UNICEF is developing indicators to measure the compliance of signatory states with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989. This article explains the role of international indicators in relation to the reporting process integral to the Convention. It then discusses the possibility of developing an indicator to measure child maltreatment globally. Practical and definitional obstacles are considered and measures suggested by other authors, including the rate of child homicide, are critically considered. The article concludes that at present there is no valid measure that allows child maltreatment to be measured globally but that a number of positive steps can be taken to promote awareness and measurement of child maltreatment internationally and these are discussed.