How violence and adversity undermine human development

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and violence negatively impact human development in South Africa. Drawing on the Birth to Thirty (Bt30) cohort study, it argues that childhood adversity creates a cumulative risk that undermines health, education, and economic productivity in adulthood, thereby hindering national development.

• The Birth to Thirty (Bt30) cohort study reveals a high prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in South Africa, with 87% of children in the sample exposed to four or more ACEs. By age 18, only 9% of the sample had not experienced a single assessed ACE.
• ACEs are most frequent during the formative early years of life, specifically before age 11. While young children are primarily exposed to household and community-level stressors like chronic unemployment and substance abuse, adolescents experience a shift toward increased exposure to physical abuse, sexual abuse, and intimate partner violence.
• There is a strong correlation between the number of ACEs experienced in childhood and poor outcomes in young adulthood. Increased adversity leads to a higher risk of negative physical health, mental health, and social outcomes, including unemployment and incomplete schooling.
• Violence-related ACEs have a more severe aggravating effect on adult outcomes than household dysfunction ACEs. Violence independently increases the likelihood of an individual dropping out of school, remaining unemployed, and experiencing social isolation.
• Violence impacts human development intergenerationally, starting before birth. Prenatal marital stress linked to partner violence is associated with behavioral problems in children at age two, while exposure to community danger and intimate partner violence at age six is linked to anxiety, depression, and aggression.
• South Africa's human development progress has lagged relative to other countries despite gains since 1990. A child born in South Africa today is estimated to reach only 43% of their potential productivity as an adult due to deficits in health and education.

APA

Naicker, S. (2022). How violence and adversity undermine human development. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-174.pdf

Chicago

Naicker, Sara. How violence and adversity undermine human development. Institute for Security Studies, 2022. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-174.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Naicker |first1=Sara |title=How violence and adversity undermine human development |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=2022 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-174.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naicker2022how, author = {Naicker, Sara}, title = {{How violence and adversity undermine human development}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2022}, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/pb-174.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }