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 Children may manifest abuse via destructive or withdrawn behaviours, developmental delays, injuries or other health problems.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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Child maltreatment: Understanding national and state-level trends

Child Trends, 01 Mar 2016

Child Trends recently released three sets of child welfare fact sheets detailing child maltreatment, foster care, and adoption statistics from the United States for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2013. Each set of 52 fact sheets uses state and national data to tell a story about the U.S.'s most vulnerable children and youth, a story that varies dramatically by state.

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‘I want to be better than you:’ lived experiences of intergenerational child maltreatment prevention among teenage mothers in and beyond foster care

Elizabeth M. Aparicio - Child & Family Social Work, 04 Feb 2016

This study focused on a particular dimension of teenage motherhood in foster care: participants' efforts to break the cycle of child abuse and neglect with their own children.

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‘I want to be better than you:’ lived experiences of intergenerational child maltreatment prevention among teenage mothers in and beyond foster care

Elizabeth M. Aparicio, 04 Feb 2016

The current study employed interpretative phenomenological analysis to explore 18 in-depth, qualitative interviews from six participants on the meaning and experience of motherhood among teenage mothers in the United States in foster care in the and in the years immediately after ageing out.

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The Landscape of UK Child Protection Research 2010 to 2014: A Mapping Review of Substantive Topics, Maltreatment Types and Research Designs

Jones, C., Taylor, J., MacKay, K., Soliman, F., Clayton, E., Gadda, A. M., Anderson, A., and Jones, D., 03 Feb 2016

This paper reports selected results from a mapping review of research conducted in the UK and published between January 2010 and December 2014. The purpose of the review was twofold: to develop a typology of child protection research; and to use this typology to describe the features and patterns of empirical research undertaken recently in the UK in order to inform a future research agenda.

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Letting the Future In: a therapeutic intervention for children affected by sexual abuse and their carers - An evaluation of impact and implementation

John Carpenter, Tricia Jessiman and Demi Patsios - University of Bristol; Simon Hackett and Josephine Phillips - Durham University, 01 Feb 2016

This independent report, from University of Bristol and Durham University, draws on information from the largest randomised controlled trial of a service for children affected by sexual abuse.

Country Care Review: Maldives

Better Care Network, 29 Jan 2016

This country care review includes the care-related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child.

Global Prevalence of Past-year Violence Against Children: A Systematic Review and Minimum Estimates

Susan Hillis, James Mercy, Adaugo Amobi, Howard Kress, 25 Jan 2016

The CDC released a groundbreaking report that estimates the global burden of violence against children under 18 for each region of the world. This report is entitled “Global Prevalence of Past-Year Violence Against Children: A Systematic Review and Minimum Estimates,” and it combines data from 38 reports covering 96 countries.

End Violence Against Children Now

Save the Children, 2016

This booklet is based on a recent internal desk review of Save the Children’s and partners’ work against physical and humiliating punishment of children, commissioned by Save the Children Sweden. It aims to present best practices, to show what methods have worked around the world, and to spread knowledge about results achieved and lessons learned when it comes to law reform and positive discipline.

Child Protection: UNICEF Country Programme 2016-2018

UNICEF Cambodia, 2016

This brief from UNICEF Cambodia describes UNICEF's plans and programs regarding child protection.

Towards an Effective System for Child Protection and Prevention of Violence against Children in South America

Akemi Kamimura, Vanessa Orban Aragão Santos and Paula R. Ballesteros - Brill, 2016

This chapter from the book The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child: Taking Stock after 25 Years and Looking Ahead, presents the legal framework and public policies that address violence against children in ten South American countries.

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