Abuse and Violence Towards Young Children
Perspectives on Research and Policy

Levels of violence, abuse and neglect in early childhood are reported internationally as having reached epidemic proportions. The prevalence of all forms of violence to children has been difficult to establish, particularly in low and middle income countries. However, even in countries with a high GDP, the sexual abuse of children and young people by predatory adults may continue undetected for decades. In parts of Africa young children are mutilated and killed for religious reasons. Physical beatings that injure and break bones are still common in the Western world. Pornography and sexual abuse involving young children is propagated worldwide through the internet. The prevention of this violence will require substantial shifts in parental and public attitudes to children and the development and support of national systems of preventive legislation.

The last 20 years has seen the emergence of a body of material which interrogates early childhood violence and neglect in a wider range of global settings, particularly those countries with a low GDP. This book aims to highlight important features of national and international initiatives which are rooted in findings from systematic research. The continued abuse and neglect of children has been attributed to social acceptance, not understanding the importance of reporting abuse, and the limitations of child welfare systems. This book will be of interest to practitioners in health care, education, and social work services, as well as field workers implementing programmes to address all forms of abuse at family, community and national level. This book was originally published as a special issue of Early Child Development and Care.

1. Protection against violence, abuse and neglect in early childhood: a literature review 2. Supportive Family Contexts: Promoting Child Well-being and Resilience 3. Changing Landscapes in Safeguarding Young Children in England 4. Early Childhood education as a resilience intervention for maltreated children 5. Bullied Children: Parent and School Supports 6. Witchcraft branding and the abuse of African children in the UK: Causes, effects and professional intervention 7. Child sexual abuse in early childhood care and education 8. CASA Strong Beginnings: Raising awareness across Early Childhood and Child Welfare Systems 9. The predictive effects Behaviour Problems Variables has on peer victimisation in Pre-school children between the ages of five and six 10. Delinquent Risks of Parental Abuse at the age of 11 years among at-risk youths 11. Predictors of harsh parenting practices in parents of children with disabilities 12. Combating violence against children: Jordanian pre-service early childhood teachers’ perceptions toward child’s abuse and neglect 13. Vulnerability of Internally Displaced Children in Disaster Relief Camps of Pakistan: Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward 14. The Impact of Conflict in Syria on Syrian Children at the Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan

Roy Evans has many years of experience of research with young children, especially on issues related to the early identification of children at risk. He has published and lectured widely on those conditions in children’s lives which put them at risk of injury, failure to thrive, underachievement and reduced life chances. He has been International Editor of Early Child Development and Care since 1977 and Editor of the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth since its inception in 1982.