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Taiwan Foundation for Children reports on abuse in 2006

A selection of "top ten child protection news items for 2006" was announced yesterday by a civil rights group aimed at raising awareness of child abuse.

More than 500 social workers, journalists, lawyers, academics and government representatives voted on the list, the Taiwan Foundation for Children and Families said at a news conference yesterday. According to the report, physical and sexual abuse were the leading kinds of abuse among 199 reported cases.

The study showed that 56 percent of child abuse victims would become more violent later in their lives. Other consequences include social isolation, anti-social behavior and confused gender roles.

According to Huang Pi-hsia (黃碧霞), director of the Children's Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior, 77 percent of child abuse occurs before children reach the age of six because pre-school children are the most helpless.

She said news from last year indicated adult suicide with their children was a growing trend.

Among the cases, 48 percent of the children were between 6 to 12 years old. This is because children of this age group still lack the ability to make their own judgments, the group said.

Assistant Professor April Shen (沈瓊桃) of National Taiwan University, on the other hand, believes that child abuse can be prevented and stopped.

Shen told the press conference that child abuse can be prevented if the cause can be identified and solved by preventive measures such as counseling, education and promoting the concept of children's rights.

Shen suggested child abuse could be dealt with in part by providing help line numbers.
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