Children in Oceania, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central and Southern Asia are most likely to live with a mother who has experienced physical, emotional or sexual abuse by a partner in the past year, according to a first-ever regional analysis from UNICEF.
The new data brief found that over half of children in Oceania and around a third in both sub-Saharan Africa and Central and Southern Asia live in households where their mothers have recently experienced intimate partner violence.
Domestic violence is a major public health crisis in the U.S. that needs more coverage. While the UNICEF analysis focuses on global regions outside the U.S., its findings underscore a broader reality journalists should highlight: Children are often impacted by abuse, even when it’s not directed at them.
This analysis and other studies have documented how violence is not only harmful to the health and well-being of women, but also how it impacts children’s sense of safety, health and learning.
Health care reporters covering domestic abuse can use studies like this to better understand the impacts children endure, which research shows are often similar across regions, as they are often similar regardless of geography. Kids can also be direct victims of domestic violence or be witnesses to the abuse of a parent.
According to the UNICEF analysis, children growing up in homes where women are abused are also significantly more likely to be subjected to physical or psychological aggression themselves. That also heightens their risk of carrying violence into adulthood, either as victims or perpetrators.
Breaking down the findings
One in four children — around 610 million — are living with mothers who have experienced intimate partner violence within the past year.
“Today, millions of women and children are living in homes where violence is a part of regular life,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, J.D., said in a statement. “Women’s safety and autonomy are paramount to children’s well-being.”
Oceania has the highest prevalence: just over half of children there, or 3 million, are living with a mother who recently experienced intimate partner violence.
The Oceania region encompasses Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Vanuatu, Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu and Nauru.
Sub-Saharan Africa had the second-highest rate, with 32% of children (187 million) living with mothers who experienced intimate partner violence in the past year. In Central and Southern Asia, 29% of children are exposed and account for the lion’s share of the global burden, with 201 million children affected.
UNICEF called on governments in these regions to support and expand services for survivors so women and children can access safety and care; invest in prevention strategies like parenting support and school-based programs; and tackle social norms that uphold inequities and violence.
Story ideas
Start by exploring the current realities of domestic violence in your coverage area. How many incidents occur in a year? How about homicides? Have there been increases or decreases in these figures? What resources are available, such as shelters, legal aid, job help and housing programs? Find survivors who are willing to tell their stories.
Within that, and related to this study, who are the collateral victims of domestic violence?
Explore the combination of guns and domestic violence (Jennifer Mascia with The Trace published an in-depth piece on how deadly this combination is for children in 2023). How many reported assaults and homicides involve a gun? How are guns used by abusers to control and manipulate their victims? How does the legal system handle removing guns in cases involving protection and ex-parte orders? Even if a city or state requires temporarily taking away a respondent’s guns, there are often cases where the gun is never taken away. Here’s an example from Michelle Pitcher with the Texas Observer.
Keep an eye on what policies your city and/or state has or is considering for preventing domestic violence. Public officials championing such initiatives are good sources, too.
Past AHCJ coverage
We’ve covered the impacts of domestic violence and abuse on children in multiple posts. Here are a couple of helpful links to inform your reporting about this topic:
