As you know, the Regional Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children, held in Bucharest, Romania on 13-14 October this year, discussed the status and results of the countries of Europe and Central Asia in this area. According to the UNICEF TransMonEE Analytical Series report presented at the event, violence against children remains a widespread social threat.

According to figures, one in three children has experienced physical violence at home. 69% of children have experienced psychological abuse by close relatives - a situation often justified as a "child-rearing method". In the past year, 20% of children in 12 countries have experienced sexual exploitation or abuse online. One in four children active on virtual platforms have experienced sexual pressure within the first hour of using the Internet. In 2023, more than 36 million cases of online exploitation were recorded in the United States. It is noted that the economic damage from the consequences of violence can reach up to 8% of global GDP.

The report notes that as children grow up in an environment of violence, it becomes a “normal” experience for them. One in four adolescent girls (aged 15–19) has lived with a mother who has been abused by her husband. Such experiences have created a chain of psychological trauma that is passed down from generation to generation and pose a direct threat to social stability.

Combating violence against children is not a human rights issue, but rather a criterion of social progress. It is emphasized that creating a safe environment for every child is not a political or inter-organizational compromise, but a professional, social and human obligation.