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Local and global statistics concerning violence against children paint a dim picture
Each year, the stories and statistics of violence against children feel less like numbers and more like a collective cry for help. Behind every figure is a child with a name, a family, and a future that has been stolen, scarred, or reshaped by trauma.
As we move into the 2025 16 Days of Activism for No Violence against Women and Children, the global UNiTE campaign calls the world to “End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”, recognising that violence does not only happen in homes, streets, or conflict zones, but also on screens and in online spaces.
At Petra Institute, we turn our profiles purple this year as a sign of lament and hope. Purple, in the Christian tradition, points to dignity, justice, and the King who hears the cries of the oppressed. It reminds us that every woman, man, and child carries the image of God and is worthy of safety and honour.
Violence against children in South Africa
Recent South African Police Service (SAPS) crime statistics, reflected in UNICEF South Africa’s statements, show how dangerous the country still is for many children:
- Between October and December 2023, 285 children were murdered and 2 707 children survived attempted murder, assault, or grievous bodily harm.
- Between July and September 2024, more than three children and ten women were murdered every day. Over the same period, 490 children were victims of attempted murder, a rise of more than 35 percent compared to the previous year.
- In the year ending March 2024, 1 656 children were killed in South Africa, alongside 5 578 women, underlining how closely violence against children and violence against women are linked.
UNICEF and the Children’s Institute at UCT have repeatedly stressed that violence against women and children must be treated as interconnected crises, often occurring in the same homes and communities.
Petra Institute previously reached out to the Crisis Response Network (CRN), of which Petra is a network partner, to talk about this reality (see the previous article here). CRN connects organisations in crisis contexts so that they can respond together to those most affected. CRN director Yolandé Korkie notes:
“South Africa has one of the highest incidences of domestic violence in the world, and it is the most common human rights abuse in the country.”
A continental and global crisis
South Africa’s story is part of a much larger picture.
- The World Health Organization estimates that up to 1 billion children aged 2–17 years worldwide have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in the past year.
- Across Africa, studies coordinated by the African Partnership to End Violence against Children show that more than half of all children experience physical violence, and in some parts of the continent four in ten girls suffer sexual violence before the age of 15.
These figures were already deeply troubling before the impact of new and ongoing crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and conflicts in places like Ukraine, Sudan, and other fragile contexts, where children are often the least protected and the most affected.
The children who are “only” exposed
When people think of child abuse, they often picture bruises or visible injuries. Yet many children are not directly touched, but are deeply harmed by what they see, hear, and live through.
Korkie explains that we once spoke about children as “witnesses” of domestic violence. The language has shifted:
“Many children are the silent victims and witnesses of domestic violence,” she says, adding that in South Africa the term ‘witness’ has now been replaced with ‘exposed’, “which is a more inclusive description.”
The Domestic Violence Amendment Act, signed into law in 2022, expanded the definition of domestic violence to include spiritual abuse, elder abuse, coercive and controlling behaviour, and exposing children to such behaviour.
Korkie points out that this matters because:
“Watching or hearing the violent incident, being directly involved by trying to get help, or dealing with the aftermath is all considered violence against a child.”
Research continues to confirm that children who are exposed to violence can show similar disturbances to children who are directly abused, including anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, concentration problems, and physical health risks later in life.
Digital spaces, real harm
In recent years, another layer has been added: digital violence.
According to UNICEF South Africa’s SA Kids Online Study, more than 95 percent of children in South Africa have regular access to the Internet, and around one in three is at risk of online violence, exploitation, and abuse.
UNICEF
This includes:
- Cyberbullying and shaming
- Non-consensual sharing of images
- Online grooming and sexual exploitation
- Threats, harassment, and hate speech in digital spaces
The World Health Organization notes that sexual violence now includes online exploitation, and that bullying often extends into cyber-bullying, reaching children wherever they are and at any time of the day or night.
The 2025 UNiTE campaign theme, “End Digital Violence against All Women and Girls”, reminds us that digital violence is not “less serious” because there are no visible bruises. For many children and adolescents, online attacks cut as deeply as physical blows. Shame, fear, and isolation can follow them everywhere, carried in a phone that is always within reach.
As Petra Institute, we believe that online spaces can also become places of welcome and protection. When communities of faith model respect, listen carefully, and challenge harmful behaviour online, they help to build a different kind of digital culture for children and young people.
The long shadow of violence
Violence in any form leaves a long shadow. WHO and other global studies show that children exposed to violence are at greater risk of:
- Mental health challenges, such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress
- Physical health issues later in life, including heart disease, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases
- Risky behaviours, such as substance abuse and unsafe sexual practices
- Struggles at school, difficulty finding or keeping work, and ongoing cycles of violence in adulthood
A21, a global anti human trafficking organisation that works closely with children and young people, notes that violence and abuse can cause severe trauma with both physical effects (bruises, burns, injuries) and emotional effects (low self-esteem, anxiety, sleep disturbances). Early and sustained support makes a significant difference in how children heal.
Are healing and recovery possible?
The good news is that healing is possible, especially when help comes early and consistently.
Korkie emphasises that although children exposed to domestic violence might never entirely forget their experiences, they can learn healthy ways of dealing with their trauma. Good support systems and meaningful relationships with caring adults can make a measurable difference in their journey toward recovery.
Key elements include:
- Early intervention when violence or exposure is identified
- Safe, predictable environments where children can play, learn, and rest
- Access to trauma-informed counselling
- Education about violence, helping children to recognise harmful situations and seek help
- Faith communities that listen, believe, and walk with children rather than silence or blame them
Walking with Wounded Children
In several contexts of crisis, Petra’s specialised course Walking with Wounded Children has become a vital tool to help children process trauma and begin their healing journey.
Through CRN, the Walking with Wounded Children workshop has been used in refugee camps in Uganda. Community leaders were trained and have continued facilitating trauma healing with South Sudanese refugee children in the camps. The same course is also being used with children in war-stricken Ukraine and in Ethiopia, where conflict and displacement have left deep emotional and spiritual scars.
The course creates space for:
- Children to tell their stories safely
- Gentle, age-appropriate activities that help them name their feelings and fears
- Biblical narratives of lament, comfort, and hope, connecting children’s stories to God’s story
- Community leaders, parents, and caregivers to be equipped as ongoing companions in the healing process
As children mature, they are encouraged to keep pursuing healing and healthy relationships, including their relationship with the never-failing God, our Father, through Jesus Christ.
Speaking up for the silent
The statistics are sobering, but they are not the final word. As people of faith, we hold on to the call of Scripture:
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Proverbs 31:8–9
During this year’s 16 Days of Activism, as our profiles turn purple and we join a continental movement to end violence online and offline, Petra Institute remains committed to:
- Listening to children and taking their stories seriously
- Equipping churches and communities to create safe spaces where children are truly welcome
- Standing with partners like CRN and A21 in responding to crises
- Training leaders through programmes like Walking with Wounded Children
Our prayer is that homes, congregations, classrooms, and digital platforms will increasingly become places where children and young people are safe, seen, and free to grow into the fullness of who God created them to be.
