Prevalence of Sexual Violence Against Children and Use of Social Services — Seven Countries, 2007–2013

Sexual violence against children often causes lifelong negative health effects, subsequently increasing vulnerability to mental and physical health issues. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) participated in a global public-private partnership called “Together for Girls” in which they conducted national household surveys of children and youth aged 13-24 years to measure the lifetime prevalence of violence against children.  This document provides a summary of the results of the Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) in seven countries: Cambodia, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Swaziland, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.  The paper discusses the many negative health effects experienced by children exposed to violence and discusses ways to better document these effects in order to develop an evidence base for best practice programming.