What is Child Abuse?
One of the most devastating effects of poverty is child abuse — the physical, emotional or sexual abuse of children by parents, guardians or others. Children living in areas of extreme economic hardship and social disruption are at increased risk for child abuse, violence and exploitation.
At any one time millions of people across the globe are victims of human trafficking. And 33 percent of detected trafficking victims are children.1 Child trafficking victims are forced into exploitative work, including mining, factories, armed conflict or commercial sex work. Eleven percent of the global child population is trapped in child labor.2
Compassion refuses to stand by and let these crimes continue. Around the world we are rescuing children from all forms of child abuse and, through our child development programs, allowing them to be a part of a safe and loving environment and experience childhood as it should be — free from fear and abuse.
How Are We Fighting Child Abuse?
We are committed to fighting child abuse and all forms of child exploitation.
Our Commitment to Child Protection
In partnership with local churches:
- We provide a positive and safe environment where children can learn and play.
- We engage the active commitment of the caring adults who surround the children to care for them with dignity, respect and integrity at all times.
- We prevent and/or reduce the risks of the incidence of child abuse through enforcing child-protection policies, strategies and procedures.
Every Compassion child development center is required to implement a local plan of action for protection against child abuse and exploitation. We regularly monitor implemented policies to ensure that expectations are fulfilled.
We also believe it is critical to protect children not only from abuse but from exposure that could make them more susceptible to child abuse. Many children living in poverty experience health and family issues that are personal and sensitive. That's why we are committed to protecting each family's privacy and preserving each child's dignity.