How safe are our children?

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has published its fifth yearly, How Safe are our Children? report for 2017, which emphasizes protection of childhood.

It is evident that professionals employed in this sector owe to an increased number of resources while more children are obtaining adequate protection. Coinciding with this, are the advocacy and awareness campaigns that have led to an increasing number of investigative works pertaining to child abuse, with members of civil society reporting such abuse far more frequently.

"Are we doing enough?" This is a dominant question and theme central in this document. In short, authorities and officials have displayed increased efforts and results when safeguarding youth and children.

Increased Understanding of Abuse:

Contemporary and emergent patterns in the comprehension of the abuse of children have been frequented amongst professionals and the general public, alike. 

Sexual and physical exploitation tend to dominate discourse on child abuse, however we must note that emotional abuse may induce the same affects as the former kinds of abuse upon youth. In fact, emotional abuse has recently been a primary driver prompting more youth to be enrolled under a protection plan within England. In 2003, these levels reached 23%, however in 2016, this figure had risen to 35%. The equivalent rate in Wales reached 19% in 2006, while 2016 signified an increased to 34%. 

Furthermore, the organization's helpline had witnessed an increased volume of individuals contact the hotline, for in 2011 and 2012, figures demonstrate that the hotline received 5,878 contacts reporting emotional abuse whereas this figure grew to 10,009 in 2016 and 2017, ultimately constituting a 70% increase, thus signifying the most expansive form of reported abuse among all forms, in the past five years.

This year, the NSPCC had received 66,000 calls, an unprecedented record throughout its time. This number demonstrates that citizens are becoming increasingly vocal about such concerns, which ultimately assists those working and volunteering within relevant services.