World Day for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse - how to protect a child and recognize danger
Kyiv • UNN
One in five children worldwide experiences violence, and 80% of crimes are committed by acquaintances. Only 10% of sexual abuse cases become known to law enforcement.
Today, April 11, various events are taking place in many countries around the world to mark the World Day for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse. According to various data, every fifth child in the world is subjected to violence in one form or another. Only 10% of cases of child abuse become known to law enforcement agencies, guardianship authorities, and receive publicity, and 80% of cases of sexual abuse are committed by people known to the child, writes UNN.
World Day for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse: why it is important
World Day for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse is celebrated annually on April 11 to draw attention to the problem of child sexual abuse and unite society to overcome it. The initiator of this day was The Innocence Revolution, an organization founded by Jill Starishevsky and Tom Skalts, which has been fighting child sexual abuse worldwide since 2013.
This day is dedicated to raising awareness about the devastating consequences of child sexual abuse and promoting prevention efforts worldwide.
This is a global problem that has no borders, social or cultural boundaries. According to international studies, every third girl and every fifth boy in the world experience sexual abuse before reaching adulthood. Most often, the perpetrators are people close to the child - relatives, acquaintances, or even caregivers.
Children under 17 are particularly vulnerable, accounting for the majority of sexual assault cases. These crimes often remain invisible due to fear, shame, or lack of proper protection, so spreading awareness and creating a safe environment for every child is a critically important task for all societies.
This event is designed to highlight the importance of education, awareness-raising, and advocacy efforts to prevent child sexual abuse and support victims. It is also a time to hold accountable those who commit such horrific crimes against children and ensure they are brought to justice. The joint efforts of society, organizations, and governments must change the situation and create a safer world for our children.
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What is child abuse and what are its forms
Child abuse or child maltreatment is physical, psychological, sexual abuse or neglect of children by parents, guardians, or third parties who care for children.
Child abuse can include any act of violence, neglect, abuse, or inability, unwillingness, or inability to raise and care for children by parents or other persons, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child. It can occur in the family, the child's place of residence, on the street, or in organizations, schools, or communities with which the child interacts.
The terms "child abuse" and "child maltreatment" are often used interchangeably, although some researchers distinguish between them, considering child maltreatment as a general term that also covers neglect, exploitation, and human trafficking.
Various jurisdictions have developed their own definitions of what constitutes child maltreatment for the purpose of rectifying the situation, removing children from their families in cases of systematic problems, or criminal prosecution.
According to the WHO, child abuse is a global problem with serious lifelong consequences. Statistics show that a quarter of all adults experienced physical abuse in childhood. One in five women and 1 in 13 men reported sexual abuse in childhood. The consequences of child maltreatment include impaired physical and mental health throughout life, and social and professional outcomes can ultimately slow down the economic and social development of a country.
More than 41,000 deaths of children under 15 are observed annually. This figure does not show the true extent of the problem, as a significant portion of deaths due to child maltreatment are misattributed to falls, burns, drowning, and other causes.
The most common types of violence against children
Physical violence - inflicting physical injuries, various bodily harm on a child by parents or their substitutes, educators, or other persons, which harms the child's health, disrupts their development, or even deprives them of life.
These actions can be carried out in the form of beatings, torture, pushing, in the form of blows, slaps, burning with hot objects, liquids, lit cigarettes, in the form of bites and the use of various objects as instruments of violence. It is necessary to realize that physical violence is a physical assault (torture), it is almost always accompanied by verbal abuse and psychological trauma. In some families, various types of physical punishment are used as a disciplinary measure - from slaps and spanks to beatings with a belt or foreign objects.
Physical violence also includes involving a child in drug use, alcohol, offering them poisonous substances or medical drugs that cause intoxication (for example, sleeping pills not prescribed by a doctor). As well as attempts to suffocate or drown a child, including a newborn, due to unwanted pregnancy of the mother or emotional and postpartum stress.
