Violence. Exploitation. Child labour. Trafficking. Female genital mutilation/cutting. Child marriage. Millions of children worldwide are victims of the worst kinds of abuses. Millions more children, not yet victims, are not adequately protected against them.

UNICEF uses the term “child protection” to refer to safeguarding a child’s rights to survival, growth, and development by preventing and responding to violence, exploitation, and abuse. This also includes targeting children who are uniquely vulnerable to these threats, such as those living without parental care or in situations of conflict.

Children subjected to violations of their rights are at increased risk of death, poor physical and mental health, HIV, poor education, displacement, homelessness and more. Yet unfortunately, these violations are widespread, under-recognized, and under-reported.

Collecting Data on Child Protection

Quality data is essential to monitor the status of children, to highlight progress in improving child protection, to document the challenges ahead, and to advocate on behalf of those who need it the most. A key goal of UNICEF is to ensure that government decisions are increasingly influenced by better knowledge and awareness of children’s rights and improved data and analysis on child protection issues.

UNICEF collects data on child protection through its Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) programme. Among other sources are the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). These surveys have identified several key areas of concern that are addressed through specific modules.

Since violence against children and women often begins in the home, both surveys have developed modules to measure attitudes towards domestic violence. Other modules common to both surveys include birth registration, which recognizes a child’s fundamental right to identity, to have a name and nationality; child labour, which examines the types of work a child does, whether paid or unpaid, and for how long; child marriage, which is defined as marriage before the age of 18; and female genital mutilation/cutting among women and their daughters which allows for a comprehensive picture of the current global prevalence rates as well as a better understanding of women’s attitudes towards the practice. MICS has a unique module on child disability designed to identify children -- in any cultural and social setting -- who have congenital and developmental disabilities, since many of these children are at increased risk for abuse and neglect. MICS also collect data on child discipline, from non-violent forms of discipline to severe physical means of punishing children.

Analyzing Data on Child Protection

UNICEF’s work in the area of data analysis for child protection seeks to highlight patterns that exist within the data, illustrate how much can be learned and suggest how these data can be used to strategically inform programmatic efforts. UNICEF also tries to promote the advancement of research, through the development of joint projects and collaborations with academic institutions and other agencies working at the international and national level toward child protection.

Current projects in data analysis include a global study on child disability that provides a cross-country analysis of disability prevalence and looks at potential risk factors for child disability; a statistical report on female genital mutilation/cutting which presents estimates of prevalence levels across and within countries and investigates the circumstances surrounding the practice; and a country study on child marriage in India that assesses the extent of the problem, and tries to identify its main causes and social impacts.  

Disseminating Data on Child Protection

Data collected, compiled and analyzed by UNICEF on child protection is disseminated in a variety of ways including through the organization’s flagship publications, such as The State of the World’s Children and Progress for Children, and in a number of thematic publications.

Users can access UNICEF’s key statistical databases on child protection with detailed country-specific information that is used to assess progress and setbacks in implementing international commitments, such as those adopted in the 2002 A World Fit for Children Declaration and Plan of Action.