Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

ACEs disrupt a child’s emotional, social, and cognitive development. When we fail to protect our children from harm or effectively treat children who have suffered harm, we condemn them to a life of continued abuse, hardship, poor health, incarceration, and early death.

• Children with at least 2 ACEs are 4 to 12 times more likely to suffer from alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, and suicide attempts
• Children with at least 5 ACEs are 8.3 times more likely to experience sexual violence as an adult
• Approximately 90% of children in the juvenile justice system have at least 2 ACEs
• Approximately 27% of boys and 45% of girls in the juvenile justice system have at least 5 ACEs
• For more information or to share with others, please view our ACEs Facts Sheet.

By addressing ACEs with an inter-sectional human rights lens, Human Rights for Kids reduces negative life outcomes for children. Human Rights for Kids works on a systems level to disrupt the occurrence and impact of ACEs.

Every system that impacts our children must be examined, held accountable and improved. Only by addressing these issues together can we mitigate the impact of ACEs and ensure that every child has the ability to reach their full potential and lead long, healthy, and productive lives.