11 Facts About Human Rights Violations

Welcome to DoSomething.org, a global movement of millions of young people making positive change, online and off! The 11 facts you want are below, and the sources for the facts are at the very bottom of the page. After you learn something, Do Something! Find out how to take action here.

1. Up to 1 billion children aged 2–17 years have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence or neglect in the past year. Source
2. Every city with a population greater than 250,000 reports gang activity. Source
3. Approximately 27 million people are currently enslaved in the human trafficking trade around the world. Source
4. More than 300,000 children under the age of 18 are being exploited as child soldiers in armed conflicts worldwide. Source
5. Even though 2/3 of the world has abolished the death penalty, thousands were knowingly executed in 2022 alone, with 91% of these penalties occurring in China, Iran, Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, and the U.S. Source
6. Millions of people are displaced in regions like Darfur where ethnic cleansing and violent conflict occurs. The displaced are forced to rely on humanitarian relief. Humanitarian workers are often kidnapped and attacked, and relief trucks are looted.
7. Several governments monitor their citizens’ Internet use and have censored or imprisoned them for freely expressing opinions online. People in China have been arrested and charged for using the Internet as a tool to spread human rights information. Source
8. Armed conflict has killed hundreds of thousands of children, disabled 4 to 5 million, left 12 million homeless, and orphaned more than 1 million in the past decade. Source
9. There are approximately 160 million child laborers worldwide. Source
10. Protestors of repressive governments across the Middle East and North Africa have been killed, beaten, and arrested by police in the streets for voicing their opinions on reforms.
11. Throughout history, women have been denied the knowledge, means, and freedom to act in the best interest of themselves and their children. Source