Funding for children impacted by violence is at a record low amid a series of ongoing crises, new report warns

A report released by World Vision in partnership with four other aid agencies uncovers the total amount of Official Development Assistance (ODA) investment in addressing violence against children is just US$0.64 per child; the lowest amount since 2015. This is despite mounting evidence that the COVID-19 pandemic, conflict, and climate change have collectively placed more children at risk of violence than at any other point in the past 10 years.

Counting Pennies III, published by World Vision International and partner agencies Save the Children, UNICEF, Plan International, and Child Fund, is the third in a series of reports identifying how much international aid was spent to end violence against children over the course of one year. It reveals donors reduced funding by 10% in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the prevalence of child marriage, child labor, and other forms of violence against children were on the rise. The cost of tackling the consequences of such violence amount to a staggering annual cost of US$2 trillion to US$7 trillion.

Andrew Morley, World Vision International President & CEO, said: “One billion children are experiencing violence each year yet the efforts to end the violence remain alarmingly underfunded. Donors must urgently scale up funding to respond to the impacts of the pandemic on children as well as the pre-existing widespread needs.” After many years of improvements, for the first time in decades, there are concerns about increases in child labor, child marriage, and other forms of violence online and at home. Preventing violence against children is critical for achieving improved health, education, and economic outcomes, as well as breaking intergenerational cycles of violence and closing gender equality gaps.” 

Counting Pennies III calls on donors to prioritize funding towards the strengthening of national systems to prevent violence against children and scale up evidence-based solutions. The global community needs to better track resources and increase overall investments in ending violence against children with the goal of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Mr. Morley concluded, “Without an increase in ODA funding, specifically targeting programs focused on ending violence against children, achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal targets will remain off track, and generations to come will suffer.”