Above all, its victims are adolescent girls. But as with the founding of the UN itself, where the exhilarating vision was nothing less than to save succeeding generations from war and to promote human rights and social progress, the goals of a better future for children have proved elusive. The report shows that there have been dramatic improvements in some areas in the last 10 years. The number of deaths of under-fives from diarrhoeal diseases has been halved, saving 1m lives. Rising numbers of children are also the the victims of abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Sexual abuse occurs in the home, in communities and across societies.
But worst of all, it is commercialised. The worst forms of exploitation include prostitution and child slavery, often in the guise of household domestic work. As many as 30m children are victimised by traffickers, largely with impunity. These children work in plantations, factories and homes, often with no contact with their families, no shelter and no access to education. Children are more vulnerable then ever in the armed conflicts which ravage parts of Angola, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Colombia.