Violence Against Children Surveys

Discover how CDC is protecting the futures of children all around the world with the Violence Against Children Surveys.

The Violence Against Children Surveys (VACS) are nationally representative household surveys of children and young adults ages 13 to 24 years.

The surveys are designed to measure the prevalence (number and percentage) and circumstances surrounding emotional, physical, and sexual violence against males and females in childhood (before age 18) and young adulthood. The surveys also identify risk and protective factors and consequences of violence.

CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention works to prevent violence and the negative effects it has on people’s health and well-being. Findings from VACS provide reliable evidence to allow countries to make better decisions about allocating limited resources to develop, launch, and evaluate violence prevention programs and child protection systems. As part of the VACS process, CDC with Together for Girls partners, applied VACS findings to create the INSPIRE technical package.