Violence Against Children and Youth Survey Resources
Fact Sheet:
Violence Against Children Survey (VACS) pdf icon[349 KB, 2 Pages]
This document provides an overview of VACS with a data snapshot and summarizes evidence-based prevention programs that countries can use after completing VACS.
Reports:
Critical Elements of Interviewer Training for Engaging Children and Adolescents in Global Violence Research: Best Practices and Lessons Learned from the Violence Against Children Survey pdf icon[3 MB, 22 Pages]
This white paper describes strategies for interviewer recruitment and training for population-based studies on violence with child research participants. These strategies help ensure the quality of the data while maintaining respondent safety and encouraging disclosure of violence.
INSPIRE: Seven Strategies for Ending Violence Against Childrenexternal icon
INSPIRE: Seven strategies for ending violence against children identifies a select group of strategies that have shown success in reducing violence against children.
Articles and Research Briefs
Violence Against Children and Youth Survey Methodology:
Nguyen KH, Kress H, Villaveces A, Massetti GM. Sampling design and methodology of the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveysexternal icon. Inj Prev 2018;0:1-7. Epub ahead of print.
Chiang LF, Kress H, Sumner SA, Gleckel J, Kawemama P, Gordon R. Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS): Towards a global surveillance system.external icon Injury Prevention 2016; 22: i17-i22. Research Brief
Mercy JA, Saul J, Hills S. The importance of integrating efforts to prevent violence against women and childrenexternal icon. Unicef.
Violence Against Children and Youth and HIV Risk:
VanderEnde K, Chiang L, Mercy J, et al. Adverse childhood experiences and HIV sexual risk-taking behaviors among young adults in Malawiexternal icon. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2018; 33(11): 1710-1730. Research Brief
Chiang L, Chen J, Gladden MR, et al. HIV and Childhood Sexual Violence: Implications for Sexual Risk Behaviors and HIV Testing in Tanzania.external icon AIDS Education and Prevention 2015: Vol. 27, No. 5, pp. 474-487.
Sommarin C, Kilbane T, Mercy JA, et al. Preventing Sexual Violence and HIV in Childrenexternal icon. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 2014; 66: p S217-S223
Health Consequences of Violence:
Stamatakis CE, Sumner SA, Massetti G, et al. Sexual Violence Prevalence and Related Pregnancy Among Girls and Young Women: A Multicountry Analysisexternal icon. Journal of interpersonal violence 2020.
Nguyen KH, Kegler SR, Chiang L, Kress H. Effects of Poly-Victimization Before Age 18 on Health Outcomes in Young Kenyan Adults: Violence Against Children Surveyexternal icon. Violence Vict. 2019;34(2):229–242.
Swedo E, Sumner S, Msungama W, et al. Childhood Violence Is Associated with Forced Sexual Initiation Among Girls and Young Women in Malawi: A Cross-Sectional Survey.external icon J Pediatr 2019; 208: 265-272.e1.
Chiang L, Howard A, Gleckel J, et al. Cycle of Violence among young Kenyan women: The link between childhood violence and adult physical intimate partner violence in a population-based surveyexternal icon. Child Abuse and Neglect 2018; 84: 45-52. Research Brief
VanderEnde K, Mercy J, Shawa M, et al. Violence experiences in childhood are associated with men’s perpetration of intimate partner violence as a young adult: A multistage cluster survey in Malawi.external icon Annals of Epidemiology 2016; 26, 723-728. Research Brief
Breiding MJ, Mercy JA, Gulaid J, et al. A national survey of childhood physical abuse among females in Swazilandexternal icon. Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health 2013; 3: 73-81. Research Brief
Reza A, Breiding MJ, Gulaid J, et al. Sexual violence and its health consequences for female children in Swaziland: A cluster survey study.external icon Lancet 2009; 373: 1966-1972. Research Brief
Risk and Protective Factors for Violence Against Children and Youth:
Annor FB, Gilbert LK, Davila EP, et al. Emotional violence in childhood and health conditions, risk-taking behaviors, and violence perpetration among young adults in Nigeriaexternal icon. Child Abuse Negl. 2020;106:104510.
Cerna-Turoff I, Kane JC, Devries K, Mercy J, Massetti G, Baiocchi M. Did internal displacement from the 2010 earthquake in Haiti lead to long-term violence against children? A matched pairs study designexternal icon. Child Abuse Negl. 2020;102:104393.
