Nearly 1m UK young 'face violence'
As many as 963,000 children in the UK could be living with domestic violence, according to a new report.
They are among up to 275 million children across the world whose lives are blighted by physical, sexual and psychological attacks.
The startling figures were among the findings of a joint study on violence against children on every continent.
It found that between 240,000 and 963,000 children were exposed to domestic violence in the UK.
Those behind the report, Unicef, the United Nations and Body Shop International, said it was the first global effort to document the extent of such violence.
Dr Amaya Gillespie, Director of the Secretariat of the United Nations Secretary General's Study on Violence Against Children, said more work still needs to be done.
She said: "We are just beginning to develop a clearer global picture of the problem and are in a position to call for action by governments and communities to stop the exposure of children to domestic violence."
The report, Behind Closed Doors: The Impact of Domestic Violence on Children, also revealed:
As many as one in 14 children in the UK may receive poor exam results because of the effects of domestic violence in their homes.
Young people who grow up with violence are more likely to be abused themselves and may suffer some of the same behavioural problems as direct victims.
