Maltraitance des enfants – Perspective historique

Abstract

For a problem to “exist,” it must be recognized and named. In France as in Quebec, before the 1970s, cases involving child abuse were considered as isolated incidents, attributed to individuals who were cruel, perverse or acting under the influence of alcohol. Our societies were not different from those in other Western countries, which have covered up, for centuries, the painful reality of child abuse, both at community level and in families. They were the most blatant manifestations of institutionalized child abuse which first caught attention in the 19th century. Some abusive practices involving children were abolished, such as exploitation of child labour and child imprisonment with adult inmates. It was not until the mid-20th century that intrafamilial abuse and neglect were finally recognized. The few previous attempts to raise awareness of the issue had failed, due to the living conditions and the mentality at the time. Indeed for a long time, the family environment was considered as inviolable, paternal authority as absolute and children as property of their parents and enjoying no rights whatsoever.