Lai BS, Osborne MC, De Veauuse-Brown N, Swedo EA, et al. Violence victimization and negative health correlates of youth in post-earthquake Haiti: Findings from the cross-sectional violence against children surveyexternal icon. J Affect Disord. 2020;270:59-64.
Stark, L., Seff, I., Hoover, A., Gordon, R., Ligiero, D., Massetti, G.M. Sex and age effects in past-year experiences of violence amongst adolescents in five countriesexternal icon. PLoS ONE 14(7):e0219073.
Devries K, Knight L, Petzold M, et al. Who perpetrates violence against children? A systematic analysis of age-specific and sex-specific dataexternal icon. BMJ Paediatrics Open 2018;2(1):1-15.
Miller GF, Chiang L, Hollis N. Economics and violence against children, findings from the Violence Against Children Survey in Nigeriaexternal icon. Child Abuse and Neglect 2018; 85: 9-16. Research Brief
Gilbert L, Reza A, Mercy JA, et al. The experience of violence against children in domestic servitude in Haiti: Results from the Violence Against Children Survey, Haiti 2012external icon. Child Abuse & Neglect 2018; 76: 184-193. Research Brief
Vagi KJ, Brookmeyer KA, Gladden RM, et al. Sexual violence against female and male children in the United Republic of Tanzania.external icon Violence Against Women 2016; 22: 1-20. Research Brief
Sumner SA, Marcelin LH, Cela T, et al. Sentinel events predicting later unwanted sex among girls: A national survey in Haiti, 2012.external icon Child Abuse and Neglect 2015; 50: 49-55. Research Brief
Breiding MJ, Reza A, Gulaid J, et al. Risk factors associated with sexual violence towards girls in Swazilandexternal icon. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2011; 89: 203-210. Research Brief
Burden and Prevalence of Violence Against Children and Youth:
Swedo EA, Sumner SA, Hillis SD, et al. Prevalence of Violence Victimization and Perpetration Among Persons Aged 13–24 Years — Four Sub-Saharan African Countries, 2013–2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019; 68:350–355. Research Brief
Fan AZ, Kress H, Gupta S, Wadonda-Kabondo N, et al. Do self-report data reflect the real burden of lifetime exposure to sexual violence among females aged 13-24 years in Malawi?external icon Child Abuse and Neglect 2016; 58: 72-79. Research Brief
Hillis S, Mercy J, Amobi A, et al. Global prevalence of past-year violence against children: A systematic review and minimum estimatesexternal icon. Pediatrics 2016; 137(3): 1-13. Research Brief
Flynn-O’Brien KT, Rivara FP, Weiss NS, et al. Prevalence of physical violence against children in Haiti: A national population-based cross-sectional survey.external icon Child Abuse and Neglect 2016; 51: 154-162. Research Brief
Sumner SA, Mercy JA, Saul J, et al. Prevalence of sexual violence against children and use of social services – seven countries, 2007-2013. MMWR 2015; 64(21): 565-569. Research Brief
Mwangi MW, Kellogg TA, Brookmeyer K et al. Perpetrators and context of child sexual abuse in Kenyaexternal icon. Child Abuse and Neglect 2015; 44: 46-55. Research Brief
Other Health and Social Issues:
Boudreau CL, Kress H, Rochat RW, Yount KM. Correlates of disclosure of sexual violence among Kenyan youthexternal icon. Child Abuse & Neglect 2018;79:164-172.
Nguyen K, Kress H, Atuchukwu V, et al. Disclosure of Sexual Violence Among Girls and Young Women Aged 13 to 24 Years: Results From the Violence Against Children Surveys in Nigeria and Malawiexternal icon. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2018; 1-17. Research Brief
Fan A, Liu J, Kress H, et al. Applying Structural Equation Modeling to Measure Violence Exposure and Its Impact on Mental Health: Malawi Violence Against Children and Young Women Survey, 2013external icon. Journal of Interpersonal Violence 2017: 1-19. Research Brief
Sumner SA, Mercy JA, Buluma R, et al. Childhood sexual violence against boys: A study in 3 countries.external icon Pediatrics 2016; 5: 1-11. Research Brief
Hillis SD, Mercy JA, Saul JR. The enduring impact of violence against childrenexternal icon. Psychology, Health & Medicine 2016, 22:4, 393-405.
Commentary:
Mercy JA, Saul J, Hills S. The importance of integrating efforts to prevent violence against women and childrenexternal icon. UNICEF.
The Violence Prevention Information System (Violence Info)external icon
This system collates published scientific information on the main types of interpersonal violence. It also describes what countries report about their actions to address violence.