Violence against children in Latin America and the Caribbean 2015-2021

All of the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean region have adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and made a significant commitment to increasing evidence on, and accelerating action towards, eliminating violence against children (VAC) including harmful practices, eliminating gender-based violence against women and girls, and creating safe, non-violent and inclusive environments, as well as significantly reducing all forms of violence and related deaths in the region over the next decade.

The UNICEF Strategic Plan 2018–2021 provides a vehicle to support the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes ensuring that every child is protected from violence and exploitation and that countries have strengthened child protection systems for prevention and response services to address violence against children. This work will be furthered in the upcoming Strategic Plan for 2022–2025, which seeks to ensure that all children and adolescents in all settings are protected from violence, exploitation, abuse, and harmful practices.

This study reviews the prevalence, drivers, and consequences of violence against children, as well as the evaluated interventions that seek to prevent violence in the 36 countries and territories of the region, where UNICEF works.