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Children are our nation’s future. As cliché as it may sound, the meaning of this statement remains true. The way that children are being raised and taken care of today will greatly impact the coming years. This is because their circumstances as children will contribute to the kind of adults that they will become in the future. However, it is a fact that many children of today continue to face harsh realities due to abuse and neglect. Many have become victims of people who do not care about the impact of their actions and the effect that it will bring not just to the children but also to the future of the society. This is why different organizations, both private and public, in many countries have taken steps to help children who are in need. Indeed, protecting children is everyone’s business. As an emerging social work professional, this statement has a strong meaning. To me, it means that every individual must extend a conscious effort of learning and applying what they learned in order to protect children against different threats.
First of all, the phrase “protecting children” implies that there are existing threats against children. After all, there will be no need for protection with the absence of threats. Different kinds of threats exist today. One of these is child trafficking. According to Rafferty (2013), “child trafficking, including commercial sexual exploitation (CSE), is one of the fastest growing and most lucrative criminal activities in the world.” Child trafficking is characterized by the buying and selling of children for the purpose of cheaper labor cost or sexual exploitation. Aside from this, child labor is another issue that many children are facing. In many countries, child labor is normal, especially when children do it willingly in order to help their families. However, children who actively work and do adult duties are prone to abuse. Although some of the children’s work may not be actually harmful, the circumstances associated with it can negatively impact their lives. According to Hesketh, Gamlin, Ong, & Camacho (2002), child laborers are at risk of “non-attendance at school, long working hours, physical punishment, limited support networks and poor health.” In other words, even if the children are not forced into labor and even if it is their decision to do so, it can negatively affect them in many ways that they are not aware of. Another issue that plague many children’s lives is violence. There are different kinds of violence against children, and the most common among these is physical violence. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (2014), 6 out of 10 children ages 2 to 14 (amounting to a billion children around the world) experience physical punishment from their caregivers. Moreover, other than physical abuse, many children are also subjected to emotional or psychological abuse, sexual abuse, maltreatment and neglect. Although many of these are done by caregivers or adults intentionally, there are also cases when the abuser are not aware of their actions. All of these are threats that children must be protected from.
Second, the phrase “protecting children” implies the need for action or a conscious effort to ensure children’s welfare and safety. Even if we know that children are being abused or neglected, even if we are concerned about their welfare, and even if we know what to do about it, we are not protecting chidren if we don’t act. Fortunately, several organizations from different countries have extended conscious efforts in order to protect children. For instance, a parent education programme that was offered in Turkey helped reduced the use of physical punishment on children by 73 percent in a span of two years (UNICEF, 2014). On the other hand, the rates of child abuse and neglect in the United Stated were reduced by 48 percent with the help of home visit programme (UNICEF, 2014). Although these programs were conducted with the help of policy workers, social workers, and government officials, the protection of children still lies in every person’s hands. It is through the awareness of people within the communities, their support, and active participation in the program that define its success. As an emerging social worker, I also play a significant role in protecting children because I am in the best position to assist families in applying strategies to protect children who are at risk of abuse and neglect.
Lastly, when we say that “protecting children is everyone’s business,” it means that the effort to extend protection requires learning. This is because there are complexities associated with working together with children and their families. For instance, in China, a one-child-per-family policy has been followed by the citizens since 1979. Based on studies, many of these “only child” “would experience disadvantages in their physical, social, emotional, and psychological development” (Xu, Xie, Liu, Xia, & Liu, 2007). If, by any chance, these children would experience a certain kind of abuse or neglect, there may be difficulties in terms of how to deal with their families because they tend to believe that they are only giving the utmost protection they can give to their only child. Other nationalities may also have different perspectives concerning their families. For example, Hindu families from India have “deep-rooted religious, cultural, and social values” (Medora, 2007). This means that if a social worker like me would work with Hindu families whose children are at risk of any of the possible threats previously mentioned, it is important to learn and understand the complexity surrounding Hindu families’ beliefs and culture in order to ensure successful intervention. In addition, it is important that I understand the concept of child well-being as an emerging social worker, and this is also true for other people who wish to actively participate in the protection of children’s welfare. As Ben-Arieh, Casas, Frones, & Korbin state (2013) “child well-being is best understood within a multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary framework.” Just like any other business, child protection requires active learning and deep understanding of the different aspects that surround the lives of the children and their families.
As I reflect on the statement “protecting children is everyone’s business,” I cannot help but think of the fact that it also the role of everyone to prevent abuse and neglect from happening. The UNICEF’s six strategies to prevent and respond to violence against children is a good example of how prevention is given the top priority in order to minimize the occurrence of neglect and abuse. In this six strategies, the first three points highlight preventive steps. First is to provide support to families, particularly to the parents and caregivers. In this step, they will be encouraged to use positive parenting to reduce the risk of using violence against children (UNICEF, 2014). The second strategy is focused on children. They are provided with resources that will help develop their skills in managing and coping with the challenges in lives so that they will not resort to violence and other risky behaviors that may expose them to abuse (UNICEF, 2014). The third strategy is focused on everyone in the community. By changing their attitudes and perspectives towards the use of violence, abuse and neglect of children may be prevented (UNICEF, 2014). Indeed, prevention is the first key step in protecting children’s lives.
During the Weeks 1 to 6, one of the issues I encountered is understanding the complexities of the system that protects children in Australia. This is because many parts of the system differ from the ones that are followed in my home country. For instance, in Australia, there seems to be a decreased authority of social workers. From a personal perspective, this may prevent the social workers to be creative in using his/her knowledge and practical experiences. On the contrary, I cannot jump into this conclusion based solely on what I think. In order to navigate within the issue of complexities, I asked help from a friend who had an experience in social work in Australia. I asked him questions and I also asked for some explanations regarding the child protection system royal commission. The pieces of information I gathered help me in understanding and appreciating the complexity of child protection system in Australia.
Overall, it is true that protecting children is everyone’s business. Because children hold the nation’s future, it is important to guard them against different kinds of threats, such as child trafficking, child labor, abuse, and neglect. In protecting them, we must make a conscious effort of learning the complexities that surround their lives and the lives of their families. In doing so, it will be easier to understand and implement actions that will ensure children’s safety. It is also imperative to fully understand the meaning of child well-being. Moreover, protecting children also means that preventive measures are carried out in order to minimize the occurrence of child abuse and neglect. As an emerging social worker, I understand that I play a significant role in all of these because I am a key player in building the nation’s future.
References
Ben- Arieh, F. Casas, I. Frønes, & J. E. Korbin, J. E. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of Child Well-Being. Springer Netherlands.
Hesketh, T., Gamlin, J., Ong, M. & Camacho, A. (2012). The psychosocial impact of child domestic work: a study from India and the Philippines. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 97, 773-778. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2012-301816
Rafferty, V. (2013). Child Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation: A Review of Promising Prevention Policies and Programs. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 83, 4, 559–575
United Nations Children’s Fund (2014). Ending violence against children: Six strategies for action. UNICEF. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/publications/files/Ending_Violence_Against_Children_Six_strategies_for_action_EN_2_Sept_2014.pdf
Xu, A,, Xie, X.. Liu, W., Xia, Y. & Liu, D. (2007). Chinese Family Strengths and Resiliency.
Marriage & Family Review, 41:1-2, 143-164.
Medora, N. P. (2007). Strengths and Challenges in the Indian Family. Marriage & Family
Review, 41:1-2, 165-19.
