Child Abuse Review最新文献

Grounded in comparative law research, this paper compares differences in the regulation of online child pornography in China and the United States. The United States began regulating child pornography through criminal law in the 1970s, gradually refining the laws to distinguish between child pornography and obscenity and prohibit the possession of child pornography and virtual child pornography. In contrast, China treats child pornography on an equal footing with adult pornography, but imposes more lenient penalties on disseminating child pornography, which has led to the proliferation of child pornography. By comparing the two countries' policies and laws on child pornography, this review makes four recommendations for other countries: (i) define child pornography in criminal law; (ii) distinguish between obscenity and child pornography; (iii) prohibit virtual child pornography on the internet; and (iv) increase criminal penalties for child pornography.

Violent child discipline is a widespread phenomenon that can have devastating short- and long-term consequences for an individual's physical, mental and social wellbeing. Parents' beliefs and expressed ideas about child discipline, both violent and non-violent, can differ from their practice. This study identifies which disciplinary methods Qatari mothers believe to be the most successful in changing their child's behaviour and compares them to the ones they report actually using. Using a cross-sectional design, a representative sample of Qatari mothers completed an anonymous standardised questionnaire, the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Child Abuse Screening Tool for Parents. The majority (96.9 per cent) of Qatari mothers reported believing in non-violent disciplinary methods (NVDMs) in changing their child's behaviour and those believing only in such methods are more likely to use only them compared to those mothers believing in a mixture of methods (30.9 vs. 6.7 per cent, chi-squared value [𝜒²] = 83.5, P value <0.001). Still, 44.9 and 5.2 per cent of Qatari mothers believing in only NVDMs also used at least one moderate and one severe physical method, respectively. Much public education is needed to increase Qatari mothers' awareness in of the benefits of NVDMs, to foster a belief in their efficacy and to support using them.

This article explores the experiences and perspectives of designated safeguarding leads (DSL) in fee-paying schools to better understand how they engage affluent parents when there are safeguarding and child protection concerns. The research employed a roundtable data gathering methodology, with 33 DSLs from a range of fee-paying schools in southern England participating in the study. A primary objective of the research was to understand the factors that influence how DSLs in fee-paying schools engage parents from affluent backgrounds. The findings showed that a major concern is that affluent parents are adept at using their power and privilege to avoid statutory interventions, which meant that the DSLs' safeguarding role was often fraught with difficulties. This article addresses factors that enable or hinder DSLs' conversations with affluent parents and offers some critical reflections on the challenges posed for their duty to safeguard the children in their care. For the purpose of this article, three key themes will be addressed: the interpretation of harm thresholds; communication issues; and mental health issues. Overall, the analysis contributes to a greater understanding of how DSLs in fee-paying schools navigate their engagement with parents when familial risks are identified.

Befriending ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ from older year groups was a strategy used by children to gain protection against being bullied by same-age peers at school, especially in contexts, such as Chinese rural boarding schools, where children spend a long time with peers under limited adult supervision. However, it is alarming that such close connections with older children, in some cases, could give children a feeling of having power over their same-age peers, leading them to engage in bullying. In addition, since the roles as the provider and receiver of protection could cause an unbalanced power between the older ones and younger ones, younger children might have to experience a ‘dark’ side of such cross-age peer relationships, such as exploitation, in some cases. Such experiences could be further strengthened by the Chinese values of ‘giving’ and ‘gaining’ in relationships. Therefore, based on an ethnographic study in a rural primary boarding school in China, this article argues that befriending older peers could contribute to increasing the safety of children at school. However, it is also necessary to be aware of potential risks associated with such peer relationships, because of the unbalanced power relation amongst children caused by age.

