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 Children may manifest abuse via destructive or withdrawn behaviours, developmental delays, injuries or other health problems.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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Charting Brighter Futures: Utilizing Data for Accelerated Action to End Child Marriage

UNICEF, 21 Sep 2023

On 21st September 2023, the Governments of Canada and Zambia, in partnership with UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage and the Child Marriage Monitoring Mechanism, hosted a High-Level Side Event during the Seventy-Eighth Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The event was titled 'Charting Brighter Futures: Utilizing Data for Accelerated Action to End Child Marriage and Achieve SDG 5.3'.

On the Challenge of Historicizing Violence: Conflicts in State Redress for Historical Abuse of Children in Out-of-home Care

Johanna Sköld, 20 Aug 2023

This essay examines how child abuse and violence that occurred in the past have been conceptualised in one current redress process in an established democracy – the Swedish redress initiatives for historical abuse of children in out-of-home care.

The Right to Leave: Dissolution of Child, Early, and Forced Marriages and Unions

Chelsea L. Ricker, Seth Earn, Madhumita Das, Margaret E. Greene, 09 Aug 2023

This paper explores why the right to leave marriage matters, describes the obstacles to girls’ access to divorce and to protections after divorce or separation, and links these to the factors that drive child, early, and forced marriages and unions. The authors reviewed reports and evidence from countries in all regions of the world by drawing on a previous systematic scoping review and related research done by the authors.

Social Work's Colonial Past With Indigenous Children and Communities in Australia and Canada: A Cross-National Comparison

Nilan Yu, Marina Morgenshtern, Jeanette Schmid, 02 Aug 2023

This article offers a cross-national comparison of social work in two countries, Australia and Canada, about the care of Indigenous children within the context of colonization and the evolving profession.

10 Years of Counter Trafficking in Persons Act in Kenya 2010-2020: Achievements, Challenges and Opportunities

Awareness Against Human Trafficking (HAART), Leeds Becket University, 01 Jul 2023

This publication evaluates the progress of implementing the 2010 Counter Trafficking in Persons Act in Kenya from its inception until now (2010-2020).

Introducing Routine Assessment of Adverse Childhood Experiences For Looked-After Children: The Use and Properties of the Trauma and Adverse Life Events (TALE) Screening Tool

Asa Kerr-Davis, Saul Hillman, Katharine Anderson, Richard Cross , 28 Jun 2023

This UK-based paper presents evidence of the importance of screening looked-after children for Adverse Childhood Experiences and demonstrates that the Trauma and Adverse Life Events (TALE) is a valid and reliable tool for this purpose. Adverse and traumatic experiences were highly prevalent in this population and appeared to be closely related with children’s psychosocial wellbeing.

Vem Ska Tro På Mig?

World Childhood Foundation, 22 Mar 2023

Rapporten visar på omfattande sexuella övergrepp och kränkningar mot barn på svenska statliga ungdomshem – platser som är avsedda att vara trygga för unga med omfattande psykosocial problematik. Kunskapen om att barn utsätts för sexuella övergrepp på SiS har funnits länge. Bara förra året kom granskningar från Institutionen för vård och omsorg (IVO), Justitieombudsmannen (JO) och Statskontoret som alla visade på stora brister inklusive våld och sexuella övergrepp.

The Positive Impact of Prohibition of Corporal Punishment on Children’s Lives: Messages from Research

End Violence Against Children, 20 Mar 2023

This End Violence Against Children briefing paper summarises research showing reductions in the approval and use of corporal punishment in some countries which have reformed their laws to prohibit all corporal punishment.

Web Annex: WHO Guidelines on Parenting Interventions to Prevent Maltreatment and Enhance Parent–Child Relationships With Children Aged 0–17 Years (GRADE Evidence Profiles and Evidence to Decision Tables)

World Health Organization (WHO), 10 Feb 2023

This web annex forms part of the WHO guidelines on parenting interventions to prevent maltreatment and enhance parent–child relationships with children aged 0–17 years. As such, it should only ever be read in conjunction with the main guideline document that sets out in detail how the methodology in the WHO handbook for guideline development was applied here, along with the development process and the recommendations themselves.

WHO Guidelines on Parenting Interventions to Prevent Maltreatment and Enhance Parent–Child Relationships with Children Aged 0–17 Years

World Health Organization (WHO), 10 Feb 2023

These WHO guidelines provides evidence-based recommendations on parenting interventions for parents and caregivers of children aged 0–17 years that are designed to reduce child maltreatment and harsh parenting, enhance the parent–child relationship, and prevent poor mental health among parents and emotional and behavioural problems among children.