Overview of the special issue on child maltreatment and bullying: Different perspectives

Abstract

Received: February 25, 2013 Accepted: February 27, 2013 Infants and children are among the most vulnerable members of society. While the majority experience a good or nurturing environment, a significant minority have some substantial experience of maltreatment or abuse. For infants this may often be perpetrated by adults; for older children, often by peers. A common factor is repeated attacks against a weaker victim. This may be called maltreatment, abuse, bullying, or harassment, depending on the age of the victim and the context (e.g. home, school, community) (1). Common to all of these is a fundamental disrespect for human rights, and often severe negative consequences for all concerned, but most especially for the victims. This valuable collection of articles provides overviews of a range of such phenomena, from a number of countries and from varied disciplinary perspectives. The most irreversible form of abuse is homicide. We know that infanticide occurs across human societies. Koehler and Applegate (2) provide an important overview of cases in which Sudden Infant Death syndrome (SIDS) can be homicide. SIDS is most common between 2 to 6 months, and is diagnosed when a relatively healthy infant fails to wake up from sleep. Most SIDS cases do not involve maltreatment, but from the evidence it seems that some 1% to 5% are homicides (as for example evidenced by subsequent confessions). There is a natural reluctance to pursue the possibility of homicide following an apparent SIDS case, but Koehler and Applegate (2) provide a strong case that this should always be seriously (though sensitively) considered. One reason is that this can help prevent repeated homicides, of Child maltreatment and bullying