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The plight of children around the world

A six-year-old Nicaraguan girl, a survivor of rape, jumps rope at the Centro de Mujeres Nidia White (Nidia White Women’s Centre), which provides shelter for children and women who have experienced sexual exploitation or other forms of abuse.

Can one be anything but appalled?   A Report issued by UNICEF provides stark details of the plight of children around the world - a scourge which must be eradicated.

"Children worldwide endure 'staggering' physical, sexual, and emotional abuse in their communities, homes, and schools, often at the hands of parents or intimate partners, according to a report released Thursday by UNICEF."

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"The report, titled "Hidden in Plain Sight," draws on "an unprecedented volume of data" from 190 countries, documenting "the lasting, often inter-generational effects of violence, finding that exposed children are more likely to become unemployed, live in poverty and be violent towards others." Because the data is self-reported, the authors note that actual numbers are likely even higher than the report indicates.

Among the most disturbing findings is the revelation that approximately 120 million girls under the age of 20 worldwide, about one in 10, have experienced forced intercourse or other forced sexual acts, and one in three adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 (84 million) who have ever been married have been victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence committed by their husbands or partners. What's more, close to half of all adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 (around 126 million) believe a husband is justified in hitting his wife under certain circumstances."

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"The report also shows that one-fifth of homicide victims globally are children and adolescents under the age of 20; that one in three students worldwide report being bullied in school; and about 17 percent of children in 58 countries are subject to severe forms of physical discipline such as being hit on the head or face."

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