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 Children may manifest abuse via destructive or withdrawn behaviours, developmental delays, injuries or other health problems.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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Ending Violence Against Children: Six Strategies for Action

UNICEF, 01 Sep 2014

This report is aimed at outlining strategies for preventing and responding to violence in the lives of children. The report is intended for policy-makers and decision-makers who can carry out these strategies.

TED Talk: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime

TED: Nadine Burke Harris, 01 Sep 2014

In this TED talk, pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris explains how childhood trauma--such as abuse, neglect and parents struggling with mental health or substance abuse--has real, tangible effects on the development of the child's brain. Children who have experienced high levels of trauma and adverse childhood experiences are at triple the risk for heart disease and lung cancer. This is because of the body's stress response system, which is activated repeatedly during childhood by the adversity.

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What neuroscience and social science tell us about the effect of care environments on children

Dr. Kathryn Whetten & Dr. Charles Nelson, Christian Alliance for Orphans, 24 Aug 2014

This video features a segment of a talk on the effects of care environments on children, hosted by the Christian Alliance for Orphans. The key speakers featured include Dr. Kathryn Whetten & Dr. Charles Nelson, who discuss the Positive Outcomes for Orphans study (POFO) and the Bucharest Early Intervention Project (BEIP), respectively.

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Parent and Child Reporting of Corporal Punishment: New Evidence from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study

William Schneider & Michael MacKenzie & Jane Waldfogel & Jeanne Brooks-Gunn , 02 Aug 2014

This paper provides new evidence on parent and child reporting of corporal punishment, drawing on data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a birth cohort study of families in 20 medium to large US cities.

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Prevention of Violence, Abuse and Neglect in Early Childhood: A Review of the Literature on Research, Policy and Practice

Roy Evans, Philip Garner and Alice S. Honig , 01 Aug 2014

This literature review highlights the practices, policies and research on violence and abuse prevention in early childhood. it is guided by a socio-ecological model of contexts, participants and interactional complexity.

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Comparative Study on Punishment and Preventive Methods of Baby Dumping: Malaysian Perspectives

Mazbah Termizi, Nurhidayah Abdullah, Noor Ismawati Mohd Jaafar, Mariam Saidona Tagaranao, Yasmin Hanani Mohd Safian - International Journal of Technical Research and Applications, 01 Aug 2014

Analyzing Malaysian and international practices in regards to “baby-dumping,” the authors of this research article are raising awareness of the punitive approach of the criminal justice system in handling baby dumping cases in Malaysia and other countries, as well as the limited, although important, prevention opportunities.

Conclusions and Recommendations from the Cross Regional Meeting for Advancing the Protection of Children from Violence

Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Violence against Children, 01 Jul 2014

Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children, (SRSG on VAC), Marta Santos Pais, promoted a Cross-Regional Round Table on the prevention of violence in early childhood with representatives from several regional organisations.

Country Care Review: Saint Lucia

Better Care Network, 13 Jun 2014

This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of its examination of the second to fourth periodic reports of Saint Lucia (CRC/C/LCA/2-4) during its 65th Session at its 1892nd and 1893rd meetings held on 6 June 2014, and adopted, at its 1901st meeting, held on 13 June 2014.

Prevalence of Childhood Physical Abuse in Albania

Gentiana Qirjako, Genc Burazeri and Erka Amursi , 01 Jun 2014

This study described the magnitude of physical abuse during childhood in a representative sample of young adults selected from public universities in Albania, and to identify relationship between socioeconomic characteristics and behavioural/lifestyle factors associated with adverse childhood experiences.

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Complex Trauma: Facts for Caregivers

National Child Traumatic Stress Network , 01 Jun 2014

This factsheet from the US National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides useful information to parents and caregivers of children who have experienced complex trauma.