SEATTLE — There is no justification for violence against children, and every act of violence is preventable. A UNICEF study into child violence shows that such violence exists, irrespective of country, race, class, education or income and most often than not goes unreported. Homicides among child violence victims alone claim more than 100,000 lives a year. According to the data released by UNICEF, every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world, an adolescent girl dies because of violence.
These numbers spread unevenly across geographies. Brazil shares a vast chunk of this statistic. A staggering 60,000 children, mostly adolescents, were killed in Brazil last year and on average, 28 young people are killed every day. This number, however, does not include any other type of violence such as sexual, physical and mental abuse. In countries like Brazil, such violence is considered normal, and it is difficult to interpret what adolescents perceive as a safe environment. In other words, gathering information about child violence is a logistical and ethical problem.
CSI
In order to help document where kids are most at risk and to bridge the knowledge gap, a Child Security Index (CSI) Campaign was started by the Igarapé Institute. So, what is Child Security Index Campaign? CSI is an app that tracks the experience of children and youth in violence-affected areas and maps their perception of everyday violence. #MakingChildrenSafer is the campaign’s slogan. The Child Security Index Campaign allows for the documentation of spatial and temporal trends at home, at school and in the community.
The CSI has been tested in 14 Brazilian cities since 2014. Cities include Dix-Sept Rosado and Mossoró (RN); Catolé do Rocha (PB); Fortaleza (CE); Recife (PE); Manacapuru (AM); Canapi, Inhapi and Maceió (AL); Salvador (BA); Itinga (MG); Rio de Janeiro and Nova Iguaçu (RJ); and São Paulo (SP).
Its first year of implementation has revealed the following data.
- Adolescents are more likely to feel insecure than younger children.
- Children feel safer at home, though there is a comparatively high rate of reported victimization at homes. About 25 percent reported some form of physical abuse while 63 percent reported corporal punishment.
- Schools were rated to be the most unsafe places by the respondents with 30 percent reporting bullying, 40 percent reporting feeling of insecurity and 80 percent reporting fights.
- The report also shows alarmingly low levels of trust in police. This is hardly a surprise given the reputation of law enforcement in Brazil.
Starting in 2017, the CSI will be branching out of Brazil into North America, Central America and the Caribbean. The Igarapé Institute in collaboration with World Vision International, Google Brasil, Oi Futuro and Bernard van Leer Foundation are forging partnerships with a number of organizations to test the platform and generate baseline data for violence prevention initiatives in St Kitts, Barbados and Guyana, and to measure anti-gang intervention impacts in Chicago and New Jersey.
Needless to say, though the results are startling, the issue of child security is a human rights Issue. Initiatives such as the Child Security Index Campaign are helping us understand this complex and volatile issue so that steps can be taken in the right direction to ensure that children everywhere are able to live a life free of fear and intimidation.
– Jagriti Misra
Photo: Flickr