Sweden Maltreatment against small children increases vigorously

September 6, 2011

Comment: The Swedish article in ‘Dagens Nyheter’ cites police reports saying that the number of cases of maltreatment against small children have doubled in the first decade of the 2000’s and still increases. The Government launched an inquiry in order to find out the reasons. Researches show that more around 20.000 children suffer maltreatment every year between the age of 0 and 12.
According to Save the Children the number is much higher, as in many cases the police doesn’t become aware of the actions. This year between January and July 1597 cases were reported which is 10% more than last year’s number at the same period.

The inquiry is to be completed by the end October, the government hopes to find out if the number of cases of maltreatment or only the number of reports have grown. Åsa Landberg, psychiatrist at Save the Children say that “figures show that modest types of corporal punishment within families are today more accepted, while this can be disastrous against small children. This can affect not only child’s corporal but mental health on a longer term in various ways”.

The article is factual and describes the preliminary results of a research in Sweden. It very much focuses on corporal punishment as one form of child abuse. Unfortunately not more is known about why have cases of child maltreatment increased so much in Sweden for small children. Nonetheless it does a good job in raising awareness about the need to stop all corporal punishment of children.

Comment: Rita Savai, Regional Office for Central and South Eastern Europe, Terre des hommes- Child Relief