CHILD PROTECTION 'LINK'
Children in humanitarian settings are especially vulnerable. During armed conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies, children may be forced to flee their homes, some torn from their families and exposed to exploitation and abuse along the way. They risk injury and death. They may be recruited by armed forces. Especially for girls and women, the threat of gender-based violence soars.
CHILD PROTECTION
Millions of children are on the move. Some are driven from their homes by conflict, poverty or climate change. Others leave in the hope of finding a better life. Far too many encounter danger, detention, deprivation and discrimination on their journeys, at destination or upon return.
Violent conflicts, natural disasters and other crises force thousands of girls and boys from their parents and caregivers each year. Some children are separated from their families during the chaos of a humanitarian emergency. Others may be pulled away by parties involved in a violent conflict. Those who receive early support in tracing their relatives are more likely to be reunified.
Children exposed to conflict, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises can suffer severe psychological and social consequences. Mental health and psychosocial support for children affected by emergencies is essential.
In areas affected by conflict, natural disasters and other emergencies, people trust aid workers to assist and protect them. The vast majority do so with professionalism and integrity. But some aid workers abuse their position of power through the sexual exploitation and abuse of those who depend on them, including children.
Across the world, millions of children interact with justice systems every year. They could be victims or witnesses to a crime. They could be alleged, accused or recognized as having broken the law. They could be in need of care or safety, or seeking to protect their rights. But justice systems do not always fulfil the promise of fairness. And in some places, they fail to uphold children's most basic rights.
Social service workers are often the first line of response for children in harm's way. Working closely with children and families, they identify and manage risks that children may be exposed to at home and elsewhere, especially those related to violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect, discrimination and poverty.
UNICEF works in more than 150 countries to protect children from violence, exploitation and abuse. We partner with governments, businesses, civil-society organizations and communities to prevent all forms of violence against children, and to support survivors, including with mental health and psychosocial services. Our efforts strengthen child protection systems to help children access vital social services, from birth through adolescence.
The girls at greatest risk of early marriage are often those hardest to reach. In 2016, UNICEF and UNFPA launched a global programme to tackle child marriage in 12 of the most high-prevalence and high-burden countries.
Help us protect Louisiana's children. Report Child Abuse & Neglect and Juvenile Sex Trafficking: 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437) toll-free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. All calls are confidential.
Child protection investigation is the investigation of child abuse and neglect, as well as the provision of short-term, concrete services to children and families. These services are legally mandated, specialized investigations and social services for children who are alleged to be neglected, abused, exploited or without proper custody or guardianship.
The investigation process begins with a report of child abuse and/or neglect of a child living in a family, daycare center and restrictive care facilities, or a foster home. Reports are received by our Centralized Intake Unit, which consists of trained social workers to screen calls to determine if the reported information constitutes a report of child abuse and/or neglect that Child Welfare should investigate.
The child protection investigation worker investigates the allegations made by the reporter in order to determine whether or not a child has been abused and/or neglected. In addition to the determination of the validity of the report, the worker is responsible for assessing the risk of further harm or injury to a child victim.
The service can be received for as long as it takes to complete the child protection investigation. Once the investigation has been completed, the case is closed if the finding is invalid, or transferred to the Family Services Program if it is valid and there is a need for ongoing sources to the family.
If the child abuse and/or neglect is serious enough to remove the child from the home, the case is staffed prior to the removal and an instanter order is obtained from a judge. The child is then placed in foster care. However, prior to removal, reasonable efforts are made to prevent the removal.
Child protection is the safeguarding of children from violence, exploitation, abuse, and neglect.[1] Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child provides for the protection of children in and out of the home. One of the ways to ensure this is by giving them quality education, the fourth of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, in addition to other child protection systems. To protect a child has to start from conception, even how the conception took place can affect the child's development. For proper child development to take place child protection must be put into consideration.
Child protection can also be said to be the process of protecting children from abuse, neglect, exploitation, and other forms of harm.[2][3][4] It involves identifying signs of potential harm, responding to allegations or suspicions of abuse, providing support and services to protect children, and holding those who have harmed them accountable.[5] Children can also suffer psychological abuse based on how the elders talk to them or scold them. Therefore adequate care should be taken to ensure their emotions are not toyed with.
The primary goal of child protection is to ensure that all children are safe and free from harm.[6][7] This includes physical, emotional, and sexual abuse; neglect; exploitation; and violence. Child protection also works to prevent future harm by creating policies and systems that identify and respond to risks before they lead to harm.[8]
In order to achieve these goals, child protection services must be provided in a holistic way.[9][10][11] This means taking into account the social, economic, cultural, psychological, and environmental factors that can contribute to the risk of harm for individual children and their families. It also requires collaboration across sectors and disciplines to create a comprehensive system of support and safety for children.[12][13]
Child protection is the protection of children from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect.[3] It is the responsibility of individuals, organizations and governments to ensure that children are protected from harm and their rights are respected.[14] This includes providing a safe environment for children to grow and develop, protecting them from physical, emotional and sexual abuse, and ensuring they have access to education, healthcare and other basic needs.[15]
Child protection systems are a set of usually government-run services designed to protect children and young people who are underage and to encourage family stability. UNICEF defines[16] a 'child protection system' as: .mw-parser-output .templatequoteoverflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequoteciteline-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0
Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, on a part- or full-time basis.[17][18] The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. It is considered to be a form of exploitation and is illegal in many countries.[19][20][21]
Due to economic reasons, especially in poor countries, children are forced to work in order to survive. Child labour often happens in difficult conditions, which are dangerous and impair the education of the future citizens and increase vulnerability to adults.[22][23][24] It is hard to know exactly the age and number of children [25] who work. At least 152 million children under 5 years of age worked in 2016, but the figure is underestimated because domestic labour is not counted.[26]
There has been a promise to end child labour internationally in 2020; unfortunately, we are in 2023 and we are looking forward to that of 2030. To achieve this SDG, there is a need to look at what various governments have on child rights and whether there is optimal implementation of such laws/policies.[27]
Government of various countries have stipulated child right act that should serve as protection to every child. The issue of implementation of those child right laws is challenging, since many working in the welfare units are not necessarily trained social workers, especially in Nigeria. In Nigeria, majority of the people planning policies that affect our children are not actually trained for it. These affect the execution of the policy. The policy makers should ensure that those executing those policies and laws are specialists in child care and are willing to care for the welfare of the children. There are lots of good policies that majority of the people are not aware of, which needed public awareness. There should also be supervisors that ensure that those policies are executed.[28]
The implication of child maltreatment and abuse should be criminalized and every parent should be made to enroll children to school at least to secondary school level. UNICEF stated that a child has certain rights, which education is one of them. There should be policing in every community to ensure that no child is left behind while others are in school. Parents who are not committed to educating their children should be brought to book. Government free education should be free indeed. They should enforce it by ensuring that teachers are well paid and that they are discharging their duties effectively. Some do not go to public schools because the children are not being taking care of. Many of our public schools are without fence. Movements are not restricted by children. The children are left to go anywhere and they are exposed to bad influence. No adequate discipline is mated to the children to ensure that they grow under tutelage.[29] 041b061a72