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By Ma Kyung-hee
With increasing media coverage and research, child maltreatment has become an important topic of public and political discourse around the globe. Many countries, including South Korea, consider child maltreatment a grave public health and societal problem and have allocated resources to identify and reduce risk factors. Other countries, however, have not yet fully recognized the profound, long-term consequences.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines child maltreatment as any form of physical and/or emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, negligence and commercial or other exploitation, resulting in actual or potential harm to the child's health, survival, development or dignity in the context of a relationship of responsibility, trust or power. Nearly three in four of the world's roughly 400 million children aged 2 to 4 years old regularly experience physical punishment and/or psychological maltreatment from parents or caregivers. One in five women and one in 13 men report having been sexually abused before the age of 18.
Violence and abuse committed against children in Korea have been on the rise as well. According to government data, in 2021 alone there were 37,605 reported cases of child abuse and neglect, a 21.7 percent increase from 2020. Multi-type abuse, predominately the combination of physical and emotional abuse, is the most prevalent at 42.6 percent, followed by emotional (32.8 percent), physical (15.4 percent), neglect (7.4 percent) and sexual abuse (1.7 percent). Forty children died as a result of abuse and neglect; close to half (47.5 percent) of them were under the age of 2. Considering that child maltreatment is largely underreported, the actual number of cases is estimated to be much higher, and only a small number of child victims receive professional help.
Existing Korean child welfare policies and services tend to focus on obvious forms of abuse while ignoring the conditions in which child maltreatment occurs. Child maltreatment commonly occurs in the context of domestic violence with a 30 to 60 percent overlap. Repeated exposure to maltreatment causes changes in brain structure and function that contribute to poor concentration, task completion and problem-solving skills.
These children are more likely to exhibit externalizing behaviors of emotional deregulation, such as aggression, defiance and bullying. As they move into adolescence, they are more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors including petty crimes, violence, substance use and unsafe sexual activity. Emotional and social problems may include feelings of unworthiness, shame, heightened anxiety, depression, anger, fear, social withdrawal and poor interpersonal skills. The effects of childhood maltreatment are often found to last into adulthood, significantly reducing quality of life and individual functioning.
Preventing child maltreatment requires addressing the needs of children at different developmental stages. Limited studies reveal that domestic violence and abuse reach the highest levels during a woman's pregnancy, which can lead to neglect of newborns and poor attachment. Most extant studies examining child abuse and neglect in Korea have focused on early childhood, but as mentioned above, the effects of maltreatment last a lifetime for certain individuals. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of child maltreatment will serve as a strong basis for developmentally appropriate (therapeutic) interventions and policy development.
Early identification of risk factors, as well as protective factors, is critical. Investing in community and societal-level prevention strategies in tandem with pre-existing intra-personal and inter-personal strengths can create and strengthen contexts that safeguard children. Finally, comprehensive parental education and training in child nurturing and stress management skills can also reduce the risk. These programs may be used as a point of departure for efforts to create a safe, stable, nurturing and supportive environment that every child deserves in order to grow and thrive.
Ma Kyung-hee (kyungheem@daum.net) is an editor and researcher specializing in mental health. This article was prepared in celebration of Children's Day in Korea.
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