Sexual abuse

“As we mark 200 days since the ongoing brutal war in Sudan broke out on 15 April, UNICEF calls for the redoubled commitment by the international community and all parties in the conflict to address the plight of millions of children and families who are living through a relentless nightmare day after day. Children continue to pay the highest price…

KINSHASA, 18 May 2023 – UNICEF is calling for an urgent and significant scale-up of interventions and funding to respond to the escalating number of cases of sexual violence reported against children and women in North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  Reports of gender-based violence (GBV) against girls and…

Online child sexual exploitation and abuse continue to grow and diversify. This report sets out how the WeProtect Global Alliance Model National Response framework is supporting national efforts to tackle this scourge. The WeProtect Global Alliance and UNICEF worked together on this review, which captures an extensive body of experience across 42…

The use of new, rapidly changing digital technologies to sexually exploit and abuse children, the wide reach of online services and the fact that such exploitation and abuse may involve victims and perpetrators from different jurisdictions, all pose challenges to States seeking to protect their children. Many States have yet to put in place or…

This brief is an extract from UNICEF’s report 'Ending online child sexual exploitation and abuse: Lessons learned and promising practices in low- and middle income countries' ( Ending Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse | UNICEF ), and sets out examples of scale up, adaptation and innovation in UNICEF programming to address children’s…

This report takes stock of UNICEF’s work to address online child sexual exploitation and abuse. It is intended for policymakers and practitioners to inform policy and practice in this field. Based primarily on analysis of survey responses from 29 UNICEF country offices, the report sets out the current level of implementation of the WeProtect Model…

In areas affected by conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies, people trust aid workers to assist and protect them.  The vast majority do so with professionalism and integrity. But some aid workers abuse their position of power through the sexual exploitation and abuse of those who depend on them, including children. These acts are…, UNICEF’s response, Young women fill water containers in a refugee camp in Tanzania in 2015. Young women fill water containers in a refugee camp in Tanzania in 2015. Women and children in emergency settings face the greatest risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. Every year, UNICEF and partners respond to emergencies around the world, with thousands of aid workers…, Safe and accessible reporting, This means that safe, accessible and child-sensitive complaint mechanisms are put  in place for reporting sexual exploitation and abuse in high-risk areas. These mechanisms can include phone hotlines, SMS services, designated focal persons and complaint boxes. Complaint mechanisms are tailored to the local context.  Community mobilization and…, Support and assistance for sexual exploitation and abuse survivors, Through our child protection and gender-based violence programmes, UNICEF supports survivors with holistic age- and gender-appropriate essential services that they can access safely and in confidence, including medical care, safety planning, social services, legal aid, and mental health and psychosocial support ., Enhanced accountability, including investigations, Safe, survivor-centered accountability processes are crucial. UNICEF is working to strengthen the collaboration between child protection workers and investigators so that children who choose to participate in accountability processes are supported and their rights are respected. The IASC Acceleration Plan is adapted within individual countries to…, Learn more, Resources, Publisher Title IASC IASC Plan for Accelerating Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse in Humanitarian Response at the Country Level UNICEF, IASC UNICEF-IASC Championship Report, 2018 – 2019 IASC Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Website United Nations UN Victim Assistance Protocol United Nations UN Secretary-General Bulletin on…

