Worldwide, there are 215 million children involved in child labour which violates international standards (ILO)
Almost half of all victims of forced labour are children. This equates to a total of 5.7 million children worldwide that are being exploited in the workplace.(UNICEF)
40–50 per cent of people involved in forced commercial sexual exploitation are children.(UNICEF)
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child defines universal principles and standards for the treatment and status of all individuals below age 18, worldwide. It is the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history. (UNICEF)
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been ratified by all UN member states except for the United States and Somalia.(UNICEF)
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child is the most powerful children´s rights organization in the world. It consists of a body of experts who monitor the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.(UNICEF)
Every year, 55 per cent of all births in the developing world (excluding China) go unregistered: over 50 million children beginning life with no identity (UNICEF, 2006)
Children are especially vulnerable to mistreatment by authority; more than 1 million children worldwide are detained by law enforcement officials (UNICEF)
Urban growth in Africa and Asia is increasing at an unprecedented rate and it is predicted the urban population in both continents will double between 2000 and 2030, inevitably leading to a rise in the numbers of children living on the street.
The United Nations estimates that between 133 million and 275 million children experience violence at home annually, with the largest proportion in Asia, as well as in sub-Saharan Africa(UN Habitat 2007)
The World Health Organisation suggests that 20 per cent of women and up to10 per cent of men worldwide, have suffered sexual abuse as a child. (WHO,2002)
86 percent of street children in Egypt identified violence as a major problem in their life. UNICEF(2000)
UNICEF have calculated a conservative estimate that there are 11 million street children in India.
143 million children in the developing world – 1 in every 13 – are orphans.
There are 74 million orphaned children in Asia, the highest number worldwide due to all causes.
15 million children have already been orphaned by AIDS. (UNICEF, 2006)
Worldwide, over 2 million children under age 15 are living with HIV.(UNICEF, 2006)
In Botswana, almost 1 in every 4 people aged 15–49 is infected with HIV (UNICEF, 2006)
Low self-esteem, depression and self–hatred have been found to be characteristics of street and homeless children (Kidd, 2007)
Worldwide there are more than 130 million children who do not attend school, 73 million of these children are girls(CRIN).
In 2004, 20% of school-aged children were excluded from education because families had insufficient resources for schooling and/or did not see schooling as relevant(JUCONI)
The population in the developing world is young! The average age of the developing world´s population is 16 years compared to a global average of 28 years (UN HABITAT)
In the UK 100,000 children under the age of sixteen run away from home or care every year(Children´s Society,2005).
More than 90,000 homeless children in England are living in temporary accommodation (Shelter‐ Why end child poverty? Key facts www.endchildpoverty.org.uk)
The UKs first refuge for young people was opened in London in 1985(Children´s Society,2005).
