In 1999, The WHO Consultation on Child abuse prevention drafted the following definiton of child abuse “Child abuse or 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, responsibilities, trust or Power”.
Maltreatment of Children is a term used for both acts of Commission and Omission. The former is the use of abusive words or actions that Results in actual and potential harm to the Child. The latter i.e. acts of omission on the other hand is a form of neglect , where the care takers of a Child fails to provide the basic physical, emotional or educational needs of the Child.
The Abusive act can be performed by an indivisual e.g. a parent or at institutions like in hostels or Schools or during process like during war of femine. All damages the propects of healthy development of child into adulthood.
CHILD NEGLECT:
it is inattention or omission on the part of care givers to provide for the development of the child in all spheres. Health, education, nutrition, emotional development, shelter and Safe conditions in the context of resources available to the family and care takers. A simplofied definition is ” Child neglects Occurs when a Child’s basic needs are not actually met”.
TYPES OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT:
PHYSICAL ABUSE:
The world health organization(WHO) definee Child physical abuse. As any act that causes physical harm to the child. This may take the form of actual interaction or lack of interaction by a person in charge of the child to protect him/her from actual or potential harm.
CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE (CSA):
CSA is the involvement of Children is sexual activity which they cannot fully Comprehend as they are developmentally immature and unprepared for it. In CSA the exposure of children to Sexual act is inappropriate for Child’s age ans psycosocial development.
CHILD PROTECTION:
Child protection is a concept that aims to safeguard children from Economic expoliation, physical and Sexual abuse and Effects of war, neglect, abondonment, maltreatment and discrimination. Child Protection is about “protecting every right of every Child”. Pakistan is both nationally and internationally Committed to fully protect the righta of its children. It has ratified the united nations Convention on the rights of the Child in 1990 which is Most comprehensive documents enshrining all fundemental rights of children. The First Goal pf nation vision 2025 is ” putting people first, developmemt of human and Social Capital”. This can be best achieved by ensuring empowerment and human resource development processes Starting at birth and Carried through Childhood and adolscence..
