Main
As you read this text, perhaps, somewhere in the world a child is being abused in one way or the other. Child abuse is not a new phenomenon and it has always existed in our history.
Most abuse occurs in a child’s home; be that neglect, physical, emotional or sexual abuse.
An abused child is more likely to become a miscreant than anyone else. Statistics show that nearly 70 percent of criminals are victims of maltreatment in their childhood. Apart from the illnesses that abuse leads to, such as post-traumatic stress, depression, anti-social and aggressive behavior, substance abuse, heart and liver diseases, it is too high a cost for society as well. Medical cost, social welfare and special education costs are just few of the woes that child abuse implies for society.
In Georgia, child abuse is one of the most important but at the same time moot points. Children suffer on daily bases, which affect their quality of life. The problem stems from many intertwined factors.
When we help one child, we know that there are still many left behind. Like in many other countries, professionals fail to identify the consequences and do not know how to respond to child abuse. Also, many children suffer from inclement conditions as a result of the transitional period, from communism to a fully-fledged democracy. The large number of people living below the poverty line has forced many parents to send their children to orphanages and has deprived kids from basic health care. Compared to before, in 2009 the number of children living under the poverty line increased with 35, 000. While in 2007 children that were labeled “poor” were 28 percent, in 2009 the number rose to 31 percent. Forty-eight percent of poor children live in households where family members are unemployed. Rural areas are the home of the larger part of poor children with a number as high as 61 percent. Unfortunately, there is a jaundiced view when it comes to employment because projections indicate that compared to 2007 in 2010 there will be 80, 000 more unemployed.
Preventing abuse
At PHMDF, we are dedicated to assisting the state and professionals in identifying child abuse and interfering at an early stage. At the moment we are working on a referral program, which aims to educate professionals of the problem’s subtleties.
To lessen child abuse it is advised to know what child abuse is. It is also important to know that the sings are. Children are most often abused by someone in their family. If you see unexplained bruises, bites, fading burns, black eyes or something bizarre in your kid’s behavior most likely he/she has been a victim of some kind of abuse. To prevent your children from shrinking at the approach of an adult, educate them thoughtfully. If you are upset, calm down and then try to explain. It is important to teach your children their rights so they won’t think that abuse is their fault.
To prevent child abuse we work in six main directions:
1. Lobbying and advocacy: making child protection from violence a priority issue in in Georgia.
2. Awareness raising campaign among the society;
3. Training professionals working with children the significance of child abuse and neglect, the skills of its prevention;
4. Strengthening children to protect their rights;
5. Providing qualified support to children, victims of abuse and neglect.