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Child abuse and neglect - WHO

Child abuse and neglectReports of infanticide, mutilation, abandonmentand other forms of physical and sexual violenceagainst children are widespread. Child abuse is aglobal problem that is deeply rooted in cultural,economic and social EXTENT OF THE PROBLEMAn estimated 57 000 children were victims ofhomicide in the year 2000. Many Child deaths,however, are not routinely investigated orautopsied making it difficult to know the trueextent of the highest rates of fatal Child abuse are foundamong children aged 0-4 years. The most com-mon cause of death is head injury, followed byabdominal injuries and intentional are only the visible tip of the of children are victims of non-fatalabuse and neglect . In some studies, betweenone-quarter and one-half of children reportsevere and frequent physical abuse , includingbeing beaten, kicked or tied up by data also suggests that about 20 % of women and 5-10 % of men suffered sexualabuse as substantial amount of harsh punishment inthe form of hitting, punching, kicking or beat-ing also occurs in schools and other children are subjected to psychological oremotional abuse as well as neglect , though thetrue extent of these problems are not CONSEQUENCES OF CHILDABUSE AND NEGLECTIll health caused by Child abuse forms a significantportion of the global burden of from physical injuri

child maltreatment is associated with a number of other consequences, including: alcohol and drug abuse cognitive impairment and developmental delays delinquent, violent and other risk-taking behaviours eating and sleep disorders poor school performance poor relationships

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Transcription of Child abuse and neglect - WHO

1 Child abuse and neglectReports of infanticide, mutilation, abandonmentand other forms of physical and sexual violenceagainst children are widespread. Child abuse is aglobal problem that is deeply rooted in cultural,economic and social EXTENT OF THE PROBLEMAn estimated 57 000 children were victims ofhomicide in the year 2000. Many Child deaths,however, are not routinely investigated orautopsied making it difficult to know the trueextent of the highest rates of fatal Child abuse are foundamong children aged 0-4 years. The most com-mon cause of death is head injury, followed byabdominal injuries and intentional are only the visible tip of the of children are victims of non-fatalabuse and neglect . In some studies, betweenone-quarter and one-half of children reportsevere and frequent physical abuse , includingbeing beaten, kicked or tied up by data also suggests that about 20 % of women and 5-10 % of men suffered sexualabuse as substantial amount of harsh punishment inthe form of hitting, punching, kicking or beat-ing also occurs in schools and other children are subjected to psychological oremotional abuse as well as neglect , though thetrue extent of these problems are not CONSEQUENCES OF CHILDABUSE AND NEGLECTIll health caused by Child abuse forms a significantportion of the global burden of from physical injuries such as bruises andwelts, burns and scalds, lacerations and fractures, Child maltreatment is associated with a numberof other consequences, including.

2 Alcohol and drug abusecognitive impairment and developmental delaysdelinquent, violent and other risk-takingbehaviourseating and sleep disorderspoor school performancepoor relationshipsreproductive health problemspost-traumatic stress disorderdepression and anxietysuicidal behaviour and self-harm. Many of these problems, in turn, increase thelikelihood of several major adult forms of illnessand ARE THE RISK FACTORS FOR Child abuse ?Research has linked certain characteristics of thechild and caregiver, as well as features of thefamily environment, to Child abuse and neglect . Vulnerability to Child abuse whether physical,sexual or through neglect depends in part onthe Child s age and sex. Young children are mostat risk of physical abuse , whereas the highestrates of sexual abuse are found among childrenwho have reached puberty or most places, boys are the victims of beatingsand physical punishment more often than girls,while girls are at higher risk of infanticide, sexualabuse, forced prostitution, and educational andnutritional neglect .

3 Globally, more than 130 millionchildren between the ages of 6 and 11 years arenot in school, 60% of whom are factors that increase a Child s vulnerabilityto abuse include:being raised by a single parent or by very youngparents without the support of an extended familyhousehold overcrowdinga lack of income to meet the family s needsthe presence of other violent relationships inthe more likely to abuse their children tendto have low self-esteem, poor control over theirimpulses, mental health problems and to displayantisocial behaviour. They also tend to be unin-formed and have unrealistic expectations aboutchild also shows that Child maltreatment ismore likely in communities with high rates ofpoverty and fewer of the social networks andneighbourhood support systems that have beenshown to protect CAN BE DONE TO PREVENTCHILD abuse AND neglect ?Some of the most effective responses for combat-ing Child abuse and neglect focus on Child -rearing,parent- Child relationships and the family environ-ment, including: Training in parenting providing parents withinformation about Child development as well asattachment and bonding, and teaching them touse consistent Child -rearing methods and howto manage family visitation programmes involving regularvisits from a nurse or other health professionalto the homes of families in special need of sup-port with childcare or where there is an identi-fied risk of Child maltreatment .

4 Interventionscan include counselling, training and referralsto specialists or other that focus primarily on keeping thefamily unit intact without necessarily addressingthe underlying causes of the problem, however,are less effective. Those that include high levels ofparticipant involvement, using an approach thatbuilds on the strengths of the family, and thatinvolve an element of social support, seem to pro-duce better results than those without these care professionals have a key role to playin identifying, treating and referring cases ofabuse and neglect and in reporting suspectedcases of maltreatment to the appropriate authori-ties. To facilitate the detection and reporting ofabuse, a number of health care organizationshave developed training programmes. While evaluations of these programmes showimprovements in health care worker s knowledgeof Child abuse and neglect , the impact of trainingprogrammes on other outcomes, such asimproved care and referral for children, is approaches to prevent Child abuse andneglect focus on:therapy and other services for children whohave witnessed or experienced abusetreatment programmes for perpetratorslegal remedies such as arrest and prosecutionpolicies, Child protection services and manda-tory and voluntary reporting systems to aid inthe identification of cases of evidence to date for the effectiveness ofthese approaches is rather limited.

5 Most have not been adequately initiatives are also increasinglybeing used to tackle the problem. While some areschool-based instructing children how to recog-nize threatening situations and providing themwith skills to protect against abuse others involvethe collaboration of many sectors to increaseknowledge and awareness, and improve services. Media and other types of prevention campaignshave also been used to stimulate communityaction and change behavioural can be done at the societal level to preventchild abuse and neglect including measures totackle poverty, improve educational and employ-ment opportunities, and increase the availabilityand quality of Child care. These measures havethe potential to offset social and economicinequalities and improve Child more information, please visit: , or e-mail: World Health Organization 2002. All rights reserved.


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