Prevent child

Child abuse:

More than bruises and broken bones

by Lionel WIJESIRI

Child abuse has become a grim fact of life in our society. It is more common than most people realise. According to the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), over 4,000 complaints of various forms of child abuse (including sexual harassment of children) have been directed to the NCPA by the public during the past 12 months. It is time we sit up and think!

Child abuse may come in many forms - sexual, physical or emotional. Depending on various factors and situations, abuse mars a child for life and may impede his/her progress and lifestyle. Other than these, child abuse can also come out of mere neglect of the various needs of children as they grow up.

A child may not have the amenities and or toys that his/her friends have. This kind of abuse has an intense impact on the child, as the child may grow up to be anything from an introvert to a person at war with society for no particular reason.

Causes

There are many interacting causes of child abuse. Characteristics or circumstances of the abuser, the child, and the family may all contribute. In many cases the abuser was abused as a child.

Alcohol or substance abuse has been identified as a key factor in a growing number of cases. In some cases, abusers do not have the education and skills needed to raise a child, thus increasing the likelihood of abuse, and providing inadequate parental role models for future generations.

Children who are ill, disabled, or otherwise perceived as different are more likely to be the targets of abuse. In the family, marital discord, domestic violence, unemployment and poverty, and social isolation are all factors that can precipitate abuse.

Thus, in analysing the causes of child abuse, it's easier to break it down into sub-categories which put children at risk for abuse. These include the socio-economic causes of child abuse, family environment, parental profile, and child-related characteristics. The term "causes of child abuse" is in reality talking about the conditions which may make child abuse more likely.

Preventive measures

Prevention is the best hope for reducing child abuse and neglect and improving the lives of children and families. Strengthening families and preventing child abuse requires a shared commitment of individuals and organisations in every community.

There are three types of preventive measures recognised by international bodies caring for children.

* Primary prevention

Primary prevention activities are directed at the general population and attempt to stop abuse before it occurs. All members of the community have access to and may benefit from these services. Primary prevention activities seek to raise the awareness of the public, service providers, and decision-makers about the scope and problems associated with child abuse.

The approaches to primary prevention might include, among others, parent education programs and support groups that focus on child development and the roles and responsibilities of parenting, family support and family strengthening programs that enhance the ability of families to access existing services and public awareness campaigns that provide information on how and where to report suspected child abuse and neglect.

* Secondary prevention

Secondary prevention activities are offered to populations that have one or more risk factors associated with child abuse, such as poverty, parental substance abuse, young parental age, parental mental health concerns, and parental or child disabilities. Programs may target services for communities that have a high incidence of any or all of these risk factors.

Approaches to prevention programs might include, for example, parent education programs focusing on those parents who are addicted to various substances, parent support groups that help parents deal with their everyday stresses and meet the challenges and responsibilities of parenting, home visiting programs that provide support and assistance to expecting and new mothers in their homes, and respite care for families that have children with special needs.

* Tertiary prevention

Tertiary prevention activities focus on families where abuse has already occurred and seek to reduce the negative consequences of the abuse and to prevent its recurrence.

These prevention programs may include services such as: intensive family preservation services with trained mental health counsellors that are available for a period of time, parent mentor programs with stable, non-abusive families acting as "role models" and providing support to families in crisis, parent support groups that help parents transform negative practices and beliefs into positive parenting behaviour and attitudes and mental health services for children and families affected by abuse to improve family communication and functioning.

Some of these preventive measures are already adopted in Sri Lanka, while some are not.

Our responsibility

What can you, as a citizen, do to prevent child abuse and neglect?

To become part of the solution, there are a number of things you can do to help protect children from abuse and neglect.

For parents:

*Teach your children how to be safe with people. Learn about child abuse and neglect and the warning signs.

*Listen to, reassure and believe your children. Children who have experienced abuse may try to tell an adult about their ordeal several times before somebody hears them. If you're worried about a child in your family, there are many things you can do.

*Reach out for help from your extended family. You need all the support you can get. There are enough State and volunteer agencies to help you.

For neighbours:

*Inform yourself about child abuse and neglect and ways you can help protect children in your neighbourhood (e.g. notice the signs of stress in your neighbours and lend a hand if you can).

*Take the time to get to know the families in your street so that families can give one another support to cope with the stresses of parenting.

*If you're worried about a child, don't stay silent, do something.

For local communities:

If you are with an NGO, offer practical assistance to families in the neighbourhood and check that everything you do is parent-friendly (e.g. offering child care, helping with transport).

*If you represent local councils- provide services for children (e.g. parks, libraries, public toilets, safe streets, parent-friendly parking, cultural and social events such as family fun days or sports carnivals) and provide resources for parents (e.g. playgroup and parenting courses).

*If you are a school authority, be a community hub that offers learning environments and support for parents as well as children.

For policymakers

*Ensure there are child and family health nurses for home visits to all families with a new baby.

*Introduce measures to reduce the level of parental alcohol abuse.

*Increase parent education and family support services in areas where there is a high level of child abuse and neglect.

For media

*If you belong to the print media, help spread the word that children being abused is everyone's business.

*If you are in TV media, help change the focus to prevention, not just making sensational news. You can interview leading child abuse prevention experts so that we have a more informed public debate on prevention.

For businesses:

*Have flexible work hours and job share available to staff who are young parents, and make it an attractive option.

*Partner with local community organisations (e.g. sponsor childrens' sporting activities).

*Be family-friendly. Provide a play area in your shop/business, and baby changing facilities, and welcome children. Do not stock junk food on low shelves where children can reach them.

We often read alarming statistics about child abuse and we hear about the bizarre, horrific stories of abuse that we don’t think could happen next door to us or to someone in our community.

However, it does happen and is happening in our community; it is time that we listen to the cries of children, silent though they may be, and do something about it.