The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is concerned about the large number of child-abuse cases and the low level of reporting them in Colombia, a UN official said on Monday.
Paul Martin, UNICEF representative in Colombia, said at an event marking World Child Abuse Prevention Day that child abuse is "probably the largest public health epidemic" in the country.
At least two million children suffer abuse in Colombia, mostly at the hands of their parents or close relatives, but only between two and five percent of these cases come to light, Martin said.
Speaking at the same event, Ricardo Camacho from the Afecto Foundation, which fights for children's rights, said that Colombia faces a "huge child abuse phenomenon," and 85 percent of abused children are little girls.
Children from Colombia's poorest areas and those displaced by armed groups are most likely to suffer abuse whether it is through sex, violence or overwork, Camacho said.
However, progress has been made to promote the recognition of children's rights in Colombia and various institutions have committed themselves to protecting children from being abused, the UNICEF representative said.
Source: Xinhua
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