Child abuse figures are “higher than records show”
A Local child protection
agencies are concerned that the number of sexually abused and maltreated
children could be far higher than estimated following a surge in numbers in
2009. Figures from the Our Child Foundation, a child protection agency, show
that the number of young people suffering sexual abuse and forced into
prostitution and pornography increased 95 percent to 834 last year, with most
of these children (633) aged between 6 and 15.
B Meanwhile, the total number
of psychically maltreated and neglected children almost tripled last year to
3,613 cases. Again, most of them (2,036) were aged 6 to 15. But Our Child
Foundation Director Zuzana Baudyšová says the true figures are much higher
given that most cases of neglect go unrecorded. “The statistics show that the
number of abused children is just a fraction of the total population. Most
cases of abuse and neglect go on behind closed doors, and that is a real
problem because there is no transparency”, she said. “Experts estimate the
number of unexposed cases in the Czech
Republic at 20,000 to
40,000.” She said the increase in cases last year was mainly due to the fact
that cases of neglected children were recorded for the first time.
C Hana Petráková, director of
the nongovernmental agency Safety Line (Linka bezpečí), which provides a
hotline service for children in crisis, shares similar concerns. “According to
our data, the numbers of children calling the safety line is because sexual
abuse is on the rise, and it is mostly cases where the child knows or is close
to the person rather than commercially organized exploitation”, she said. “But
I believe it is not possible to say exactly whether there is an actual increase
in numbers or whether it is an increase in the number of children who know
their rights better, are more aware that this is something that should not be
happening to them and know how to defend themselves.”
D Meanwhile, according to
Interior Ministry statistics, there were a total of 8,559 missing children last
year, 1,433 fewer than in 2008, but an increase from the 2000 figure of 5,581.
Petráková said the increase
is due to societal changes, namely the increased use of the Internet. “Over the
past 10 years, there has been a huge increase in usage. Children communicate
more, and children divulge a lot of private information, and thus they have
become more vulnerable”, she said.
Petráková also said that
many of these children are those who have escaped from juvenile homes and other
institutions. “These children might be longing to return to their family,
friends and former lifestyle”, she said. “They might have trouble coping with
the regime inside the institutions. And they might feel they would be better
off living independently.”
E The statistics show that 82
children who went missing in 2009 have not yet been found. As of May 10, a total of 2,660 children
and juveniles were reported missing, of whom 2,141 were aged 15 to 18. Of the
total for this year, 316 children are still missing. In order to combat the
problem, the Interior Ministry launched a "national coordination mechanism
for the search of missing children" May 11. The program is designed to
improve the search for missing children.
"I perceive the
extension of network services to help victims and working with families as
crucial," Petráková said. "But we need to continue educating children
in depth about their rights and the ways to solve various problems before their
lives and health are endangered. Educating parents is also important."
1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.
1 Abuse procedes behind the closed door
2 Internet has an influence on abuse
3 The number of sexually abused
children is higher
4 Introduction
5Programme for missing children
2) Read the article again and answer the questions.
1 What is the article about?
2 What does Mrs Baudyšová speak about?
3 What is Safety Line?
4 How does the Internet influence child abuse?
5 How are missing children helped?
3) Explain the following words.
1 neglect
2 nongovernmental agency
3 prostitution
4 juvenile homes
5 victim
4) Answer the following questions.
What is child abuse?
What are types of child abuse? Why do children run away from homes? Who is a victim?
No comments:
Post a Comment