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Disclosure and help-seeking behaviors related to sexual and physical violence in childhood and adolescence: Results from the Namibia Violence Against Children and Youth Survey

The objective of this study was to understand factors associated with disclosure and help-seeking to inform care.

VACS journal articles

Age at first exposure to violence and later mental health outcomes: A sex-disaggregated, multi-country analysis in sub-Saharan Africa

This study conducts a multi-country, gender-stratified analysis of the relationship between age at first incident of physical violence and outcomes of wellbeing in sub-Saharan Africa.

VACS journal articles

Parental care status and sexual risk behavior in five nationally-representative surveys of sub-Saharan African nations

This study was a secondary analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) from Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Zambia.

VACS journal articles

The Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS): Using VACS data to drive programmes and policies

Explore this study on peer-reviewed research which used Violence Against Children and Youth (VACS) data or mentioned the VACS.

CDC Morbidity and mortality weekly report report journal

VACS journal articles

HIV prevention program eligibility among adolescent girls and young women, Namibia, 2019

This report explores results from the Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) in Namibia.

Journal environmental research public health

VACS journal articles

Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence and mental health outcomes for female survivors in sub-Saharan Africa

This analysis employed data from 13–24-year-old females as part of the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS) in Nigeria, Uganda, and Malawi.

VACS journal articles

From fathers to peers: Association between paternal violence victimization and peer violence perpetration among youth in Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia

This study specifically investigates the role of fathers and whether paternal violence victimization is associated with peer violence perpetration, above and beyond maternal violence victimization.

Côte d'Ivoire school related gender based violence fact sheet

Fact sheets

Côte d’Ivoire: School-related gender-based violence fact sheet

Data on school-related gender-based violence in Côte d'Ivoire.

EN, FR

VACS journal articles

Prevalence of childhood exposure to intimate partner violence and associations with mental distress in Cambodia, Malawi and Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

This study seeks to explore the magnitude of witnessing intimate partner violence between caregivers, its association with other types of violence, and the relationship between witnessing intimate partner violence in the past and current mental distress.

VACS journal articles

The negative impact of violence on children’s education and well-being: Evidence from Northern Nigeria

This study provides comprehensive evidence on the negative effects of physical, sexual, and emotional violence on children’s well-being and educational outcomes in Northern Nigeria.

VACS journal articles

Associations between endorsement of inequitable gender norms and intimate partner violence and sexual risk behaviors among youth in Nigeria: Violence Against Children and Youth Survey, 2014

This study assessed whether the endorsement of inequitable gender norms about intimate partner violence against women and sexual behavior was associated with intimate partner violence victimization, intimate partner violence perpetration, and sexual risk behavior.

VACS journal articles

Disclosure, reporting, and help seeking among child survivors of violence: A cross country analysis

This study explores the rarely studied prevalence and dynamics around disclosure, reporting, and help seeking behaviours of children who ever experienced physical and/or sexual violence.

VACS journal articles

Early sexual debut: A multi-country, sex-stratified analysis in sub-Saharan Africa

This article examines the outcomes associated with early sexual debut in five sub-Saharan African countries for males and females, separately.

Fact sheets

Côte d'Ivoire Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) fact sheet 2020 (data collection 2018)

This country fact sheet provides an overview of the data found in Côte d'Ivoire's VACS report

EN, FR

VACS journal articles

Emotional violence in childhood and health conditions, risk-taking behaviors, and violence perpetration among young adults in Nigeria

This study examines the independent association between emotional violence and some health conditions, risk taking behaviors, and violence perpetration among Nigerian young adults.

Fact sheets

Nigeria: School-related gender-based violence fact sheet

Data on school-related gender-based violence in Nigeria.

VACS reports

Côte d'Ivoire Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) report 2020 (data collection 2019)

Explore the data in Côte d'Ivoire's Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) report.

EN, FR

VACS journal articles

Perpetration of intimate partner violence and mental health outcomes: Sex- and gender-disaggregated associations among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria

This analysis examines the association between intimate partner violence perpetration and mental health for male and female adolescents and young adults in Nigeria.

