Protection

Protecting children from violence is a key priority for Plan.

Child protection is central to everything we do and we deliver targeted programmes to address specific protection issues - such as child trafficking, corporal punishment in schools, female genital cutting and child marriage.

In 2010 Plan trained 149,668 people to protect children from sexual abuse and violence.

Global problem

Violence is a global problem and consists of physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse and neglect.

Plan was actively involved in the 2006 United Nations Study on Violence Against Children, which estimates that worldwide:

• 40,000,000 children are abused each year
• 150,000,000 girls and 73,000,000 boys experience sexual violence
• 1,800,000 children are involved in prostitution and pornography
• 1,200,000 children are victims of trafficking

The vast majority of violence is carried out by people who are part of children's lives: parents, other family members, neighbours, school friends and teachers.

Plan does more than introduce short-term fixes for these problems. Our strength lies in working closely on a long-term basis with children, families and communities - and we focus our efforts against violence in these settings.

We also work with a range of other stakeholders at local, national and international level to influence policies and help children to reach their full potential.