Webinar Lunchtime Series: Ending Child Maltreatment
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Childhood maltreatment is the world’s costliest and least discussed public health problem. It is perhaps the principal preventable cause of mental illness, addiction, criminality and violence and a major risk factor for worse life outcomes in health, education and human relationships. At a conservative estimate, violence against children costs 8% of Global GDP, though probably much more.
We are the first generation in history to know the causes and the costs of child trauma, but also to have clear solutions that are scale-able for a fraction of the cost of inaction. In the 1980s The Child Survival Revolution increased global vaccine coverage from 15% to 80% of the world’s children which, along with other focussed interventions led to a 61% reduction in child mortality. Millions of children live each year, who otherwise wouldn’t. Has the time come for a Child Development/Protection Revolution to eradicate child maltreatment. How we can generate more attention and belief that change is possible and what should be the priority interventions to take to scale?
Bio
Benjamin Perks is the Head of Campaigns and Advocacy in the Division of Global Communications and Advocacy at the United Nations Children’s Fund, based in New York. He leads public and policy advocacy on the development and protection of children.
He previously served in human rights diplomacy roles as the UNICEF Representative and UN Resident Coordinator and interim to both the Republic of North Macedonia and the Republic of Montenegro. In both capacities he advocated for reforms to fulfill international human rights commitments and realization of the Sustainable Development Goals.
He has served in Georgia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, India and Albania. He coordinated the Back-to-School campaign in the Northern Afghanistan which brought 3 million children, including 1 million girls, into school-most of them for the first times in their lives. He has led work on demobilization of child soldiers, deinstitutionalization of children in state care, addressing child poverty, pre-school expansion and disability inclusion.
Ben is Senior Fellow at the Jubilee Centre at the University of Birmingham in the UK, which researches education policy on character, social and emotional development of children and an Associate Faculty Member at Oxford University Department of Social Policy and Innovation. He is recognized as a public speaker and campaigner on child development and protection. His book Trauma Proof: Healing, Attachment and the Science of Prevention is out in the UK now and in the US in April 2025. His TedX talk on Adverse Childhood Experiences can be found here and a recent commentary in Nature Journal here.
(Benjamin will be presenting online)
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