Child Protection · ChildFund Alliance · Ending Violence · Joining Forces · Press Releases · Feb 04, 2021

Less than 1% of international aid money is used to end violence against children, according to new report

Just over USD$500 million (less than USD$1 per child and 0.9% of total development investments), went directly towards ending violence against children between 2017 and 2018
Over one billion children experience violence every year, costing world economies between USD$2 trillion to USD$7 trillion annually
It is estimated that 85 million extra children are at risk of violence because of the impacts of COVID-19

A new report commissioned by World Vision in collaboration with ChildFund, Global Partnership to End Violence against Children, Plan International, Save the Children, Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General to End Violence against Children and UNICEF, finds that ending violence against children remains alarmingly underfunded, despite one billion children experiencing violence each year, costing world economies up to USD$7 trillion annually.

Counting Pennies II, reveals that less than USD$2 billion in total was invested in causes relating to ending violence against children, with only USD$511 million (less than USD$1 per child) towards specific projects to tackle violence against children.

More positively, researchers also found that since the initial report Counting Pennies I, published in 2017, investment into ending violence against children has increased by 67%.

Paul Brown, ChildFund New Zealand CEO, said: "It's encouraging to see a lift in global funding to address violence against children. With the added risks associated with COVID-19, its clear that a strong priority must be placed on keeping vulnerable children safe. At ChildFund, we are committed to child safeguarding in all of our dedicated programme areas and acknowledge the steps taken by individuals, institutions and governments to make this world a safer place for children."

Counting Pennies II calls on donors to increase funding to end violence against children in humanitarian and non-humanitarian settings. An estimated 80% of services to address violence against children have been disrupted during the coronavirus pandemic, exacerbating an already existing need to scale up child protection. The report also recommends that the global community should collaborate to produce of a defined method for tracking investments into ending violence against children in order to increase clarity and transparency for all.