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 Children may manifest abuse via destructive or withdrawn behaviours, developmental delays, injuries or other health problems.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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Maltreatment experiences and associated factors prior to admission to residential care: A sample of institutionalized children and youth in western Kenya

Morantz G, Cole DC, Ayaya S, Ayuku D, Braitstein P., 03 Jan 2013

This study aims to determine the prevalence of maltreatment experienced by institutionalized children prior to their admission to Charitable Children's Institutions (orphanages) in western Kenya, and to describe their socio-demographic characteris

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Maltreatment experiences and associated factors prior to admission to residential care: A sample of institutionalized children and youth in western Kenya

Gillian Morantz, Donald C. Cole, Samuel Ayaya, David Ayuku, and Paula Braitstein - Child Abuse & Neglect, 03 Jan 2013

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Family stressors and children's outcomes

Elizabeth Jones, Leslie Gutman, and Lucinda Platt , 2013

This new study from the Childhood Wellbeing Research Centre, an independent research center with funding from the United Kingdom Department for Education, identifies which family stress factors and parental behaviors are associated with positive and negative outcomes for children at the age of 7 and whether stressful life events experienced in childhood are associated with negative outcomes in adolescence.

A World Wide Web of Unwanted Children: The Practice, the Problem, and the Solution to Private Re-Homing

S. Megan Testerman, 2013

Adoptive families are now using the Internet to give their unwanted adopted children over to complete strangers, some of whom are traffickers, pedophiles, child pornographers, or worse. This practice is known as private rehoming.

Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit

Child Welfare Collaborative Group, National Child Traumatic Stress Network, and the California Social Work Education Center, 2013

The USA-based National Child Traumatic Stress Network has recently released a second edition of the Child Welfare Trauma Training Toolkit, which is part of the Child Welfare Trauma Training course. The course assists those in the field of child welfare who wish to learn more about child welfare and trauma.

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What Works in Tackling Child Abuse and Neglect? A Manual for Policy Makers, Managers, and Professionals

Tinje Berge-Le Clercg, Mariska de Batt from the Netherlands Youth Institute, 2013

This manual is the main outcome of the European Commission Daphne III programme, Prevent and Combat Child Abuse: What works? Involving regional exchanges and research from five countries (Germany, Hungary, Portugal, Sweden and the Netherlands), this manual brings together knowledge on what works in tackling child abuse. The manual suggests evidence and practice-based prevention and response strategies against child abuse and neglect, including programs and services that have been shown to be successful in strengthening family care.

2013 Resource Guide - Preventing Child Maltreatment and Promoting Well-Being: A Network for Action

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2013

This Resource Guide was developed to support service providers in the US in their work with parents, caregivers, and their children to prevent child abuse and neglect and promote child and family well-being. The Resource Guide was created primarily to support community-based child abuse prevention professionals who work to prevent child maltreatment and promote well-being. However, others such as policymakers, parent educators, family support workers, health-care providers, program administrators, teachers, child care providers, mentors, and clergy also will find the resources useful.

ChildSafe Traveler Tips: Children Are Not Tourist Attractions

The ChildSafe network, 2013

The ChildSafe network has produced important information for people who might be traveling abroad and can be confronted by situations where children are in distress or at risk of being abused or harmed, including through the practice of "orphan tourism".

Abandoned babies: the Malaysian ‘baby hatch’

Joan Cochrane & Goh Lee Ming - Infant Vol 9 Issue 4, 2013

This article explores the implementation of a system in Malaysia, where mothers or guardians who choose to abandon their baby are enabled to do so anonymously within a safe environment.

Child protection and out of home care: Policy, practice, and research connections Australia and New Zealand

Elizabeth Fernandez, Nicola Atwool, 2013

This article provides an outline of the early development of care and protection in Australia and New Zealand as a backdrop to an overview of child protection systems and policies and the current child protection profile in both countries. An overview of trends in relation to out of home care, including routes into care, care arrangements and permanency policies is provided.

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