Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS) in Ethiopia

The 2024 Violence Against Children and Youth Survey in Refugee Settings in Ethiopia was conducted by the Baobab Research Programme Consortium in collaboration with the Refugees and Returnees Service; the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Regional Bureau for the East and Horn Africa and the Great Lakes Region; and UNHCR Ethiopia and its implementing partners. The overall aim of the research was to generate evidence on the extent, consequences and implications of violence against children (VAC) in refugee settings in Ethiopia in order to inform strategies to identify, prevent and respond to VAC in such settings. The specific objectives of the research were to: (i) determine the prevalence of physical, emotional and sexual violence against children in refugee settings in the country; (ii) identify the risk and protective factors for physical, emotional and sexual violence against children in refugee settings in the country; (iii) determine the health and social consequences associated with violence against children in refugee settings in the country; (iv) determine the level of knowledge and utilization of medical, psychosocial, legal, and protective services available for children who have experienced sexual, emotional and physical violence in refugee settings in the country; and (v) make recommendations to relevant government and non-governmental organizations on developing, improving and enhancing prevention and response strategies to address violence against children in refugee settings. The study was a cross-sectional representative household survey conducted in 20 out of 23 refugee camps in Ethiopia. Data collection involved structured face-to-face interviews with 1,937 female and 1,536 male adolescents and youth aged 13-24 years living in the refugee camps.