Child Protection: Our Position

Defining child protection

Child protection describes responsibilities and activities undertaken to prevent or stop children being abused, exploited, subjected to discrimination or neglected.

“Children” means anyone under the age of 18 years. This is the definition in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which has been agreed to by almost all countries in the world, including Australia. The UNCRC is central to the work of Save the Children.

Children are abused in many ways – including through physical, sexual and emotional abuse, discrimination and through neglect. Some instances where child abuse arises include when children are bullied at school, subjected to violence within their family, exploited sexually, subjected to discrimination (because of factors such as gender, disability or ethnicity) or through child labour. The perpetrators of abuse may be parents, young people, family or community members or people working in positions of trust or authority.

Article 19 of the UNCRC states that all children should be protected from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse.

Context, challenges and impact on children

Protecting children from harm is at the heart of our work. Children by virtue of being children require special care and attention at all times. Children have the right to be looked after and protected. Child protection and child rights are intrinsically linked and underpin all programs that Save the Children undertakes.

Australia

In recent years, reports of child abuse and neglect have increased dramatically in Australia. Indigenous children are significantly over-represented in child abuse statistics due to previous failed government policies regarding Indigenous people. Statutory child protection systems are overloaded and more children are coming into state care than ever before.

Family breakdown, increased alcohol and drug abuse, domestic violence and dysfunctional communities contribute to growing isolation and a lack of community care for families. Children in such circumstances are at increased risk of child abuse and family violence. Corporal punishment of children is also widely practised; legislation does not prohibit parents and caregivers from using physical punishment on children. Resources for parent education, early intervention and prevention of harm to children are insufficient for making long-term improvements in the lives of children at risk of harm.

As a result, far too many Australian children and young people are neglected or remain in abusive environments. Their families cannot access timely support that would prevent their situations deteriorating to the detriment of their children’s health and wellbeing.

Overseas

In developing countries, many children are particularly vulnerable to abuse and neglect, with six hundred million children currently living in absolute poverty (Maguire, DFID Report, 2007). Millions of children are deprived of education, particularly girls, thus reducing their life opportunities and increasing their vulnerability to exploitation through child labour, sexual exploitation, trafficking, or armed conflict in countries at war.

Where basic services are available, there is often an absence of adequate policies and procedures to prevent child abuse and exploitation. Children are exploited and abused in institutions – including schools, orphanages, shelters and workplaces due to the lack of child protection awareness and sometimes due to corruption. Corporal punishment is widely practised and considered acceptable – even though it breaches the UNCRC. In many countries, an absence of formal reporting systems and inadequate legislation mean children continue to be physically and sexually abused with no consequences for the perpetrators. Children’s voices are often not heard or are even silenced.

Statistics worldwide

• 218 million children are child labourers with 57% engaged in hazardous work.

• 1.2 million children are trafficked annually, mostly for sexual purposes.

• 500 million to 1.5 billion children are affected by violence. (UNICEF, 2009)

• One in 4 girls and one in 7 boys will be sexually abused in Australia. (AIC, 2000)

• 23% of all confirmed cases of child abuse and neglect involve Indigenous children – who constitute 4.4% of all Australian children. (Australian Government, 2008)

Save the Children’s position on child protection

Save the Children believes that:

Every child has a right to grow up in a safe environment with protective laws and policies in place.
Every child has the right to grow and develop in a safe, non-violent environment with access to adequate nutrition, health and education – with equality for girls and boys.
Children are vulnerable to harm and it is the responsibility of adults, communities and governments to protect them, especially children in circumstances of dire poverty.
All children should be educated about their right to speak up on any issue affecting them, particularly when their safety is at risk. Adults must learn to listen to children.
Child protection is everyone’s responsibility and needs to include primary prevention and early intervention services which identify and support families, thus minimising the risk of child abuse.
Community and neighbourhood structures need to be strengthened to ensure people support each other to prevent family breakdown and keep all children safe from harm.
Non-government organisations and the private sector need to work in ways that support and empower families and communities so they can provide the best possible start for their children and reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect.
Governments must always act in the best interests of children, intervening only in situations where parents/caregivers cannot or will not prioritise the protection of their children.
Institutions and organisations responsible for the care and education of children must meet their duty of care to do no harm to children through their programs and activities.
Law enforcement agencies must take the crime of child abuse seriously and ensure perpetrators are held accountable for their actions.
Adequate resources must be allocated to ensure victims and perpetrators of child abuse obtain access to counselling services to reduce the negative impacts and prevent the ongoing cycle of child abuse and family violence.

What is Save the Children Australia doing?

Save the Children conducts programs in Australia that work to prevent child abuse in Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. These include innovative early intervention services for parents and children. We provide services to families who have experienced family violence and alternate care programs are provided to young people who cannot live with their families.

Overseas, Save the Children provides a number of programs in Asia and the Pacific which promote the establishment of child protection systems from grassroots to national levels. Programs aimed at empowering children and young people and preventing violence towards children in schools and their families are delivered – in addition to programs promoting children’s health, education and wellbeing.

Children in need of protection include those in conflict with the law, and children who have been trafficked or made vulnerable due to illegal migration. Save the Children runs shelters and provides accommodation in some countries to children who have been victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.

We provide education and skills training programs to girls and boys to improve their opportunities to earn a living and avoid child labour and sexual exploitation. We provide opportunities to ensure children and young people are empowered to speak out on matters which affect their lives. We deliver protective behaviour programs to help children protect themselves and reduce the incidence of child abuse and exploitation.

We also focus on child protection during responses to emergencies and we work on disaster risk reduction projects to minimise harm to children during emergencies.