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Child Abuse: Some Reflections Based on the Situation in Six European Countries

NCJ Number
163272
Author(s)
R Ville
Date Published
1995
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This report describes the current situation concerning child abuse in six European countries, presents the responses to the problem adopted by the various countries, and identifies and discusses the main issues so as to provide a comparative view of the situation.
Abstract
The countries reviewed are Belgium, Denmark, England and Wales, France, Italy, and Switzerland. These countries were selected to ensure geographical coverage of Western Europe but are not to be considered representative of a region in any sense. The paper draws on the information presented in the national and institutional reports received from the six participating countries and proposes an analysis and reflections concerning child abuse and related notions. The discussion focuses on four concepts: the prevention and control of maltreatment as a social priority, analysis of the problem of the visibility of child abuse, the role of the criminal justice system, and the importance of personnel training. The author concludes that it is essential that information and awareness policies should aim at sensitizing people to their personal responsibility for reporting suspected child abuse cases. Further, every effort should be made to record reported cases in a correct manner and to deal with them in a positive environment by adequately trained professionals. Given the fragile nature of the child victim, child abuse within the family is a delicate area and requires the intervention of specially trained personnel. Interventions can also be improved through the multidisciplinary approach, which has two primary components: coordination among the agencies and institutions responsible for implementing abuse prevention and control policies, and cooperation among the various intervening experts. 5 figures

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