Violence Against Young Children: A Painful Issue

Volume 106 of Early Childhood Matters focuses on violence against young children as an issue regarding the development of young children. Topics include: corporal punishment, supporting non-violent discipline in schools, several programmes protecting children from violence and sexual abuse, advocacy programmes in Kenya, El Salvador, Colombia, Israel, and Bulgaria, and treatment and prevention for child victims of domestic violence, among others.


The editorial in this issue attempts to contextualise a central paradox of the issue, which is that, though sexual assault or serious physical violence against children is nearly universally seen as a crime, less severe forms of violence are perpetrated against children in the form of disciplinary corporal punishment. Differences in interpretation of abuse, neglect, and violence appear in different cultures. However, this editorial recognises that for a number of reasons people may experience "cognitive dissonance" when placing disciplinary corporal punishment alongside other sorts of violence perpetrated against children such as: sexual abuse and trafficking, violent and humiliating treatment in institutions, violence against children living on the streets, violence by law enforcement officers against children, and child-on-child violence, i.e., bullying. According to the editorial, research shows that the majority of people in the world report hitting as an acceptable part of parenthood. However, the editorial cites that there is ample evidence "demonstrating the negative effects of physical and humiliating punishment on children: notably, a stunting of their creativity and capacity for initiative, loss of self-esteem and respect for authority figures, reduced capacity to communicate and form emotional bonds, and internalising the lesson that violence is an acceptable way for the powerful to solve their problems - with clear implications for society when they grow up."

Jaap Doek of the United Nations (UN) Committee on the Rights of the Child, discusses in the interview section the possibilities of future action on the study on violence against children to be presented in the autumn of 2007 to the UN general assembly. "The study may or may not ask for an Optional Protocol and a Special Representative - and if it does, this may or may not be granted. But what is crucial is that we have specific, concrete, time-bound recommendations..." for use in advocacy, including advocating for a UN resolution and for a monitoring system independent of states of parties. Doek recognises corporal punishment as being the most contentious issue in reporting on violence against children, but is clear that it is not a separate issue.

Gary Barker and Tatiana Araujo, of the Instituto Promundo, Brazil, take on the issue on their article "If Smacking Works, Why are the Prisons So Full?" They describe several strategies including a Promundo manual, Caring without Violence, for working with adults that includes role-plays, group brainstorming exercises and personal reflections about physical punishment and about the recognition of children as ‘subjects of rights’." Based on previous work with reducing male violence against women, a new Promundo initiative uses parent discussion groups, community campaigns for a non-violent environment, an educational video and booklet to promote critical reflection, and impact evaluation to assess attitude and behaviour changes. Promundo has observed that: early childhood staff can be important allies in reaching parents; engaging parents and caregivers is key; and discourse needs to focus on the protective and the positive.

A second article describes the Bernard Leer Foundation Human Dignity Initiative in nine schools, diverse in cultures of origin, in Israel. Their workshops encourage teachers to analyse and reflect on human dignity and what constitutes dignified treatment of children. They provide consultants to work on maintaining order without corporal punishment. They report that: "When teachers use respectful behaviour and use strategies that facilitate problem analysis, anger management and development of empathy, it has had a positive effect on the children."

Florence Bruce and Fassil Marriam write on sexual abuse treatment and prevention provided by the Oak Foundation, which includes a wide range of prevention and recovery programmes, such as telephone help-lines, multidisciplinary casework, data collection at local level, short-term shelters for child victims, school clubs, and campaigns to prevent child abuse and programmes to support adolescents leaving care.
The Oak Foundation attempts to work at a policy level and a community level. The article lists steps for designing a community-level programme to counter sexual abuse and exploitation that will:

1. understand risk and protection in the context of
   the community - done through assessment;
2. build community action - done through education of children, outreach to children, a safe haven for children, positive adult support for children (such as 'aunties'), peer support and action groups, and advocacy for societal space where children's voices are heard and negative practices are challenged;
3. promote child resilience and protection through an on going network of adult caring, and identifying and supporting children in bringing meaning, expression and beauty to their lines; and
4. create a sense of ownership - through training and staff development.

Several organisations describe their programmes, including case studies. Bulgaria's Big Brothers Big Sisters Foundation pairs vulnerable children with volunteers for one-to-one mentoring and on going friendship. In Ethiopia, The Love for Children Organization (LCO) advocates to create a better future for orphans and other children who live on the streets. This includes running a child-friendly centre that caters to children’s social, recreational and health needs and provides community-based care for children, while working with the mothers of these children, helping them to develop the skills they need to earn a living so that they can provide for their children themselves. A revolving credit fund has given many women the opportunity to start up their own businesses. Through a programme designed to strengthen child resilience, the Red Children programme engages former street children, who wear red uniforms, to alert others to the dangers of living on the streets. In addition to raising awareness of the dangers of HIV/AIDS, they help reunite lost street children with their families or relatives, they report sexual and physical abuse to the police and other concerned institutions, they conduct non-formal education by teaching illiterate children to read and write, and they encourage street children to attend evening classes and advise them on how they can build a proper income.

In Kenya, the Kenya Chapter of the African Network for Prevention and Protection against Child Abuse and Neglect's (ANPPCAN's) strategies include popular theatre, workshops and talks, and establishing child rights clubs. Colombia's study of vulnerable children was followed by developing and implementing a support system to meet their needs, including direct intervention, therapy through art and play for the victims, and support for the family. In Jamaica, Hope for Children's 10 years of determined advocacy worked successfully to get the Child Care Protection Act 2004 onto the statute books. They are now working towards societal change through youth staff and community volunteers working on Camp Hope, a summer rehabilitative residential programme to improve the coping skills of at-risk children, and the Urban Children’s Project.