Child Abuse and Neglect

Child abuse includes all forms of physical and emotional mistreatment, sexual abuse, and neglect of a child’s basic needs, which results in actual or potential harm to a child’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Exploitation of children is also a form of abuse and includes trafficking for sexual or economic purposes, and recruitment of children into armed forces.

An abused child may experience many forms of mistreatment in any one incident or over time; for example, emotional harm is a pervading factor in all types of abuse. The abuser may be a family member, a stranger, another child, or someone responsible for a child's well-being, such as a teacher or caretaker.

Children in every society are vulnerable to abuse, gender based violence, and exploitation, however children without parental care and those in high risk environments such as conflict areas, refugee camps, on the street, or in institutions, are particularly exposed to violence, denial of their basic human rights, and deprivation. All abuse has its origins in power imbalance and therefore is typically associated with fear, secrecy, and control. This makes identifying and speaking out about abuse very difficult for children, family members, the community and social services, particularly when it is committed within the privacy of the home.

Child abuse can cause physical and psychosocial problems, including HIV/AIDS infection, and is particularly damaging when repeated over a period of time. Children may manifest abuse via destructive or withdrawn behaviours, developmental delays, injuries or other health problems. The effects of abuse will vary from child to child and depend on the source, type and extent of the abuse, the child’s developmental stage and their disposition or resilience.

The process of identifying and responding to abuse requires skilled interventions in order to prevent further harm to the child, and will typically include police, medical, psychological, and social services in order to address the safety, physical, and emotional needs of the affected children. Any care plan must be in the best interests of the child and protect them and their siblings from harm. This will include consideration of the additional risks of abuse that are present for children in institutions and care placements. Such closed environments are extremely susceptible to abuse since they are frequently isolated, insufficiently regulated, and lacking in adequate supervision and safe reporting procedures. It is the role of social services to screen and monitor all child placements, including institutional, kinship, and foster care, to ensure the child’s safety and well-being.

It is the responsibility of the whole community to protect its children. Education and community awareness for children and adults on the risks, signs of abuse, and responses is vital for children without parental care and those in high risk situations, such as during a conflict or displacement when sexual violence, exploitation, and recruitment into armed forces are prevalent.

The literature in this section describes the types of abuse in more detail, including gender based violence, and provides example child protection procedures, policy papers, and other intervention tools.

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Childhood Trauma, the Brain and the Social World: A Short Guide About the Importance of Social Relationships for Mental Health

Eamon McCrory, 12 Jul 2022

This guide aims to share some of the latest research findings with those who are working every day to support children who have experienced complex trauma in the form of maltreatment.

Young Care Leavers on Voluntourism and Institution-Related Trafficking: Myths vs. Reality

Lumos, KESCA, 06 Jul 2022

Produced with KESCA, ‘Myths vs Reality’ highlights some of the key misconceptions associated with voluntourism, including how this could unintentionally support institution-related trafficking.

Global Conference on Child Labour: The Central Role of Social Protection in Tackling Child Labour

5th Global Conference on Child Labour, 18 May 2022

This session on the central role of social protection in tackling child labour took place as part of the 5th Global Conference on Child Labour in Durban, South Africa, on May 18, 2022.

Preventing Human Trafficking of Refugees from Ukraine: A Rapid Assessment of Risks and Gaps in the Anti-Trafficking Response

Suzanne Hoff, Eefje de Volder, 10 May 2022

This report aims to provide a rapid assessment of the risks of trafficking and exploitation created by the war in Ukraine and the gaps in the current anti-trafficking response, in order to identify what needs to be done now to reduce and prevent trafficking before it is too late. This rapid assessment is based on desktop research; interviews/discussions with organisations, experts and participants in the anti-trafficking response including volunteers, translators, refugees, and displaced people; and a field visit to Poland.

Left Behind in the War: Dangers Facing Children with Disabilities In Ukraine’s Orphanages

Disability Rights International, 05 May 2022

Disability Rights International (DRI) published these recommendations in response to a visit to Ukraine’s institutions for children with disabilities in late April 2022. DRI visited three facilities for children aged six to adult, and one “baby” home for children from birth to age six.

DRI found that Ukraine’s children with disabilities with the greatest support needs are living in atrocious conditions – entirely overlooked by major international relief agencies and receiving little support from abroad.

Thresholds for Intervention in Child Neglect by Ordinary Citizens: Implications for Measuring Informal Social Control of Child Neglect

Alhassan Abdullah, 13 Apr 2022

This article explores neighbour protective intervention (protective informal social control) in child neglect. It draws on narrative interviews with seventeen female parents from seven settlements in Ghana.

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One Year Into COVID-19: What have we learned about child maltreatment reports and child protective service responses?

Ilan Katz, Sidnei Priolo-Filho, Carmit Katz et al, 31 Dec 2021

This study is part of a larger initiative using an international platform to examine child maltreatment (CM) reports and child protective service (CPS) responses in various countries. The first data collection, which included a comparison between eight countries after the pandemic's first wave (March–June 2020), illustrated a worrisome picture regarding children's wellbeing. The current study presents the second wave of data across 12 regions via population data (Australia [New South Wales], Brazil, United States [California, Pennsylvania], Colombia, England, Germany, Israel, Japan, Canada [Ontario, Quebec], South Africa).

Child Abandonment and the Question of Child Rights: a study of Skolombo boys and Lakasara girls of Calabar, cross rivers state, Nigeria

Adekunle Alaye, 30 Dec 2021

This study examined the reasons for the pervasiveness of the practice of child abandonment, using the “Skolombo Boys and Lakasara Girls’’ in Calabar, the state capital of Cross River State, Nigeria, as the analytical context.

Cycles of Exploitation: The Links Between Children's Institutions and Human Trafficking

Emiel Coltof and Abigail Munroe, 13 Dec 2021

This Global Thematic Review examines the growing evidence of the links between the institutionalisation of children and human trafficking. It highlights how the relationship between the two compounds the harmful nature of both phenomena and offers insight into the global response needed.

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Evaluation of the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Reporting of Maltreatment Cases to the National Family Safety Program in Saudi Arabia

Shuliweeh Alenezi, Mahdi Alnamnakani, Mohamad-Hani Temsah, Rozan Murshid, Fahad Alfahad, Haitham Alqurashi, Hana Alonazy, Mohamad Alothman, Majid A. Aleissa, 14 Nov 2021

This report found that the types of abuse and the characteristics of both abused children and offenders in Saudi Arabia saw significant changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sexual and emotional abuses were reported more frequently, and the male gender is considered to feature more commonly in reports prior to the pandemic era than during the pandemic.