State of Global Child Abuse and Strategic Response Report | 2025
🌍Global Landscape of Child Abuse
Globally, child abuse remains one of the most urgent and complex crises of our time. According to Stoltenborgh et al. (2015), over 1 billion children are subjected annually to physical, emotional, or sexual abuse.
• Sexual Abuse: Global prevalence estimated between 8–30%, depending on region (Barth et al., 2013).
• Emotional Abuse: Universally under-recognized, yet pervasive.
• Neglect & Physical Abuse: Often co-occurring, and deeply connected to systemic poverty.
⚠️Challenges: Underreporting, cultural taboos, lack of legal alignment, and definitional inconsistencies prevent a comprehensive response.
🇺🇸 United States – Trends & Interventions
• Prevalence: 1 in 7 U.S. children experience abuse annually (CDC, 2024).
• Suicidal Ideation: Notably high among youth in child welfare systems (Child Maltreatment, 2025).
• Racial Disparities: Black and Latinx youth are disproportionately criminalized.
• Human Trafficking: Dual-system-involved children face elevated risk.
• Maternal Reporting Barriers: Bureaucracy and stigma weaken early intervention.
System Responses:
• Child Protective Services (CPS)
• National data systems (NCANDS, AFCARS)
• Mandated reporting protocols
⚠️Limitations: Underfunded prevention, mistrust among families, and fragmented systems.
📂Digital Threats – CSAM (Child Sexual Abuse Material)
A 2025 study by Cross et al. analyzed 2,980 CSAM filenames across U.S. peer-to-peer networks:
• Most referenced children aged 5–12; over 50% described penetrative abuse.
• Themes of racialization, incest, and dehumanization were prevalent.
• Urgent recommendation: integrate CSAM detection into CPS and justice systems.
Reference:
Cross, T. P. et al. (2025). Child Maltreatment.
🇹🇭 Thailand – Contextual and Cultural Overview
-
Prevalence:
-
Physical abuse: 17–23%
-
Emotional abuse: 25–32% (East Asia & Pacific Study, 2015)
-
-
Underreporting: Widespread, especially in rural and religious communities.
-
Cultural Barriers: Corporal punishment, deference to authority, family shame.
-
Vulnerable Populations: Children in faith-based homes, institutions, or low-income regions.
National Efforts:
-
Ministry of Social Development and Human Security (MSDHS)
-
NGO Partnerships: SOAF, CHF, Mahidol University
⚠️Challenges: Shortage of trauma-informed professionals, fragmented data, and absence of safe school-based reporting tools.
สรุปนโยบาย | Policy Brief
จัดทาโดยมูลนิธิ Save One Another (SOAF)
ดร. เกร็ก ไทเลอร์ มิลลิแกน | มิถุนายน 2025
บทสรุปสาหรับผู้บริหาร | Executive Summary
ทั่วโลก เด็กมากกว่า 1 พันล้านคนเผชิญกับการล่วงละเมิด แต่ระบบข้อมูลและกลไกตอบสนองยังล่าช้า
ในสหรัฐฯ เด็ก 1 ใน 7 คนประสบกับการทารุณกรรม
ในประเทศไทย มากถึง 32% เผชิญการล่วงละเมิดทางอารมณ์
ความยากจน ความเงียบ และการละเลยจากภาครัฐยังเป็นวิกฤต
Globally, over 1 billion children face abuse annually, yet systemic silence and fragmented care deepen the crisis. From racial disparities in U.S. courts to stigma in Thai villages, this epidemic transcends borders.
🧭Strategic Global & Local Response Themes
1. Integrated Surveillance & Data Justice
• Unified child abuse tracking system across nations
• Transparency in adoption/foster care records (e.g., CFSR-3)
2. Faith-Based Resilience Networks
• Discipleship-based healing curriculum
• Christ-centered mentorship across schools and churches
3. Policy Levers & Legal Advocacy
• Racial bias audits (USA), trauma curriculum (Thailand)
• Global standardization of abuse definitions via WHO/UN
4. Education & Institutional Safeguarding
• Required child protection training for teachers, staff, and pastors
• Monitoring for cyberbullying and educator-led maltreatment
5. Economic Risk Mitigation
• Poverty alleviation through family planning and caregiver grants
• Attention to rural isolation as a neglect predictor
6. Workforce Empowerment
• Spiritual care for caseworkers
• Sabbaticals, trauma wellness retreats
7. Domestic Violence Integration
• Unified DV and CPS tracking and intervention models
🌸What SOAF Is Doing About This
SOAF กาลังดาเนินการในด้านต่อไปนี้
• “The Light Within” – Trauma recovery program for girls in CHF Thailand
• “The Dream Builders Project” – Vocational, identity, and faith curriculum
• Pastoral trauma certification in partnership with Bangkok Institute of Theology
• Training village responders with Thailand's Ministry of Justice
• Youth camps and peer healing programs with the CHF Foundation
• Global publication in Springer Nature and IGI Global
• Launch of Thailand’s first bilingual LMS focused on trauma and theology
✝️Spiritual Reflection from the Office of the CEO
“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves… defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
— Proverbs 31:8–9
“The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart...” — Psalm 34:18
“Let the little children come to Me...” — Matthew 19:14
“Bear one another’s burdens...” — Galatians 6:2
🕊️Final Declaration from SOAF
SOAF declares with unwavering clarity:
Child protection is not merely social reform—it is spiritual obedience.
Through research, advocacy, discipleship, and system-wide collaboration, We will not merely respond—we will restore.
“We do not retreat.
We advance the light.”
— Dr. Gregg Tyler Milligan