September 15, 2025

Tackling violence against children: a silent emergency

The AXA Foundation for Human Progress launches an international call for projects.

2 minutes

Every year, millions of children around the world are the invisible victims of physical, psychological, or sexual violence*.

To address this global crisis, the AXA Foundation for Human Progress is launching a bold new program with a €10 million commitment over three years. The initiative aims to strengthen prevention, early detection, support, and long-term recovery for children at risk. In its first year, the program will focus on France, Spain, and Colombia.

According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 2 children globally - more than 1 billion - has experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence*. Each year, 40,000 children are killed, often in domestic settings*. In France, 50,000 children suffer sexual abuse every year**, and one child dies every five days due to family violence***.

The consequences for affected children are devastating, with lasting impacts on their health, education, and future.

Together, we must act now - to protect children, to heal trauma, and to build a better tomorrow.

Since 2023, AXA has strengthened its commitment to child protection, building on its longstanding efforts to combat violence against women. This new program, led by the AXA Foundation for Human Progress, fully aligns with the Group’s purpose: Acting for human progress by protecting what matters. Its mission is clear: to ensure every child can grow up in safety, with trust and dignity.

This first call for projects will prioritize two critical issues:

Violence: Physical, sexual, and psychological abuse
Exploitation: Economic exploitation, sexual abuse, forced marriage, and involvement in armed conflict

Projects must fall within at least one of the following areas:

Prevention
Detection and support
Advocacy

Eligibility & Evaluation Criteria

The foundation will support innovative initiatives led by NGOs, associations, or foundations. Projects will be assessed based on:

Originality / innovative nature of the project
Prevention, early detection, concrete actions or advocacy as priority components of the project
Usefulness and relevance of the project in relation to the issue
Demonstrated impact of the project and ability to explain expected outcomes
Methodological quality and expertise of the organization
Methodological excellence of the project
Feasibility of the project implementation
Adequacy of the planned resources
Ability to engage AXA employees in the framework of the project