violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

“It could appear a feeling of guilt. The victim and even people around who don’t knowthe situation could consider that the abused child is responsible for the abuse. If close peoplebelieve this, then slowly the victim will believe the same thing.”Girl, 11th grade, Europe, 2005 IX66Violence against children in the home and familyCanada, almost all boys involved in prostitutionthere have been sexually abused at home. 116A number of studies have focused on the intergenerationalnature of violence. 117 Recent datafrom an international study in Australia, CostaRica, the Czech Republic, Poland and the Philippinesindicates that the problem is commonacross cultures and regions. 118 Women in allcountries who have experienced physical violencefrom their parents in childhood are considerablymore likely to report physical violencefrom an intimate partner as an adult, supportingthe notion of a life-course perspective ofviolence 119 (see Figure 3.3).In the case of traditional practices, and of childmarriage, there is a consistent intergenerationallink in that mothers (and fathers) who regardthem as mandatory customs inflict them ondaughters and sons. The main predeterminantof FGM is ethnic affiliation; some ethnic groupscarry out the practice in almost their entire population,whereas others living in the same areado not do so. 120 Education of girls, especially tosecondary level, can break the intergenerationallink and reduce the prevalence of FGM. 121Social and economicconsequencesIn addition to its negative impact on a child’srights, health and development, family violenceagainst children has economic consequencesfor families and society. These includedirect costs such as the cost of medical carefor victims, legal and social welfare services,and the placement of child victims in care.Indirect costs include possible lasting injury ordisability, psychological costs or other impactson a victim’s quality of life; the disruptionor discontinuation of education; and productivitylosses in the future life of the childor young person. 122 The potential financialburden is illustrated by data from a few industrialisedsocieties. The financial costs associatedwith child abuse and neglect, includingfuture lost earnings and mental health care,were estimated in the USA in 2001 at US$94 billion. 123 In the UK, an annual cost ofUS$ 1.2 billion has been cited for immediatewelfare and legal services alone. 124Factors contributingto violenceThe risk of home and family violence arisesfrom the interaction between the quality offamily relationships, and stress or pressureupon the family from external factors or fromcharacteristics of family members. Some factorsstem from the individual characteristics of thechild (e.g. stage of development, sex) and thecharacteristics of the parent or caregiver (e.g.mental disorders, substance abuse). Othersderive from the family setting and the rolesand relationships of people within it; these mayenhance vulnerability, or on the contrary, mayoffer protection. Dysfunctional family relationshipsand poor parent–child interactionshave a critical bearing on whether childrenexperience violence in the home. Other factorsderive from the environment, as in the case ofemergency situations, but may also be relatedto the availability of social networks, or lossof livelihood. Of course, a negative outcome is