Child sexual abuse prevention strategies typically focus on teaching children ‘protective behaviours’, including telling a ‘trusted adult’. However, disclosure rates are low, and we know little about who they tell. We analysed data from over 3400 young people aged 10–18. After viewing hypothetical unsafe scenarios involving either an adult or peer, participants were asked whether – and whom – they would tell someone if such a situation occurred. Most (83.9 per cent) said they would tell someone about concerns involving an adult; fewer (79.3 per cent) would tell if they encountered an unsafe situation with a peer. Across adult and peer scenarios, participants were most likely to say they would approach their mother (about concerning behaviour of an adult, 68.7 per cent; or a peer, 63.1 per cent), a friend (64.4; 57.9 per cent) or their father (52.2; 48.9 per cent). Those most likely to tell a friend were girls and older children. Children in out-of-home care and community welfare organisations were less likely to tell someone about concerning behaviour from a peer/friend than in other organisational contexts. Although organisations must train staff in supporting young people who raise concerns or make disclosures, it is vital to consider the role of parents and other young people in hearing about concerns and building their capacity to respond appropriately.

In 2021, Birmingham County Football Association (BCFA) in partnership with Newman University carried out a quantitative online review to assess coaches, volunteers, parents and young people's understanding of safeguarding information, policies and procedures in relation to football. This paper examines the findings from the children (aged 5–11) and young people (aged 12–17) using the Six Principles of Safeguarding to assess the current safeguarding measures in place to protect children and young people (CYP) playing grassroots football. The review found that whilst most CYP felt safe when playing organised football, there were some concerns raised from the young people in relation to angry parents, abuse and racism. Most children in both groupings had heard of the term safeguarding, but fewer had heard of the term welfare, and struggled to explain what welfare meant. A key finding and concern is that many CYP are not aware of the role of the Club Welfare Officer at their football club or that this might be someone to whom they can disclose issues concerning them. Furthermore, it became evident that further research, awareness raising and implementation of listening to and acting on children's voices needs to be fully embedded into safeguarding practice in children and young people's organised football.

This study aims to evaluate (i) the knowledge levels and attitudes of fathers toward child sexual abuse (CSA), (ii) factors influencing their knowledge and attitudes, and (iii) views on the CSA, using a sequential exploratory mixed method and a cross-sectional and phenomenological approach. The quantitative stage was conducted with the fathers of 258 children in a public primary school in Turkey between June and August 2021. In the qualitative stage, data were collected through face-to-face interviews with 14 fathers between October 2021 and January 2022 using a sociodemographic form, the CSA Knowledge/Attitude Scale (CSAKAS) and a semi-structured interview form. The mean total CSAKAS score was 129.51 ± 20.23. CSAKAS total scores were found to be higher in those with bachelor's or higher education degrees (F = 3.374, p = 0.019), background knowledge of CSA (t = 4.291, p < 0.001), receiving information about protecting their child from sexual abuse (t = 3.633, p < 0.001) and having a higher level of communication with their children (r = 0.422, p < 0.001). In the analysis of the qualitative data, three main themes emerged: the emotional conceptualization of CSA, potential drivers of CSA and protectors against CSA. According to the results, fathers do not take responsibility for CSA, so it is recommended to plan educational programs.

Friendship is valued by most children and young people around the world. In research on happiness, it is often identified as an essential ingredient for a happy life. In this short report we go further by exploring the importance of friendship as an ingredient in advocacy and activism. The report is written by two care experienced young people and two adult allies. The report explores how friendship makes advocacy and activism more possible and more powerful. Drawing on our reflections and personal experiences we discuss how having a space to make friends with others who have care experience and allies, and working together to effect change around policy and practice, has a protective impact on those working for change and those they support. These friendships are protective in practical and emotional ways, but they are also protective because they help hope to grow. We argue that the protective power of friendship, advocacy and activism should be more widely recognised as an important function of advocacy organisations like Who Cares? Scotland.

The relationship between children's human rights to protection and to what is commonly referred to as ‘participation’ has received significant attention, with many scholars critiquing the purported tension between the two approaches and demonstrating how child participation should be a core feature of child protection. Less attention has been paid to the converse and, we argue, essential precursor of participatory protection practice – the significance of the child's right to be protected from harm as a means to ensuring successful child participation. Drawing on the example of the multidisciplinary Barnahus model, this article explores the multifaceted relationship between participation and protection, suggesting that there needs to be greater acknowledgement of the role of collective child participation in delivering the conditions where individual children who have witnessed or experienced violence feel and are safe to express themselves.