All children deserve the opportunity to live free from the threat of violence. This goal couldn’t be more critical for African nations. Africa has the largest youth demographic of any continent, and by 2030, young Africans are expected to make up 42% of the world’s youth.
In 2010, Kenya's first national Violence Against Children and Youth Survey revealed alarming statistics about the prevalence of physical, sexual, and emotional violence among boys and girls. A decade later the data told a different story. The power of data-driven action at a national level was proven for the first time, uncovering the efficacy of interventions to protect at-risk children.
On May 11-13, 2022, senior government officials and civil society leaders from over 30 African countries gathered at the Pan-African symposium on violence prevention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Generation Equality Forum, convened by UN Women was co-hosted by the governments of France and Mexico in close partnership with civil society and youth activists, launched a collective call to accelerate action for gender equality.
Ashleigh Howard — a global health epidemiologist with expertise in violence and HIV — shares her top 10 things you should know about the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys.