The Hidden Epidemic of Childhood Violence
A study conducted 25 years ago by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that traumatic events that occurred throughout childhood and adolescence are significantly more common than previously thought. Only one-third of the study’s participants, who were primarily middle-class, white, well-educated, and insured, claimed having had no significant negative childhood experiences. Most of the remaining sample had gone through two or more dreadful childhood experiences. 96 countries’ worth of subsequent scientific reports have demonstrated that one billion girls and boys, or more than half of all children worldwide, are exposed to violence annually.
Staggering Global Statistics on Child Violence
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered 25 years ago that the prevalence of traumatic events that happened throughout childhood and adolescence is far higher than previously believed. Out of the individuals in the study, who were mostly white, middle-class, well-educated, and insured, just one-third said they had no notable bad childhood experiences. The majority of the remaining sample had experienced two or more horrible events as children. Scientific assessments from 96 countries have shown that one billion girls and boys, or over half of all children globally, are exposed to violence yearly.
Long-term Impact of Childhood Trauma on Health
The effects of childhood trauma on mental and physical health have been reported in countless studies over the past 30 years, and the World Health Organization (WHO) has taken the lead in indicating violence against children as a global public health priority. Even so, the effects of exposure to violence are still to a large extent overlooked and underfunded in school systems, childcare centers, hospitals, and the criminal justice system.
Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children
There is soon to be an opportunity to make up for that neglect. A Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children will be hosted by the Colombian government in November 2024, in collaboration with the Swedish government, the WHO, UNICEF, and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on ending violence against children. a first-ever gathering of all 194 nations to acknowledge the scope and gravity of the effects of child abuse and to start mobilizing critically needed resources to quicken action.
It is astonishing that this is the first Global Ministerial on the topic and that most people rank it as a third-tier policy priority. It is past time for a reaction that matches the difficulty of preventing child abuse.
The CDC study, long delayed and misguided, determined that childhood violence is the most expensive public health problem in the United States, with total expenses surpassing those of heart disease and cancer. According to the projection, eliminating childhood violence in the US would result in a three-quarter decrease in suicide, major drug misuse, alcoholism, and depression rates overall, as well as a more than half reduction in alcoholism.
Preventing violence and abuse would also have a major impact on how well people perform at work and drastically reduce the need for incarceration. Childhood experiences of abuse and violence account for approximately 95% of violent offenders. Naturally, that applies to kids everywhere and isn’t just a problem in the US.
When discussing how often children are exposed to violence, the conversation frequently centers on what occurs outside the home, such as at schools, refugee camps, the streets, and societies that have experienced war. Still, most kids experience their first trauma at home—from their family members. There are terrible repercussions when one’s caregivers abuse them physically or sexually.
Groundbreaking Research on Childhood Sexual Abuse
The first long-term investigation on the effects of sexual assault on girls’ development was initiated in 1987 by Frank Putnam and Penelope Trickett at the National Institute of Mental Health, and it has been going strong for 35 years. When compared to girls of the same age, race, and social background, victims of sexual abuse have a host of extremely detrimental outcomes, including learning disabilities, depression, problematic sexual development, elevated rates of obesity, and self-mutilation.
They experienced more severe medical conditions and dropped out of school at far higher rates. Regardless of traumas that happen outside the family, this study and many more highlight the fact that promoting high-quality early caregiving is vitally important in preventing physical, social, and mental health problems.
Early firm and nurturing relations are key for shielding kids from long-term issues. If the parents are the cause of the child’s sadness, there is no one else the child can turn to for relief or to get their disturbed biological functioning back to normal. The core belief of all prevention and treatment should be that social support is a biological requirement, not an option. Given that better growth and development largely rely on careful look-after and early stimulation.
The 2000 Nobel Prize winner in Economics, John Heckman, has shown that high-quality early development programs that include parents and help underprivileged kids develop foundational abilities more than make up for their costs in terms of better results. According to estimates made by economists, every dollar invested in high-quality home visiting, childcare, and preschool programs saves $7 on welfare payments, medical expenses, drug rehab centers, and jail time. Additionally, because these programs create higher-paying jobs, the government receives more income.
Neurological Effects of Childhood Trauma
After violence, one’s nervous system takes in the world differently. Three decades of study at Harvard by Martin Teicher and colleagues have shown that many brain abnormalities previously assumed to be unique to a range of mental conditions were the direct result of ill-treatment and trauma experienced as children. Terms like bipolar disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, and depression don’t even start to address the underlying problems.
A mislabeled individual is more likely to receive mistreatment as a patient. Unlike cancer or heart disease, mental illness is not related to physical health issues because our bodies, minds, and brains are designed to be integrated members of social groupings who can share, care for, and work together. This is the foundation of most forms of mental disease, yet it is also the key to our success as a species. It is imperative to acknowledge that a significant portion of our behavioral patterns emerge from the social environments and caregiving frameworks that mold our minds and brains during our formative years and continue to determine the essence and purpose of our lives.
The Moral and Economic Imperative for Governments
In the six months leading up to the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, I hope that nations will see how important it is to prioritize child protection and grab this opportunity. It is the morally correct and wise thing to do. The choices made by governments now will decide the stability and efficiency of the societies and citizens of the future. Governments are undoubtedly under financial strain, but recognizing and providing enough funding for the prevention of childhood violence will pay off in the long run.