Children & Violence

Every child deserves a healthy start, in a nurturing home where this is no violence or abuse. Sadly, we are far from that today. Violence against children is a global problem that spans generations:

• At least one in seven U.S. children experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year.
• Studies suggest that 15.5 million children in the United States witness domestic violence each year and by age 17, more than one-third of our children have been exposed to it.
• Globally, half of the world’s children experience sexual violence or other forms of abuse in their lives – up to 1 billion girls and boys. 

It doesn’t have to be this way – and there are interventions and solutions that will keep kids safe. At Futures Without Violence, we’ve worked for decades to identify and advance them, to bring more resources to this problem, to improve our child welfare system, and to find ways to help families facing the most complex challenges.

We work with health care providers to recognize and respond to the signs of abuse. Develop effective child welfare interventions that don’t retraumatize nonviolent parents or the children who need them. Work to educate parents and caregivers on how to help traumatized children — including children exposed to violence — heal. And we’re at the forefront of policy and research to invest in and advance promising practices in health care, education, law enforcement, and in the community that help children and youth heal and thrive.

There’s a role for you to play, too. It will take all of us to promote healthy relationships, break cycles of violence, and keep every child safe from abuse, neglect, and exposure to violence. We invite you to learn more and join us in this work.