Definition
(WHO, 2010)
(WHO, 2010)
According to WHO, child abuse (also referred as child maltreatment and neglect) includes all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development or dignity. It occurs to children under 18 years of age.
Types
(WHO, 2010; Health Canada, 2004)
(WHO, 2010; Health Canada, 2004)
Within this broad definition, five subtypes can be distinguished – physical abuse; sexual abuse; neglect and negligent treatment; emotional abuse; and exploitation.
Physical abuse (assault) involves deliberate application of unreasonable force by an adult or youth to any part of a child’s body. Physical abuse includes shaking, pushing, grabbing, throwing, hitting with a hand, punching, kicking, biting, hitting with an object, choking, strangling, stabbing, burning, shooting, poisoning and the abusive use of restraints.
Sexual abuse is adult or youth behavior that involves using a child for sexual gratification and involves exposure of a child to sexual contact, activity or behavior. Sexual abuse includes penetration, attempted penetration, oral sex, fondling, sex talk, voyeurism, exhibitionism and exploitation.
Neglect occurs when a child’s caregiver fails to provide the physical or psychological necessities of life to a child. Neglect includes failure to supervise leading to physical harm, failure to supervise leading to sexual harm, permitting criminal behavior, physical neglect, medical neglect, failure to provide psychological treatment, abandonment and educational neglect.
Emotional maltreatment concerns behaviors that damage a child psychologically, emotionally or spiritually. Emotional maltreatment includes emotional abuse, emotional neglect and exposure to family violence.
Prevalence
(WHO, 2010; Health Canada, 2004)
(WHO, 2010; Health Canada, 2004)
Child abuse is a global problem with serious lifelong consequences. There are no reliable global estimates for the prevalence of child maltreatment. According to WHO, data for many countries, especially low- and middle-income countries, are lacking. Globally, there are an estimated 31000 homicide deaths in children under 15 each year. The true extent of the problem is underestimated as a significant proportion of deaths due to child maltreatment are incorrectly attributed to falls, burns, drowning and other causes.
International studies reveal that approximately 20% of women and 5–10% of men report being sexually abused as children, while 25–50% of all children report being physically abused. Additionally, many children are subject to emotional abuse (sometimes referred to as psychological abuse) and to neglect.
In Canada, child physical abuse was reported more often by males (31.2 percent) than females (21.1 percent), whereas child sexual abuse was more common among females (12.8 percent) than males (4.3 percent) (Health Canada, 2004).
Risk Factors
(Health Canada, 2004)
(Health Canada, 2004)
Physical Abuse
Child factors include: male sex
Parental factors include: maternal youth, psychiatric impairment and low education, lack of attendance at prenatal classes, single-parent status, childhood experience of physical abuse, substance abuse, spousal violence, unplanned pregnancy or negative parental attitude toward pregnancy, social isolation or lack of social support, and low religious attendance
Social factors include: low socioeconomic status, large family size and recent life stressors
Sexual Abuse
Child factors include: female sex
Parental factors include: living in a family without a biological parent, poor relationships between parents, poor relationships between parents and children, and presence of a stepfather
Emotional Abuse
Parental factors include: history of childhood maltreatment, spousal violence, separation/divorce, history of substance abuse, and blended family
Social factors include: low socioeconomic status
Neglect
Child factors include: anxious/withdrawn early childhood and low child verbal IQ
Parental factors includes: parental sociopathy, psychopathology, conflict, poor marital quality, substance abuse, low parental involvement and warmth, early separation from mother, maternal youth, alienation, anger, dissatisfaction, external locus of control, hostility, low self-esteem, serious illness and single-parent status
Social factors include: low socioeconomic status and large family size
References
- Health Canada. (2004). Child Maltreatment: A public health issue. Retrieved December 12, 2010 from http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/sr-sr/pubs/hpr-rpms/bull/2004-9-child-enfant/intro-eng.php#page12.
