Preventing abuse, ensuring a better future for the world's more than 2 billion children

By Kielce Gussie

Around the world, an innumerable amount of young people fall victim to sexual abuse and exploitation every year. In 2023 alone, 82 million girls and 69 million boys experienced some form of sexual violence—meaning about 3 girls and 2 boys per second.

On November 7, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly instituted the World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Violence to be commemorated on each year on November 18.

Taking action

This year, the theme was "Emerging technologies: threats and opportunities for the protection of children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse." November 7-8, 2024 marked the first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children. Held in Bogotà, Colombia, the conference won a Guinness World Record for the most countries represented at a childhood violence summit—more than 100 countries attended.

The Catholic Church and abuse

As more and more countries have released reports on the scale of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church, steps have been made to both take responsibility and make amends for the pain caused. For example, Pope Benedict XVI visited Ireland in 2010 and apologized to all the victims, survivors, and their families. “You have suffered grievously and I am truly sorry,” the Pope said, “I know that nothing can undo the wrong you have endured.”

Even more recently, during his journey to Canada in July 2022, Pope Francis met with indigenous peoples and began by apologizing both personally and on behalf of the entire Church. “I have come to your native lands to tell you in person of my sorrow, to implore God’s forgiveness, healing and reconciliation, to express my closeness and to pray with you and for you,” he said during his first public discourse.

Pope Francis meeting with indigenous peoples in Canada in 2022 (FILE PHOTO)

Catholic communities around the world have also been providing support to victims and survivors. Since the sexual abuse scandal broke out in Ireland in the 1980s, church leaders have been working to prevent any further abuse and walk with victims and survivors. The local churches “began to increase prevention” and ensure all “parishes, all our church activities are as safe as possible for children and vulnerable adults,” Archbishop Eamonn Martin, President of the Irish Bishops’ Conference, described. Yet he acknowledged the Church in Ireland still has “so much to learn.”

A mission for the future

On a world scale, steps have also been taken to prevent and end sexual abuse and violence. The first Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children launched three resolutions. First, 44 governments pledged to establish “safe and enabling learning environments by 2030.” Second, the Conference strongly emphasized that the key to breaking the cycle of this violence is education. The final resolution was to work with teachers, families, communities, and social welfare organisations to bring about the change needed to protect the more than 2 billion children around the world for a better future.