'Two thirds of children worldwide are physically abused'

United Nations, Sep 5: About two thirds of children worldwide are physically abused by their caretakers on a regular basis, said a report published by the UNICEF.

The report, "Hidden in plain sight: A statistical analysis of violence against children", has compiled data from 190 countries based on child abuse.

"If there is one common aspect of human society right now, it is the fact that tremendous violence is committed against children," UNICEF's Child Protection chief Susan Bissell was quoted as saying.

"It is important that we don't simply go away with the message that violence is everywhere, there are tried, true, measured, evaluated solutions," Bissell added.

According to the report, one fifth of homicide victims globally are children and adolescents under the age of 20, resulting in about 95,000 deaths in 2012, and slightly more than one in three students between the ages of 13 and 15 worldwide are regularly bullied in school.

UNICEF points to six strategies to prevent and reduce violence against children.

The strategies include supporting parents and equipping children with life skills; changing attitudes; strengthening judicial, criminal and social systems and services; and generating evidence and awareness about violence and its human and socio-economic costs.

IANS