VACS journal articles

Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria and Tanzania: An exploration into target reference groups

This study examines the gendered association of acceptance of intimate partner violence across age, marital status, and education attainment — for male and female adolescents and young adults.

VACS journal articles

Coerced and forced sexual initiation and its association with negative health outcomes among youth: Results from the Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys

This study examined the prevalence of forced sexual initiation and its consequences associated with forced sexual initiation among youth aged 13–24 years in three countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

Fact sheets

Nigeria Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) fact sheet 2016 (data collection 2014)

An overview of the data found in Nigeria's Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) report.

VACS journal articles

Prevalence of violence victimization and perpetration among persons aged 13–24 years: Four sub-Saharan African countries, 2013–2015

From 2013 to 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collaborated with Together for Girls and the governments of Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia to plan and implement Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys.

VACS reports

The economic burden of violence against children: Nigeria study

Explore the first study to estimate the economic burden of aspects of violence against children in Nigeria.

National Action Plans

Nigeria: A Pathfinding country

This document sets out the pathway that Nigeria will take to achieve the goal of ending violence against children.

VACS reports

Nigeria Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) report 2016 (data collection 2014)

Explore the data in Nigeria's Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) report.

Nigeria priority actions to ending violence against children

National Action Plans

Nigeria National Action Plan 2015

Blog posts

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Blog

Preventing school-related gender-based violence in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Nigeria

The Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) is dedicated to eliminating gender-based violence in schools. In Malawi, Nigeria and Zimbabwe, FAWE implemented three projects to create safer, more inclusive learning environments for all students.

18th November 2025

Blog

Africa’s future: how one historic conference on ending violence against children holds the key to leveraging the region’s potential

All children deserve the opportunity to live free from the threat of violence. This goal couldn’t be more critical for African nations. Africa has the largest youth demographic of any continent, and by 2030, young Africans are expected to make up 42% of the world’s youth.

22nd November 2024

Girls in Burkina Faso riding bike to school

Blog

Plan International Burkina Faso: The fight to end child marriage

Child marriage has devastating consequences for children, particularly for girls. Burkina Faso has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world, with more than one in two girls married before the age of 18, and 10% married before age 15.

26th September 2024
EN, FR

Blog

To truly invest in children, Africa’s leaders must invest in what keeps them safe

We are more than halfway to the 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, but most African countries are struggling to make sufficient progress. Africa has a chance to meet them by investing in its greatest resource: its young people.

4th February 2024

Blog

How are youth activists using data to fight gender-based violence?

What are the current pathways for youth participation in research? To end gender-based violence issues of intersectionality must be addressed. Critically, all strategies for using data on these intersectional issues must prioritize youth and survivor voices. This is particularly true in both development and humanitarian contexts.

6th July 2023

Blog

Transformative solutions to end school-related gender based violence must centre survivors

Through collective advocacy messaging and political recommendations on the intersections of gender and violence, we can influence the political stakeholders who can enable efforts to end gender-based violence in, around and through schools.

6th July 2023

Blog

African governments commit to ending violence against children

On May 11-13, 2022, senior government officials and civil society leaders from over 30 African countries gathered at the Pan-African symposium on violence prevention in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

26th May 2022

Blog

A vision for long lasting change in Côte d’Ivoire

Together for Girls is promoting meaningful partnerships amongst local agencies to catalyze full scale support for children.

28th March 2022

Blog

Gender norms, education, and violence against girls and women: Lessons from Côte d’Ivoire

For decades, advocates and researchers have stressed the need to collect more data on both violence against children and violence against women and have pushed to make sure data is disaggregated by sex, age and geography.

27th September 2021
EN, FR

Blog

Sexual violence against children: Lessons from Côte d’Ivoire

The Violence Against Children and Youth Survey report, reveals new data about the state of violence against children throughout Côte d’Ivoire, but also, pointing to critical facts that were previously unknown.

