Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment has she made of the economic effect of violence against children.

DFID is committed to protecting vulnerable children around the world and helping them to grow up free from violence.

Violence has long lasting impacts on children’s health, their capacity to learn, and their economic prospects in later life. Violence against children is also proven to have a negative impact on the economy. One estimate models the annual costs of physical, sexual and psychological violence against children to be up to 8 per cent of global Gross Domestic Product, which equates to approximately US$7 trillion.

The economic effect of violence against children is one of the reasons why DFID is the leading supporter of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.