Forty million children below the age of 12 suffer from abuse and neglect.
In some countries, up to 40 per cent of children report being beaten by their parents.
More than 5.7 million children are involved in work, including the virtual slavery of bonded labour.
An estimated 1.2 million children are victims of trafficking in human beings, according to UNICEF statistics, and some 300,000 are fighting as child soldiers in 30 armed conflicts all over the world.
Source: European Commission