Psychological violence - constant, systematic or periodic verbal abuse of a child; threats, humiliation of their human dignity by parents, guardians, teachers, educators, strangers; demonstration of dislike, hostility towards the child; accusing them of something they are not guilty of. This type of violence also includes constant lies, deceiving the child, as a result of which they lose trust in the adult, as well as situations where the demands on the child do not correspond to their age capabilities.
Psychological violence is defined as a single or systematic impact on a child, a hostile or indifferent attitude towards them, which leads to a decrease in self-esteem, loss of self-confidence, the formation of pathological character traits, causing socialization disorders; it can lead to the formation of morbid attachment or affection, the tendency of victims to blame themselves for the violence committed against them, learned helplessness, and excessively passive behavior.
This type of violence includes, in particular, loud shouting at a child, rude and abusive behavior, inattention, harsh criticism, name-calling, ridicule, humiliation, threats, destruction of a child's personal belongings, torture or killing of a pet. Children's reactions to psychological violence can be expressed in distancing themselves from the abuser, internalizing offensive assessments, or resisting by insulting the abuser.
Child sexual abuse is any contact or interaction between a child and an older person in which the child is sexually molested, stimulated, or used for sexual stimulation.
Sexual enticement - using a child (boy or girl) by an adult or another child to satisfy sexual needs or gain profit.
This can be:
- rape by natural or unnatural means;
- oral-genital caresses by both the child and the child;
- using a child for sexual stimulation
of an adult;
- sexual exploitation for the production of child
pornography or work in prostitution.
Molestation - involvement in observing sexual intercourse, viewing pornography, sending text messages of a sexual nature; demonstrating genitals, including when a mother goes to the bathroom without clothes or an adult sends naked photos/videos to a child; eroticized affection and care.
According to various studies, on average, up to 80% of violence cases are committed by adults well known to the child, of which about 40% are very close relatives or parents of the child. About 90% of crimes are never reported to the police. The reasons for silence are varied: fear and/or shame of the child; parents' distrust of the child's words; the child's fear of losing a close adult who provides attention, care, and often gifts; the mother's unwillingness to give up her relationship with her husband; the family's dependence on the pedophile (for example, the father and husband).
Neglect - the neglect of a child's basic needs (for food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision) by parents or other responsible individuals, resulting in the child's health, safety, and well-being being at risk. Signs of neglect include a child's consistent absence from school, begging, stealing money or food, dirty skin or clothes, and lack of seasonal clothing.
Neglect of a child's interests and needs (neglect) - the absence of proper provision of a child's basic needs for food, clothing, housing, upbringing, medical care by parents or their substitutes, due to objective reasons (poverty, mental illness, inexperience) and without them. A typical example of neglectful attitude towards children is leaving them unattended, which often leads to accidents, poisoning, and other life-threatening and health-threatening consequences for the child.
Neglected and uncared-for children may suffer from delays in physical and psychosocial development, which can lead to psychopathology and impaired neuropsychological functions, including executive functions, attention, language, memory, and social skills.
According to research, children who have experienced neglect tend not to perceive adults as a source of security and exhibit increased aggression and hyperactivity, which can hinder the formation of healthy and strong attachments to biological and adoptive parents or strangers in general.
Adapting to abusive or inattentive parenting or guardianship, such children become wary and distrustful; their insincerity and tendency to manipulate are often noted. Victims of neglect may subsequently experience difficulties in forming and maintaining friendly and romantic relationships as a result of a lack of attachments in childhood.
Crime statistics in Ukraine
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, in 2026 (from January to March), 110 people were suspected of criminal offenses against sexual freedom and sexual inviolability. Of these, 69 were under Article 152 (Rape), 19 under Article 153 (Sexual Violence), and 10 under Article 156 (Molestation of Minors).
In 2025, according to the OGP, the number of persons who were notified of suspicion for offenses against sexual freedom and sexual inviolability was 432. Of these, 249 were under Article 152 (Rape), 94 under Article 153 (Sexual Violence), and 79 under Article 156 (Molestation of Minors).