About Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys

What are the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys?

Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS), led by CDC as part of the Together for Girls partnership, are nationally representative household surveys among children and youth 13 to 24. VACS measures how much and how often sexual, physical, and emotional violence occurs.

VACS also measures:

• Exposure to violence, including perpetrating, experiencing, or witnessing violence.
• Where violence happens.
• Risk and protective factors.
• Education, economic conditions, health, and the experiences of children and youth.

Findings from VACS provide reliable evidence to enable countries to make better decisions about allocating limited resources to develop, launch, and evaluate violence prevention programs and child protection systems.

Quick facts and stats

Violence against children and youth is common. An estimated 1 billion children—half of all the children in the world—are victims of violence every year.

Violence against children and youth is costly. The economic impact of violence against children and youth is estimated at hundreds of billions of dollars per year.

Children and youth often experience more than one form of violence. In Tanzania, more than 80% of adolescents aged 13 to 24 years who experienced sexual abuse as a child also experienced physical violence.

Girls and young women are more vulnerable to sexual violence. Between 11% and 26% of adolescent girls and young women in sub-Saharan African countries that completed a VACS experienced sexual violence in the past 12 months. For 7%–55% of adolescent girls and young women who ever had sex, their first sexual experience was forced or coerced, increasing their risk for HIV infection.

Outcomes

Violence against children and youth can lead to lifelong health problems. Children who experience violence have higher risks for health and social problems, such as chronic disease, HIV, mental health issues, substance misuse, and reproductive health problems. Young people who experience violence are more likely to perpetrate violence against others later in life, reinforcing cycles of trauma in communities.

Violence and other adverse childhood experiences increase the risk of sexual risk-taking behaviors and HIV. For example, in Malawi, children exposed to violence were less likely to use condoms as young adults, increasing their risk for HIV infection.

Prevention

Violence is preventable. A first step in preventing violence globally is understanding how much it happens, where it occurs, and its impacts on the health and well-being of children and youth.

High-quality, timely data on violence provides critical information to develop prevention strategies based on the best available evidence on what works to stop the violence.