Domestic violence against children is widespread in the region: in the countries of Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia, about half of all children are victims of violent parenting methods.

According to research, 53 percent of children aged 1-14 in Kazakhstan, 57 percent in Kyrgyzstan, and 66 percent of children from Roma villages in Serbia were subjected to violent methods of discipline at home (compared to the Serbian national figure of 43 percent).

Child abandonment and placement of children in institutions are also forms of violence, and children raised in institutions are considered particularly vulnerable. Research shows that girls who are institutionalized or imprisoned are more likely to be victims of sexual and physical abuse than boys.

Violence is rampant in schools as well. In Serbia, 69 percent of primary and 74 percent of secondary students reported experiencing at least one form of gender-based violence. The problem of bullying is also acute: nearly 60 percent of children aged 11 to 15 admitted to bullying others at school at least once in the past.

The growth of internet access breeds new forms of child abuse

As internet access expands, child abuse takes on new forms, such as cyberbullying and online sexual exploitation, that have devastating, life-changing consequences.

Presentation