Child Abuse, Prevention and How to Prevent a Catastrophe?

Text written by: Merima Bešlija, psychotherapist

Do you feel ashamed to share with someone what is happening to you? Do you think you don't need to tell anyone? Because if you tell...then read this article and make a decision!

Child abuse, prevention and how to avoid a catastrophe?

Child abuse is violence against children or young people. It is a particularly severe form of violation of a child's well-being. The term child abuse encompasses both physical and psychological acts of violence, sexual abuse, as well as neglect. These acts against children are punishable in most Western industrialized countries. Statistics have shown that the perpetrators are often parents or other close persons. Child abuse can be understood as "unintentional, conscious or unconscious, violent, psychological or physical harm that occurs in families or institutions (for example kindergartens, schools, homes), that leads to injuries, developmental delays or even death, and that endangers or threatens the well-being and rights of the child".
• Forms of abuse. A distinction is made between:
• Physical abuse (physical violence);
• Sexual abuse;
• Emotional abuse (psychological violence);
• Neglect.

Physical abuse includes physical violence and severe punishment by caregivers. Sexual abuse includes exhibitionist behavior or exposure of the perpetrator, as well as sexual abuse involving physical contact. Emotional abuse refers to situations where a child continually experiences hostile rejection, devaluation, ridicule, threats, withholding of love or isolation, and cannot develop in a dignified way. On the other hand, inappropriately controlling behavior, overindulgence, or pushing the child into an overdemanding role of a partner or a substitute for a parent (parentification) also constitute emotional abuse. The incidence in the USA and the United Kingdom is around 10 percent among women and 4 percent among men.

Too little attention in science and society is given to emotional and physical neglect. Neglect is often not immediately recognizable, because health consequences or developmental deficits become visible only after prolonged insufficient care. These forms of abuse often condition one another; for example, intimidating a child after abuse can be understood as emotional abuse. Physical abuse can arise from the neglect of a young child.

In most countries of the world, corporal punishment as a means of upbringing is not generally banned by law. Therefore, a distinction is made between "non-abusive" and "abusive" punishment. In each country there are its own laws that delineate the fact of abuse from legal punishment. In Germany, since the legislative amendment of 2000, every corporal punishment, regardless of its severity, is in principle legally considered abuse. Most abuse occurs at the hands of close persons (older brothers and sisters, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, close acquaintances of the family).

In BiH, an initiative on this has only just been launched.
Statistics on child abuse in Bosnia and Herzegovina point to a serious social problem, and official data often show only part of the reality, because many cases remain unreported.

Key statistical indicators:

• Sexual violence: According to research by the Council of Europe and UNICEF, almost every fifth child in BiH (about) reports experiencing some form of sexual violence during their life. Official records of police agencies (FUP and MUP RS) record several dozen criminal offences against the sexual integrity of minors each year, including intercourse with a child under the age of 15 and child pornography.
• Peer violence: According to UNICEF data, as many as [number missing] children in BiH have experienced some form of violence in the school environment, while worrying data indicate that such cases are never reported to the relevant authorities.

• Domestic violence: According to reports from institutions, children are very often witnesses or direct victims of domestic violence. Among reports of domestic violence, a noticeable trend is the growing number of children who must temporarily stay in safe houses

For a person to develop into a mentally healthy adult, attention must be paid from childhood to the child's environment: what the child receives from the surroundings, what information they process, what they watch, listen to, say, etc.
Just as a plant needs to be nurtured and protected with appropriate preventive measures against poisons and pests in order to develop and grow into a healthy, vital, fruitful, nourishing, medicinal plant that bears fruit, and so that these do not spread to healthy plants and a healthy environment. We become what we see, hear, receive and consume. If a child receives love and understanding, they will of course spread love, while if they suffer aggression, unfortunately they will spread aggression too. A healthy environment is the primary condition for a child's healthy mental state. If the environment a child is in is harmful, it is necessary to separate the child from it, just as a plant must sometimes be transplanted into other, more fertile soil.

How can we prevent child abuse and avoid catastrophes in growing up and in adulthood?

The first place is schools and kindergartens, places where children spend time, socialize and learn. Teaching staff, teachers and educators need to be trained to recognize early signs of child abuse and to take appropriate measures against threats to a child's health and life.