After receiving a number of emails about Unicef UK’s campaign to end violence against children throughout the world, High Peak Liberal Democrat PPC Stephen Worrall gives his views.

I was shocked to learn that every 5 minutes a child dies as result of violence, I felt the problem was a very serious one but I did not quite realise the full scale of it. The toleration of this horror has gone on too long.

Having raised the issue with Nick Clegg, specifically mentioning the potential for the new UN Sustainable Development Goals to include a robust target to end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children, I am pleased that my party has committed to supporting a global target to end violence against children in the new global development goals being agreed at the UN in September.

Childen’s safety is not an issue to play politics with and all parties should commit to ending violence against children, or at least in the short term to significantly reducing it, so that we can begin to make sure every child grows up safe.