Child Abuse and Neglect: Part 1— Redefining the Issues

For a complete list and the full text of the papers in the Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice series, visit the AIC web site at: In order to gain an understanding of the complexities surrounding child abuse and neglect, it is initially necessary to consider the historical context. From the beginning of the nineteenth century to the 1960s, concern was primarily centred on the protection of society from children and on the control of delinquent youth. The main focus on children was, therefore, in terms of the prevention of crime and antisocial behaviour (Parton 1985). Towards the end of the nineteenth century, during the industrial revolution, child neglect became recognised as a societal concern throughout most of the western world, with initial concerns for abandoned and physically neglected children resulting in the formation of the first child protection societies (1988). The increasing awareness of child abuse as a problem parallels children's increasing legal status and the emergence of the child as an individual (Edwards 1996). Over the past thirty years, developments have placed child abuse and neglect on the public agenda in ways not previously seen. Australia, like other western countries, began to acknowledge the existence and extent of the physical abuse of children during the 1960s and 1970s. This process began with an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1962 by Kempe and his colleagues where the term " Battered Child Syndrome " was first used (Kempe et al. 1962), and medical practitioners were challenged to recognise the incidence of injuries intentionally inflicted on young children. The controversy surrounding the Kempe et al. proposition, therefore, drew attention to the issues of physical abuse and neglect. It was then recognised that widespread damage was being caused by society's denial of the problem (Helfer & Kempe 1976). Professional concern was accompanied by legislative reform. At an international level, this led to the United Few social issues evoke extreme emotive responses, both publicly and privately, as child abuse and neglect. This is not surprising as childhood is perceived by many to be a time of innocence and nurturing. Issues surrounding family behaviour are primarily regarded as essentially private, although legislative and institutional reforms have provided for a public response to any report of child maltreatment. How successful have academics and legal professionals been in placing this item onto the political agenda? How has welfare …