Today we tackle a hard topic; Hard but necessary. We have been seeing the conclusions of a recent study conducted in Chile to determine the prevalence, frequency and characteristics of physical and psychological abuse in children and girls from that country, and also to determine the prevalence of sexual abuse in that population.
We know that child abuse is a serious problem worldwide, often invisible, often silent, often allowed. Only three countries in Latin America prohibit physical punishment, so any action aimed at making the problem visible and raising awareness about its importance is important.
So does this study conducted in 2012 that divides its results between three types of violence against children:
Psychological violence: it screams at you, it tells you that it does not love you, it insults you or it tells you swear words, it makes fun of you in front of third parties, it does not speak to you for a long period, threatens to hit you or throw you an object, it encloses you.
Mild physical violence: throws things at you, throws your hair or ears, pushes you or shakes you, slaps you or slaps you.
Serious physical violence: kicks you, bites you or punches you, burns you with something (cigar, object, hot water), hits you or tries to hit you with objects, gives you a beating, threatens you with a knife or weapons, Use knives to attack you.
Well, considering this differentiation, the data obtained in the study of Chile indicate that 71% of children receive some type of violence from your mother and / or father. 51.5% suffer some type of physical violence and 25.9% of children suffer serious physical violence.
These are overwhelming figures that show how since 1994 there has been a decrease in violence, however, in the last three measurements carried out in the country, it can be seen that serious physical violence has remained unchanged.
Abuse between parents and alcohol consumption in the family are some of the risk factors related to abuse.
In addition there is a specific section dedicated to child sexual abuse, in which we see that the average age of children, the first time they suffer abuse, is eight and a half years. Sexual abuse is a crime and 8.7% of the children who participated in the study acknowledge having experienced situations of sexual abuse.
Needless to say, any type of abuse of children causes them serious harm and apart from physicists, we know that children who suffer tend to develop mental health problems such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, dissociation ... and maybe they are future abusers.
But the physical damages are so impressive that we remember them: in Latin America, abuse kills 80,000 children a year. For all this it is necessary to act.
Among the conclusions of the study, which I consider to be applicable anywhere in the world, it is noted that Chile needs foster a culture of nonviolence, aimed at protecting children and adolescents.
Among the proposed measures: support for foster families, Integral Protection Law and a law that prohibits violence in all its forms, response of the institutions in prevention and repair and support of the media. There is still a long way to go, but it is necessary to insist that the rights of children, of people, cannot be violated in such a flagrant way.
