Child protection

Every child has the right to be safe from harm. Nevertheless,

every year the lives and physical, mental and emotional

well-being of millions of children around the world are

threatened by maltreatment such as abuse, neglect, violence

and exploitation.
Child protection: -is a broad term used for efforts to safeguard children from
actions or situations that place their healthy development and well-being at risk.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) uses the term “child protection” to
refer to preventing and responding to violence, exploitation and abuse against
children.

Children need to be protected, because they are physically, mentally and

emotionally immature and unable to adequately protect themselves. The younger a
child is, the more care and protection he or she will need. For instance, during the
first five years of life children are particularly vulnerable and their survival and
well-being depend primarily on their parents or other adult caregivers. As children
grow, their physical, cognitive and socioemotional capabilities evolve and mature,
but children are still not fully capable of protecting themselves.
Roles and responsibilities in the protection of children
All parts of society — families, communities and governments have important
roles to play in ensuring children’s safety and wellbeing. Children have roles, too,
appropriate to their ages, maturity levels and capacities. One of the best ways to
protect children is to empower them to protect themselves through knowledge and
skills for self-care.

“State Parties shall take all appropriate legislative,

administrative, social and educational measures to protect the
child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or
abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or
exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of
parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the
care of the child.”
Article 19.1 of the United Nations Convention on the rights of children.

Guiding Principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the

Child:

1. Non-discrimination (Article 2): The Convention applies to all children,

whatever their race, religion or abilities; whatever they think or say, whatever type
of family they come from. It doesn’t matter where children live, what language
they speak, what their parents do, whether they are boys or girls, what their culture
is, whether they have a disability or whether they are rich or poor. No child should
be treated unfairly on any basis.
2. Best interests of the child (Article 3): The best interests of children must be the
primary concern in making decisions that may affect them. All adults should do
what is best for children. When adults make decisions, they should think about
how their decisions will affect children. This particularly applies to budget, policy
and law makers.

3. Right to life, survival and development (Article 6): Children have the right to
live. Governments should ensure that children survive and develop healthily.

4. Respect for the views of the child (Article 12): When adults are making
decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should
happen and have their opinions taken into account. This does not mean that
children can now tell their parents what to do. The Convention encourages adults
to listen to the opinions of children and involve them in decision-making — not
give children authority over adults. Article 12 does not interfere with parents’ right
and responsibility to express their views on matters affecting their children.
Moreover, the Convention recognizes that the level of a child’s participation in
decisions must be appropriate to the child’s level of maturity. Children’s ability to
form and express their opinions develops with age and most adults will naturally
give the views of teenager’s greater weight than those of a preschooler, whether in
family, legal or administrative decisions.
Child maltreatment
Maltreatment of children is internationally recognized as a serious
public health, human rights, legal and social issues.

Child maltreatment defined as “all forms of physical and/or emotional ill-

treatment, (sexual) abuse, neglect or negligent treatment or commercial or other
exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, survival,
development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or
power.”

Types of child maltreatment

1. Child abuse: - is any deliberate behavior or action that endangers a child’s

health, survival, well-being and development. There are three types: -
i. Physical abuse- involves any action that brings intentional physical
harm or injury to a child, such as slapping, pinching, kicking, biting,
punching, pushing, throwing, burning or hitting with the hand or an
object (such as a cane, belt, whip, or shoe).
ii. Emotional or psychological abuse- often accompanies physical
abuse. Children who experience it are “hit” with words that demean,
shame, threaten, blame, intimidate or frighten them.
iii. Sexual abuse- involves forcing or enticing a child to take part in
sexual activities. Activities may involve physical contact, such as
genital fondling and sexual intercourse, and noncontact activities,
such as indecent exposure, making children look at pornographic
materials or encouraging children to behave in sexually inappropriate
ways. Girls are disproportionately affected by sexual abuse.
 2. Child neglect; - Neglect is the persistent failure of a parent or adult
caregiver to provide appropriate care to a child, despite being able to do so.
Indicators of child neglect are
 poor hygiene
 poor weight gain and growth
 inadequate medical care and
 frequent absences from school or day care.

There are different types of neglect: - Physical neglect, medical neglect, emotional
neglect and, educational neglect.

3. Child exploitation: -is the use of children for someone else’s economic or
sexual advantage, gratification or profit, often resulting in unjust, cruel and
harmful treatment of the child. Some forms of child exploitation include:
 Child labor
 Hazardous labor: -:is any activity or occupation that has or leads to
adverse effects on a child’s safety, health and moral development.
Hazardous labor conditions include night work, long hours of work,
exposure to physical, psychological or sexual abuse, work
underground, underwater, at dangerous altitudes or in confined
spaces, work with dangerous machinery, equipment and tools, and
work in unhealthy environments that may expose children to
hazardous substances and temperatures damaging to their health.
 Sexual exploitation of children: a practice by which a person,
usually an adult, achieves sexual gratification, financial gain or
advancement through the abuse or exploitation of a child’s sexuality.
4. Child trafficking: -is the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or
receipt of children for the purpose of exploitation. It is a violation of their
 rights and well-being and denies them the opportunity to reach their full
potential.
5. Violence against children: -is defined as all forms of physical or mental
injury, abuse, neglect or exploitation. Violence can be committed by
individuals, by the state and by groups and organizations. Types of violence:
 Inter personal violence
 Collective violence
 Gender based violence
 Sexual violence
6. Child recruitment by armed forces or groups: - Around the world,
thousands of boys and girls are recruited into government armed forces and
rebel groups to serve as combatants, cooks, porters and messengers or in
other roles. Girls are also recruited for sexual purposes or forced marriage.
Many are recruited by force, though some join as a result of economic,
social or security pressures.
7. Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/FGC): -refers to all procedures
involving partial or total removal of the external female genitalia or other
injury to the female genital organs for nonmedical reasons.
This fundamental violation of the rights of girls is deeply entrenched in
social norms. It is a manifestation of gender inequality. The practice is
violent in nature, even though the families who perpetrate it may not intend
to do violence. Communities practice FGM/C in the belief that it will ensure
a girl’s proper marriage, chastity, beauty or family honor.
Impact of maltreatment on
children
Maltreated children are more likely to:

 have low self-esteem

 exhibit extremely passive or aggressive behaviors
 have difficulties with interpersonal relationships
 perform poorly in school y have frequent nightmares y
 experience depression that can lead to suicide attempt

Emotional abuse:

 destroys children’s self-confidence and self-esteem

 results in a sense of worthlessness and inadequacy
 leaves deep psychological marks that can last a lifetime

Sexual abuse, exploitation and violence can cause:

 severe physical damage

 torment and feelings of shame and guilt (children feel they are responsible for the abuse
or that somehow, they brought it upon themselves)
 self-loathing and, as children grow older, sexual problems such as promiscuity or an
inability to have intimate relationships.

Children In Special Need of Protection

I. children living outside of family-based care

Children in child-headed households
Children in institutional/residential care
II. Children living with elderly caregivers
III. Children living with HIV
IV. Children with disabilities
V. Children in conflict with the law
VI. Separated children in times of emergency