Child Mistreatment And Its Legal Issues Flashcards
Who is a child?
Based on Sec. 3, RA 7610
● A person below eighteen (18) years of age or those over but are unable to fully take care of themselves or protect themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty, exploitation or discrimination because of physical or mental disability or condition.
● Complex, multifactorial problem
● Violation of child rights: not just a societal taboo
● Family cancer: not just an isolated one-child problem
● Failure in child protection infrastructure: never the fault of the child
● Medical diagnosis: not just a society problem
Child maltreatment
Constitutes:
○ 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.
Child maltreatment
Myths of child abuse
● Child Abuse only happens in some parts of society
● Children are victimized by creepy psychopathic
● Children tell someone they are being abused
● Many children lie about being abused
● If a child has been sexually abused, there will be medical evidences
● The most common type of abuse children experience at home is sexual abuse
● Males who are sexually abused as boys all grow to sexually abuse children.
● Only men sexually abuse children
● Boys are less traumatized as victims of sexual abuse than girls
● Children with disabilities are less likely to become victims of abuse than children without disabilities
% Filipino children experienced abuse at least once in their lifetime
8 out of 10 (80%)
____ Filipino children: physically and psychologically abused, bullied.
○ There are studies that rank Filipinos with the highest number of hits on the buttocks.
3 out of 5
_______ Filipino children: Sexually abused
1 out of 5
Breakdown of cases among 0-17 years old WCPUs 2021
- Sexual
- Physical
- Neglect
- Emotional & Psychological
BUT NOW, #1 Neglect
In the types of violence during childhood, what is #1?
Physical napud unsa man gud
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological model of development
● The child is exposed to its meso, exo, and macro system.
● These systems have an influence on the individuality of the child.
What is the interaction between his and her genes to his and her environment?
Person’s individuality
Risk factors of maltreatment:
- child
- individual/parent risk factors
- family risk factors
- community risk factors
- societal risk factors
● Low birth weight, premature birth
● Special needs that increase caregiver burden
● Younger than 4 years
● Behavioral problems (e.g., aggression, hyperactivity)
● Mentally handicapped
Child
● Lack of parenting skills
● Poor emotional and mental health
● Parent sees child as a problem
● Parents’ experience of abuse as a child
● Parents’ level of stress
● Substance abuse
● Teenage pregnancy, single parents
● Personal beliefs that tend to support or justify maltreatment
● Low educational attainment
Individual/Parent risk factors
● Isolation
● Intimate partner violence
● Lack of cohesion
● Large number of children
● Low income
● Non-biological, transient caregivers’ at home (e.g., mother’s male partner)
Family risk factors
● Violent
● Presence of drugs
● Alcohol is readily available
● High poverty
● High unemployment rate
● Residential instability
● Poor social connections
● Weak community sanctions
Community risk factors
● Cultural norms that support aggression and violence
● Norms supportive of male superiority and sexual entitlement
● Weak laws or poor implementation
● Social, economic, health, and education policies that lead to poor living standards or to socioeconomic inequality
● Unavailable services
Societal risk factors
Protective factors
Child
Parents/Family
Social/Environment
Protective factors: child
● Good health, history of adequate development
● Above-average intelligence
● Hobbies, interest
● Good peer relationships
● Personality factors
○ Easy temperament
○ Positive disposition
○ Active coping style
○ Positive self-esteem
○ Good social skills
Protective factors: parents/family
● Secure attachment; positive & warm parent-child relationship
● Supportive family environment
● Household rules/structure; parental monitoring of child
● Extended family support & involvement, including
caregiving help
● Stable relationship with parents
○ There’s really a bonding between the parent and the child
● Parents have a model of competence and good coping skills
● Family expectations of prosocial behavior
● High parental education
Protective factors: social/environment
● Mild to moderate socioeconomic status
● Access to healthcare and social services
● Consistent parental employment
● Adequate housing
● Family religious faith participation
● Good schools
● Supportive adults outside of family who serve as role
models/mentors to child
Red flags: child physical abuse
● Unexplained or poorly explained injuries
● No explain is offered
○ The mother and father cannot explain the injuries
● Injuries incompatible with given history as to pattern, timing, or developmental ability of the child
● Changing history or explanation
○ They are not consistent, they change their stories
● Child is blamed for the injury
● History of multiple ER visits
● Significant delay in seeking medical treatment
● Frequent change of primary care provider
The most common injury in physical abuse
Bruising
Usually, bruising is normal in children/infants who bruise but usually the location is in the
Bony prominences
○ In the knees, elbows, foreheads
Abusive head trauma symptoms
● Asymptomatic swelling or bruising of head
● Irritability
● Poor feeding
● Lethargy / loss of consciousness
● Vomiting
● Seizures
● Apne
If the head is moved forward because the velocity and brain is set backward and has an impact on the skull causing the
Hematoma
