Child Maltreatment – Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences in East Asia and Pacific. A systematic review of research

This report, titled Child Maltreatment: Prevalence, Incidence and Consequences in East Asia and Pacific, launched by UNICEF EAPRO, is the first-ever comprehensive analysis of existing studies undertaken by experts and academics about child maltreatment in the region. It examines studies produced over the past decade on child maltreatment. All facets of abuse, including physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, neglect, and exploitation, etc. were studied to give an overview of all aspects and effects of maltreatment in the region. While the levels of abuse varied by country, the overall results are alarming and reveal a consistently high prevalence of child maltreatment in the East Asia and Pacific regions [the best case scenario suggests that one in 10 children experience physical abuse, while the worst case finds that 30.3 per cent of children suffer from abuse). The report also cites recent studies wherein 9% percent to nearly one in four children in the region suffer from severe physical abuse. The damage to children caused by sexual and physical abuse is often very serious and lifelong, UNICEF notes, and children who are abused are more likely to suffer from depression, low self esteem and suicidal thoughts. National child protection systems must be strengthened across the region to protect children who are already experiencing harm, and to prevent abuse and mitigate the risks of violence to children. The UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific presents this report as a contribution to the evidence base on child maltreatment in the region, as well as globally, with the intention that this work will contribute to ensuring that all children are protected from violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation