The Identification and Reporting of Severe Violence Against Children: International Standards and Practices

Abstract

The right of the child to protection from all forms of violence, as enshrined in international human rights treaties, requires a comprehensive policy which includes both various measures of prevention as well as effective intervention. Such interventions are only possible if professionals working with and for children, as well as others who have the knowledge and skills for a timely identification of these children, report such instances of violence to the relevant authorities. However, identification and reporting are not goals in themselves; they are tools for providing the child victim with all necessary protection and support for a full recovery. The focus in this chapter is on timely identification and reporting whilst keeping in mind that these acts are only the beginning of efforts to provide the child with the protection to which he or she is entitled. This chapter will present and discuss international standards and practices of identification and reporting of child abuse, neglect and other forms of violence in the family and other care settings, the work place, and the community, in particular various forms of sexual exploitation of children.