9th September 2020

shleigh Howard VACS interviewers in Indonesia before data collection 2013

Blog

Top 10 things you should know about the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS)

Ashleigh Howard — a global health epidemiologist with expertise in violence and HIV — shares her top 10 things you should know about the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys.

24th October 2019

Press releases

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Press Release

The Brave Movement awarded $230,000 USD by UBS Optimus Foundation to support its work to end childhood sexual violence in Africa

This investment will support Brave’s Africa regional platform’s advocacy campaigns to end childhood sexual violence across the continent.

21st February 2024

Press Release

The Government of Côte d’Ivoire launches Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) Report

3rd September 2020
EN, FR

Conferences

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Conference

Women Deliver

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West and Central Africa

Resources

Disclosure and help-seeking behaviors related to sexual and physical violence in childhood and adolescence: Results from the Namibia Violence Against Children and Youth Survey

Age at first exposure to violence and later mental health outcomes: A sex-disaggregated, multi-country analysis in sub-Saharan Africa

Parental care status and sexual risk behavior in five nationally-representative surveys of sub-Saharan African nations

The Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS): Using VACS data to drive programmes and policies

HIV prevention program eligibility among adolescent girls and young women, Namibia, 2019

Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence and mental health outcomes for female survivors in sub-Saharan Africa

From fathers to peers: Association between paternal violence victimization and peer violence perpetration among youth in Malawi, Nigeria, and Zambia

Côte d’Ivoire: School-related gender-based violence fact sheet

Prevalence of childhood exposure to intimate partner violence and associations with mental distress in Cambodia, Malawi and Nigeria: A cross-sectional study

The negative impact of violence on children’s education and well-being: Evidence from Northern Nigeria

Associations between endorsement of inequitable gender norms and intimate partner violence and sexual risk behaviors among youth in Nigeria: Violence Against Children and Youth Survey, 2014

Disclosure, reporting, and help seeking among child survivors of violence: A cross country analysis

Early sexual debut: A multi-country, sex-stratified analysis in sub-Saharan Africa

Côte d'Ivoire Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) fact sheet 2020 (data collection 2018)

Emotional violence in childhood and health conditions, risk-taking behaviors, and violence perpetration among young adults in Nigeria

Nigeria: School-related gender-based violence fact sheet

Côte d'Ivoire Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) report 2020 (data collection 2019)

Perpetration of intimate partner violence and mental health outcomes: Sex- and gender-disaggregated associations among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria

Attitudinal acceptance of intimate partner violence among adolescents and young adults in Nigeria and Tanzania: An exploration into target reference groups

Coerced and forced sexual initiation and its association with negative health outcomes among youth: Results from the Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys

Nigeria Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) fact sheet 2016 (data collection 2014)

Prevalence of violence victimization and perpetration among persons aged 13–24 years: Four sub-Saharan African countries, 2013–2015

The economic burden of violence against children: Nigeria study

Nigeria: A Pathfinding country

Nigeria Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) report 2016 (data collection 2014)

Nigeria National Action Plan 2015

Blog posts

Preventing school-related gender-based violence in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Nigeria

Africa’s future: how one historic conference on ending violence against children holds the key to leveraging the region’s potential

Plan International Burkina Faso: The fight to end child marriage

To truly invest in children, Africa’s leaders must invest in what keeps them safe

How are youth activists using data to fight gender-based violence?

Transformative solutions to end school-related gender based violence must centre survivors

African governments commit to ending violence against children

A vision for long lasting change in Côte d’Ivoire

Gender norms, education, and violence against girls and women: Lessons from Côte d’Ivoire

Sexual violence against children: Lessons from Côte d’Ivoire

Top 10 things you should know about the Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (VACS)

Press releases

The Brave Movement awarded $230,000 USD by UBS Optimus Foundation to support its work to end childhood sexual violence in Africa

The Government of Côte d’Ivoire launches Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) Report

Conferences

Women Deliver