UNICEF is committed to tackling all forms of sexual misconduct and sexual violence. The United Nations distinguishes between sexual exploitation and sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual violence against children. Sexual exploitation refers to any actual or attempted abuse of a position of vulnerability, differential power, or trust, for…, Sexual exploitation and abuse, In every context in which UNICEF operates, whether in emergency or non-emergency settings, people trust development and humanitarian workers to assist and protect them. The vast majority do so with professionalism and integrity. However, some aid workers abuse their position of power through the sexual exploitation and abuse of those who depend on…, UNICEF’s programming to protect children, UNICEF’s Protecting children from sexual exploitation and abuse Child Protection programming helps prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse. We’re on the ground in more than 150 countries and territories, providing a first line of response for children at risk. UNICEF aims to provide timely assistance to every victim of sexual…, UNICEF’s work with implementing partners, UNICEF works together with our implementing partners to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse in their operations. UNICEF requires that all civil-society-organization implementing partners are assessed on their capacity to tackle sexual exploitation and abuse and meet specific core standards. One way that UNICEF supports…, UNICEF’s work within the United Nations system, UNICEF actively participates in joint United Nations (UN) efforts to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation and abuse. Find more information on these efforts led by the UN Special Coordinator on Sexual Exploitation and Abuse here , and those led by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee here ., UNICEF’s public accountability with respect to allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse, UNICEF publicly posts information about reported cases of sexual exploitation and abuse on the UN system-wide tracker, whether the allegations involve personnel or partners implementing its programmes .  Annually, UNICEF’s Executive Director certifies that all known UNICEF cases of sexual exploitation and abuse have been or are being addressed.…, Sexual harassment, UNICEF considers sexual harassment to be a form of misconduct, and takes any reports of sexual harassment seriously. Sexual harassment may occur in the workplace or in connection with work, for example during official travel or social functions related to work. While typically involving a pattern of conduct, sexual harassment may take the form of…, Report sexual exploitation or abuse, sexual harassment or other types of misconduct, If you become aware of credible information regarding a possible situation of sexual exploitation or abuse, sexual harassment or other types of misconduct, please report it directly or through your head of office to UNICEF’s Office of Internal Audit and Investigations  by emailing integrity1@unicef.org . If you are uncertain that the situation is…, Learn more

The Action to End Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, online and offline, is intended for policy makers and partners. It uses key findings from the UNICEF evidence review to propose a framework of action to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse and exploitation.

This evidence review documents what we know about the extent, nature and consequences of child sexual abuse and exploitation for children in different contexts. It outlines evidence of effective interventions and strategies to prevent and respond to child sexual abuse and exploitation. The findings of this evidence review are summarized in Action…

NEW YORK, 30 September 2020 – “UNICEF is appalled that people who identify as UNICEF workers have reportedly committed abuse against vulnerable women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Our team on the ground is doing a thorough assessment of the facts and will be joined by additional colleagues to seek further detailed information about…

Violence against children takes many forms. It can be physical, emotional or sexual. It happens in all countries and any setting – in a child's home, community, school and online. In some parts of the world, violent discipline is socially accepted and common. And for many girls and boys, violence comes at the hands of the people they trust – their…, Explore topics, In Honduras, a fourteen-year-old boy sits at home as his mother places her palm on his back in comfort. Violence in schools, Every child has the right to go to school and learn, free from fear. Learn more, A 16-year-old girl in Madagascar browses the Internet. Violence online, Every child must be protected from violence, exploitation and abuse on the internet. Learn more, An 8-year-old girl clutches a stuffed toy while sitting on the arm of a bench at a shelter in her home country.. Sexual violence, Sexual violence knows no boundaries. It occurs in every country, across all parts of society. Learn more, Key facts, Some 15 million adolescent girls aged 15–19 have experienced forced sex in their lifetime. About 10% of the world's children are not legally protected from corporal punishment. Over 1 in 3 students aged 13–15 experience bullying worldwide. Approximately 1 in 4 children under the age of 5 – some 176 million – live with a mother who is a victim of…, How does violence against children affect sustainable development?, Violence against children significantly undermines the social and economic development of communities and nations. The global economic costs resulting from physical, psychological and sexual violence against children are estimated to be as high as $7 trillion – roughly 8 per cent of global GDP annually. Increased public expenditure on child…, Resources, UNICEF Humanitarian Practice: COVID-19 Technical Guidance End Violence against Children Homepage Advocacy Brief: Violence Against Children Advocacy Brief: Child Online Protection Action to End Violence against Children in Schools: Review of Programme Interventions Illustrating Actions to Address Violence against Children in and around Schools …, UNICEF’s response, Children from Burudi use tablets to learn in a refugee camp in Rwanda in 2019. In Mahama Camp, Rwanda, UNICEF and partners provide tablet-based learning sessions for Burundian refugee children in 2019. Each week, over 500 children participate in these sessions to learn about gender equality, violence prevention, and how to report violence through…