire, Uganda 

Advocates and Allies

• Ahmad Alhendawi, Jordan, is the Secretary General of World Organization of the Scout Movement. Prior to leading the World Scout Bureau, he was the first-ever United Nations Secretary-General's Envoy on Youth.
• Andrew Morley, UK, is the President of World Vision International, leading the organisation's work across 100 countries. 

• Angela Rosales, Colombia, is the acting CEO of SOS Children’s Villages International. She led SOS Children’s Villages in Colombia for more than 12 years.

• Bessel van der Kolk MD, Netherlands, is a psychiatrist and best-selling trauma research author. Much of his research has focused on the impact of trauma at different stages of development.
• Calle & Poché, Colombia, are award-winning creators and authors who share content with a community of over 7 million followers. 

• Debbie Simpson, USA, is the interim Chief Executive Officer at Plan International

• Dr Denis Mukwege, DRC, is a world-renowned gynaecologist, human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate from east Congo. He has become the world’s leading specialist in the treatment of wartime sexual violence and a global campaigner against the use of rape as a weapon of war.
• Forest Whitaker, USA, is an artist, social activist and CEO/Founder of the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative. He is also a UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace and Reconciliation and a member of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Advocacy Group.
• Gillian Anderson, USA, is an award-winning actor, writer and activist. She is an Ambassador for War Child.
• Hina Jilani, Pakistan, is a pioneering lawyer and pro-democracy campaigner; a leading activist in Pakistan's women's movement and international champion of human rights. She is a member of The Elders.

• Inger Ashing, Sweden, is the Chief Executive Officer of Save the Children International. A respected child rights activist, she set up her own youth organisation at the age of 12, working against racism and violence at county level. 

• Kailash Satyarthi, India, is a leading children’s rights activist. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for “focusing attention on the grave exploitation of children for financial gain”. 

• Kate Forbes, USA, is the President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). She is a humanitarian leader with more than 40 years of experience with the Red Cross and Red Crescent.

• Meg Gardiner, USA, is the Secretary General of ChildFund Alliance. As an international, not-for-profit advocate, Meg has specialised in issues affecting women and children.

• Princess Mabel van Oranje, Netherlands, is a serial entrepreneur for social change working globally to advance equality, freedom and justice. During the last decade, she played a catalytic role in the global movement to end child marriage.
• Shudu Musida, South Africa, is an author, philanthropist and Miss South Africa 2020. As a UNFPA Regional Champion, she promotes the rights of women, girls and youth, and contributes to Africa’s Agenda 2063.
• Úrsula Corberó, Actress and Save the Children Ambassador.

• Valérie Ceccherini, is the Secretary General of Terre des Hommes International Federation. She has extensive experience in international children’s rights and humanitarian organisations.

• Will Poulter, UK, is a critically-acclaimed actor. He has used his platform to advocate for children’s rights, including raising awareness of bullying and mental health. 

Youth Mobilisers

The following individuals are young leaders collaborating with the NGO Restless Development to take action on ending violence against children.

• Bryanna Mariñas, Philippines
• Nikole Vizcarra, Peru
• Nobukhosi Phiri, Zimbabwe
• Isabelle Santos, Brazil
• Johnkeen Ochieng, Kenya
• Kisha German, Malawi
• Aminata Savane, Côte d’Ivoire
• Marie Mokuba, DRC -USA

About Project Everyone

The Champions for Childhood coalition has been convened by Project Everyone, a United Nations Global Partner for SDG Advocacy. 

As a not-for-profit communications agency, Project Everyone seeks to put the power of communications behind the Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals - 17 interconnected goals that aim to create a better world for people and planet by 2030. The team of  campaigners and communicators make campaign materials, unique installations, ground-breaking documentaries, one of a kind events and as much impact as possible – in order to create a world where extreme poverty is eradicated, climate change is properly addressed, and injustice and inequality are unacceptable. 

About the Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children

The Governments of Colombia and Sweden, in partnership with WHO, UNICEF and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on ending violence against children, will host the first-ever Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, in Bogota, Colombia, from 7 to 8 November 2024. 

The conference should help secure a step-change in support for proven prevention solutions and reset collective ambitions to realise the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development target for every child to live free from violence. 

Possible outcomes will include:

• Revitalising country commitments for ending violence against children (building on the existing efforts through INSPIRE and ‘Pathfinding’)
• Announcing a new/renewed collective country-led initiative to end violence against children
• Launching a first-ever child/youth-led, movement dedicated to preventing child violence 
• Adopting an inter-governmentally negotiated Political Declaration
• Hosting additional inclusive convenings on pressing issues relating to ending violence against children

About the Global Survivor Council

Ahead of the Global Ministerial Conference, individuals from survivor-led networks across the globe who can speak to all forms of violence against children, have come together to form a brand new Global Survivor Council (GSC).

The GSC will play a crucial role in ensuring continuous survivor engagement in the design and delivery of the conference and the final political declaration.