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 Children may manifest abuse via destructive or withdrawn behaviours, developmental delays, injuries or other health problems.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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Prevalence of Girl and Boy Child Marriage Across States and Union Territories in India, 1993–2021: a Repeated Cross-Sectional Study

Jewel Gausman, Rockli Kim, Akhil Kumar, Shamika Ravi, S V Subramanian, 15 Dec 2023

In this study, the authors aim to present a systematic description of the trends in child marriage in girls and boys aged 20–24 years in India and its 36 states and Union Territories between 1993 and 2021.

Parental Absence as an Adverse Childhood Experience Among Young Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa

Francis B. Annor, Ermias W. Amene, Liping Zhu, Caroline Stamatakis, Viani Picchetti, Sarah Matthews, Stephanie S. Miedema, Colvette Brown, Viva C. Thorsen, Pedro Manuel, Leah K. Gilbert, Caroline Kambona, Rachel Coomer, Joseph Trika, et al, 22 Nov 2023

The objectives of this study were to examine (1) the associations between parental absence for six months or more, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), mental health problems, and substance use among young adults in sub-Saharan Africa, (2) whether parental absence and other ACEs are independently associated with mental health outcomes and substance use, (3) and if parental absence explains additional variance above and beyond those explained by other ACEs.

Child Abuse and Neglect - The International Journal

Prevalence of violence against children in the United Kingdom: A systematic review and meta-analysis

07 Nov 2023

There is currently little consensus in the United Kingdom around the prevalence of violence against children: maltreatment, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, bullying, and community violence, and most existing studies focus on only a single or a few forms of violence. This study aims to produce data to highlight the current magnitude of the problem in the UK, to inform policy, drive action and allow for monitoring of progress over time.

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.