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 Children may manifest abuse via destructive or withdrawn behaviours, developmental delays, injuries or other health problems.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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Neighborhood inequality in the prevalence of reported and substantiated child maltreatment

Kelley Fong - Child Abuse & Neglect, 30 Jan 2019

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of Child Protective Services (CPS) reports during early childhood and substantiated investigations during childhood for children living in different types of neighborhoods.

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Webinar: Care for Boys Affected by Sexual Violence

Omattie Madray and Zenainda Rosales - RISE América Latina, 29 Jan 2019

In this webinar presented by RISE Learning Network, Omattie Madray and Zenainda Rosales presented an extensive study recently carried out which analyzed over 100 documents and conducted over 20 interviews to gain insights on practices of organizations supporting and caring for boys affected by sexual violence in their recovery process.

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Comparison of Institutionally Reared and Maltreated Children on Socioemotional and Biological Functioning

Nicole B. Perry, Carrie E. DePasquale, Philip H. Fisher, Megan R. Gunnar - Child Maltreatment, 27 Jan 2019

The current study compared behavioral and adrenocortical functioning of maltreated and comparably aged (1.5–3 years) institutionally-reared children soon after (1.5–2.5 months) placement in foster care or adoptive homes, respectively.

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Child Neglect and the Broader Context of Child Victimization

Heather A. Turner, Jennifer Vanderminden, David Finkelhor, Sherry Hamby - Child Maltreatment, 27 Jan 2019

Using a pooled data set of two waves of the National Surveys of Children’s Exposure to Violence, this study investigates links between indicators of socioeconomic resources and lifetime exposure to two different forms of child neglect (physical and supervisory), examines how neglect is associated with the risk of other types of victimization, and estimates the impact of neglect on trauma symptoms.

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Child Maltreatment, Chronic Pain, and Other Chronic Health Conditions in Youth in Foster Care

Lindsay Huffhines & Yo Jackson - Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 23 Jan 2019

The goals of this study were 1) to examine this relation in youth placed in foster care with high levels of maltreatment exposure, and 2) to investigate the relation between maltreatment frequency and acute pain, and maltreatment frequency and general chronic health condition.

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A Study on the Mother Education Program for the Prevention of Child Neglect

Utku Beyazit, Aynur Bütün Ayhan - Psychological Reports, 22 Jan 2019

In the present research, the aim was to develop, implement, and examine the effectiveness of an education program for mothers for the prevention of child neglect.

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Empowering children with disabilities for the enjoyment of their human rights, including through inclusive education: Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights , 22 Jan 2019

In the present report, submitted pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 37/20, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights provides an overview of the legal framework and practical measures to empower children with disabilities.

Protocol for a cluster randomised controlled trial evaluating a parenting with home visitation programme to prevent physical and emotional abuse of children in Indonesia: the Families First Programme

Mónica Ruiz-Casares, Sarah Lilley, Brett D Thombs, Robert William Platt, Susan Scott, Widjajanti Isdijoso, Emmy Hermanus, Michelle Andrina, Nancy Mayo - BMJ Open, 15 Jan 2019

The Families First Programme, an adaptation of the Positive Discipline in Everyday Parenting Programme to the West Java context, is a parenting support programme anchored on children’s rights that gives parents guidance on child development, parenting and positive discipline practices. This trial will evaluate the effectiveness of the Families First Programme compared with a waitlist control group.

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A Framework for Child Well-Being in the Gulf Countries

Jennifer E. Lansford, Anis Ben Brik, Heba Al Fara - Child Indicators Research, 15 Jan 2019

This article provides a review of indicators of child well-being in the six Gulf countries (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), focusing on well-being in six domains: physical health, behavioral adjustment, psychological well-being, social relationships, safety, and cognitive well-being. The article highlights children's participation in decisions affecting their lives, relationships with parents and caregivers, and protection from abuse and neglect, among other indicators.

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Cumulative harm in the child protection system: The Australian context

Rosemary Sheehan - Child & Family Social Work, 15 Jan 2019

This systematic literature review examines how the construct of cumulative harm is understood and operationalized within current Australian child protection legislation, policy, and practice and situates this within an international context.

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