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 Children may manifest abuse via destructive or withdrawn behaviours, developmental delays, injuries or other health problems.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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Compendium of promising practices to ensure that children under the age of three grow up in a safe and supportive family environment

UNICEF, 01 May 2015

This Compendium is a compilation of the most encouraging initiatives in the area of prevention of child abandonment and relinquishment that have been implemented and tested in the CEE/CIS region.

No Way Home: The Exploitation and Abuse of Children in Ukraine’s Orphanages

Eric Mathews, Eric Rosenthal, Laurie Ahern, Halyna Kurylo - Disability Rights International , 16 Apr 2015

This report is a product of a three-year investigation by Disability Rights International (DRI) into the abuses experienced by children - both with and without disabilities - in large-scale institutions, psychiatric facilities, and boarding schools in Ukraine, of whom there are nearly 100,000, according to the report.

USAID/Uganda OVC Portfolio Review

4Children, 02 Apr 2015

This portfolio review of OVC programming in Uganda focuses on several priority issues, including: (1) targeting case management and referral mechanisms; (2) graduation; (3) links with HIV/AIDS care and treatment partners; and (4) overall coordination amongst implementing partners.

The Effects of Relatedness, Age and Orphan Status on Child Discipline

Annie Edwards & Jini Roby - Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive - Family, Home, and Social Sciences, 31 Mar 2015

This one-page presentation outlines the research questions, data, methods, results, literature review, discussion and implications of a study that looked at the effects of a child’s relationship to head of household, age, and orphan status on the severity of discipline they receive in Ghana, Iraq, Costa Rica, Vietnam,and Ukraine.

Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment: children deprived of their liberty

Juan Mendez, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment , 05 Mar 2015

This Report by Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez, to the UN Human Rights Council focuses on children deprived of their liberty from the perspective of the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. It addresses the situation of children in institutions, and in particular their torture and ill-treament.

A population-level and longitudinal study of adolescent mothers and intergenerational maltreatment

Emily Putnam-Hornstein, Julie A. Cederbaum, Bryn King, Andrea L. Eastman and Penelope K. Trickett - American Journal of Epidemiology, 03 Mar 2015

The researchers in this study generated population-level estimates of the relationship between maternal history of maltreatment and next-generation abuse and neglect in teenage mothers in California, USA.

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Deaf and Disabled Children Talking About Child Protection

Julie Taylor, Audrey Cameron, Christine Jones, Anita Franklin, Kirsten Stalker, Deborah Fry - University of Edinburgh/NSPCC , 01 Mar 2015

This report summarises the findings of original research commissioned by the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) in the UK carried out by the University of Edinburgh/NSPCC Child Protection Research Centre to address a significant gap in current understandings of deaf and disabled children and young people's experiences of the child protection system.

Prevent and Protect: Linking the HIV and Child Protection Responses to Keep Children Safe, Happy, and Resilient

Siân Long and Kelley Bunkers - UNICEF and World Vision International, 01 Mar 2015

This report from UNICEF and World Vision International documents country level approaches that respond to HIV and child protection challenges facing children and adolescents by linking both those responses.

Beyond CPS: Developing an Effective System for Helping Children in “Neglectful” Families

Michael S. Wald - Child Abuse & Neglect 41 (2015) , 11 Feb 2015

In this article, the author addresses the topic of child neglect, or allegations thereof, as it relates to children and families in the Child Welfare System in the United States.

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“The love that I was missing”: Exploring the lived experience of motherhood among teen mothers in foster care

Elizabeth Aparicioa, Edward V. Pecukonisa, Shalita O'Nealeb - Children and Youth Services Review, 10 Feb 2015

The present study employed Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore the experiences and meaning of motherhood among teen mothers in foster care in the United States.

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