Counting Pennies 2: Analysis of Official Development Assistance to End Violence Against Children

Less than 1% of international aid money used to end violence against children

Of ODA, less than 1 per cent (under 75p per child) went directly towards ending violence against children in 2018

Over one billion children experience violence every year, costing world economies between £1.4-£5.1 trillion annually

World Vision estimates that 85 million extra children are at risk of violence because of the impacts of COVID-91

Ending violence against children remains alarmingly underfunded, despite one billion children experiencing violence each year, according to a new report.

Counting Pennies II, published today by World Vision and partnering aid agencies including UNICEF, Save the Children, Plan International and Child Fund, reveals that in 2018, less than £1.4 billion of official development assistance (ODA) was invested in causes relating to ending violence against children. Only £373 million (less than 75p per child) was spent on specific projects to tackle violence against children.

More positively, researchers found that since the initial report Counting Pennies I, published in 2017, investment into ending violence against children has increased by 67 per cent.

Aid agencies are calling on donors to increase funding to end violence against children in humanitarian and non-humanitarian settings. An estimated 80 per cent of services to address violence against children have been disrupted during the coronavirus pandemic, exacerbating an already existing need to scale up child protection. The report also recommends that the global community should collaborate to produce of a defined method for tracking investments into ending violence against children in order to increase clarity and transparency for all.