This November, I had the honor of leading the U.S. government (USG) delegation to the first-ever Global Ministerial on Ending Violence against Children. As we address unprecedented crises, we must focus on protecting and investing in our future generations. This important gathering of global leaders, convened by the Government of Colombia with the Government of Sweden, UNICEF, the United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, and the World Health Organization (WHO), galvanized collaborative action to protect the world’s most vulnerable children. Governments and global organizations committed more than 120 pledges promising transformative action to end violence against children.

Together, we elevated three breakthrough approaches: (i) ensuring universal access to parent and caregiver support that prevents abuse and neglect while promoting nurturing care; (ii) investing in safe and enabling school environments; and (iii) making response and support services accessible to all children who need them. These commitments are urgently needed. Nearly 1 billion children—roughly half of all children in the world—are victims of physical, sexual, or emotional violence each year. There is overwhelming evidence that the effects of childhood violence undermine health and well-being in adulthood. By investing early in preventing violence and ensuring children who have experienced violence get the support and services they need, we can enable individuals to heal from trauma throughout their lives, and contribute to a world where we all can thrive. In contrast, failing to act has long-term economic costs and undermines the development of human and social capital, stunting national economic growth and in turn driving further conflict and other crises.

It is possible to prevent and eradicate violence that affects hundreds of millions of children — and we have the means at our disposal to do so. Governments must, and did, commit to putting their attention and resources into action that is multi-sectoral and involves communities, families, and other stakeholders. This is why the Global Ministerial was so important; it has moved us toward ensuring all parts of government prioritize children, bringing together efforts under health, education, social protection, justice, law enforcement, labor, and national budget planning.

We didn’t go into this challenge empty handed. Since 2005, under PL 109-95 and the first U.S. Government Action Plan on Children in Adversity in 2012, USAID’s Center for Children in Adversity has been coordinating a whole-of-government approach for vulnerable children with strong support from Congress and critical civil society stakeholders. In July 2024, we were pleased to release the newly-updated five year strategy, now called the Thrive Strategy. And over the years, we’ve been building the evidence to showcase not only the extent of the problem, but also the most promising ways to address it.  

The first Violence against Children Survey (VACS) was conducted in 2007, giving us tools to better measure the nature and severity of violence against children, and also to make use of this data. We have built the foundations to prevent and respond using systems approaches. In partnership with the WHO, USAID has supported the working group on the INSPIRE Framework, an important resource for the prevention and response to violence for a wide range of stakeholders, including governments, civil society, the private sector, and communities themselves. 

And so, informed by all we have to build on, on November 7, 2024, we released the first U.S. global pledge to end violence against children. We committed to strengthening relevant systems to facilitate appropriate protection and care of children, their families, and their communities, and most importantly, to prevent violence from occurring in the first place. This includes investing in the social service workforce; supporting the health and well-being of parents and caregivers; ensuring digital environments, as well as physical environments, are made safe; and establishing strong systems to hold perpetrators of harm accountable. Our commitments, both domestic and international, reflect our core values; public policy must, first and foremost, benefit and protect our children.

The Ministerial also provided opportunities to highlight ways in which USAID and other U.S. government agencies are already partnering to move these commitments forward. USAID/Colombia has a strong partnership with the Government of Colombia to promote protective environments for children and youth, and at the Ministerial, we were able to speak to Lourdes Castro Garcia, Presidential Counsellor on Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law,  and reaffirm this commitment to support their important efforts to prevent the recruitment of children and young people into violent activities. This ongoing partnership has helped support important coordination mechanisms that disrupt recruitment, exploitation, and sexual violence.

There is no time to waste, so our delegation has gotten right to work. On November 26, our colleagues at Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families, Office of Trafficking in Persons launched a new National Advisory Committee on the Trafficking of Children and Youth. “Children should grow up safe, supported, and free from fear, violence, and abuse,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The Committee, made up of individuals with lived experience, government officials, and professionals with expertise in child trafficking prevention and response, will provide guidance on policies and programs aimed at preventing and responding to child trafficking. And this is just a start. Building on the Thrive Strategy, we’ll be working across USG to implement policies and programming addressing all aspects of our commitment.

USAID Deputy Assistant Administrator Bama Athreya pictured (third from left) providing remarks during a session focusing on adolescent girls at the VAC Ministerial alongside a panel of youth advocates.

Photo Credit: World Health Organization

See full remarks from children and youth advocates at the Ministerial

The conference ended, as it should, with closing remarks from children and youth advocates themselves. This was an entirely appropriate reminder to all of us that they are not just our future leaders, but serve as guides for our work today. While our roles might not be permanent, we must set the best possible example for them of what they might become—by investing not just in their safety but in their ability to thrive, contribute, and lead their communities in their full and existing capacity.