Children worldwide face many different forms of abuse and problems. The ChildSafe network aims at creating an international network protecting children from all forms of abuse and dangers. On these pages you find an overview of child abuse – such as physical, sexual and emotional abuse as well as neglect - and dangers for children - these dangers include drug abuse, migration, child labour, trafficking and illegal adoption.

Physical Abuse
Many children worldwide are physically abused: beaten, kicked, burned, slapped etc. About 57,000 children under 15 years of age are dying as a result of physical abuse per year. Read More…

Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse of a child is any sexual act between an adult and a child, including penetration, intercourse, incest, rape, oral sex, and sodomy. There are many more kinds of child sexual abuse such as touching or kissing a child's genitals or making a child fondle an adult's genitals. Also spying on a naked child, performing sexual acts in front of a child and showing pornography to a child is sexual abuse. Read More…

Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
Global numbers are uncertain – hundreds of thousands, maybe millions of children are sexually exploited. They are sold for prostitution and pornography, sometimes to pay off family debts and always to satisfy the huge global demand for sex with children. Nevertheless, some people do not realize that a very high percentage of sex workers are minors (more that 30 percent for the Mekong sub region).
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Child Sex Tourism
We speak about child sex tourism when foreigners sexually exploit children. Most times people from western countries (where laws are stronger enforced) come to developing countries to buy children for sex. Child sex tourism exists in Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Islands. Read More…

Neglect
Neglect means that a parent fails to provide for the development of the child in one or more of the following areas: health, education, emotional development, nutrition, shelter and safe living conditions. We don’t speak of neglect when it results from poverty, a situation where parents have no possibility to provide for their child.
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Emotional Abuse
Abusing children emotionally includes constant criticism, threats, or rejection, as well as withholding love, support, or guidance. It can also mean that children are forced to hold responsibilities inappropriate to their age or when they are used to replace partners after divorce of their parents for example. Always it is a behaviour that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-worth. Read More…

Child Labor
An estimated 246 million children worldwide are forced to work. Many of those work in hazardous situations or conditions, such as working in mines, working with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture or working with dangerous machinery. Child Labour, in factories, on the streets, as domestic servants etc, all threatens children’s education and often leads to further exploitation and abuse. Read More…

Trafficking
The crime of child trafficking is committed on national and cross-border levels and it is undergone to sexually exploit children, transfer organs of children, child labour, or illegal adoption. Read More…

Dangers of Migration
People migrate for many reasons within states, over national borders and to other continents: to find employment, to access health services, to reunify with their family etc. Children are affected by migration in different ways. They either migrate with their parents, alone or they are left behind when family members leave. All these situations put children at high risk of abuse such as child labour, trafficking, violence, conflict with the law, lack of birth registration, early marriage etc. Read More…

Drug Abuse
Using drugs has many reasons; it might be peer pressure or the search for a way out of a desperate situation. Drug abuse of any kind – marihuana, cocaine, heroine, amphetamines, glue and many more – are extremely dangerous for children’s and youths’ health as well as educational and social development. Drug abuse by pregnant women brings extreme health risks for the child. Parents who use drugs often commit physical child abuse or fail to take appropriate care. Read More…

Illegal Adoption
The high request of children for adoption in many western countries leads to the selling and trafficking of children in developing countries. Many “potential” parents are willing to pay high amounts to receive their child quickly – no matter where it comes from instead of going the official way. Taking children away from their society and culture is seldom the best solution for orphans no matter how poor their society might be. Read More…