The Pan American Health Organization has launched the ANIMA-AA Kit, a practical toolkit designed to help health care workers identify, respond to, and support children and adolescents affected by violence. The initiative aims to strengthen frontline health services across the Americas, where violence against children and adolescents remains a serious public health concern.
The toolkit places particular attention on sexual violence, which disproportionately affects girls and has severe consequences for physical, mental, social, and reproductive health. According to PAHO and WHO estimates, 1 in 5 adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 experience physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner, while UNICEF data shows that 1 in 6 girls experience sexual violence before the age of 18.
PAHO developed the ANIMA-AA Kit with support from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation to address a critical gap in health systems. Health workers are often the first point of contact for survivors, but many lack the training, confidence, and practical tools needed to provide timely, compassionate, and appropriate care.
The toolkit offers concise and easy-to-use guidance for everyday clinical practice, especially in primary care and emergency settings. It promotes a survivor-centered approach that helps health professionals listen attentively, respond without judgment, identify urgent needs, improve safety, offer support, create child-friendly spaces, and guide caregivers who are not perpetrators of violence.
PAHO emphasized that health services can play a turning point role in the lives of children and adolescents experiencing violence. A timely and empathetic response can help prevent further harm, support recovery, and connect survivors with protection and care.
The development of the toolkit included input from adolescents and young people across the region. Their views were gathered through workshops in Argentina, Bolivia, and Honduras, as well as a regional dialogue involving youth representatives, health sector actors, and other stakeholders in collaboration with PAHO’s Youth for Health group.
PAHO is urging countries, health institutions, and partners to adopt the ANIMA-AA approach and invest in training and systems that enable health workers to deliver high-quality, survivor-centered care. The initiative seeks to improve early identification, strengthen protection, and advance the rights and well-being of children and adolescents across the Americas.
