It is estimated that globally up to 1 billion children are subject to violence each year. Violence against children has strong, long-lasting effects on brain function, mental health, health risk behaviours, noncommunicable diseases, infectious diseases such as HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, and social functioning. The direct and indirect economic costs of these effects are substantial, and violence against children undermines the potential of both individuals and societies.
This handbook provides everyone committed to ending violence against children with the best possible information on how to implement INSPIRE. The more we work together to implement the interventions described within it, and to measure the effectiveness of new interventions, the greater the number of children that will enjoy lives free from violence. Let us act now, act wisely and act together.
