The role of the community in preventing and combating child abuse

Abstract

The article is devoted to the problem of preventing and countering child abuse. Child maltreatment is a serious and widespread public health problem that causes significant morbidity and mortality. The beginning of a large-scale Russian aggression only complicated the solution of an already difficult situation. The purpose of this article is to analyze the theoretical and legal prerequisites for effective prevention and countermeasures against child abuse at the community level. It is proven that the main focus of effective development and implementation of measures to prevent and combat child abuse is the community, in which various social communications, psychological, economic and social-life relations between various state and municipal authorities, other non-state formations and residents of a certain territory. On the basis of a comprehensive study of scientific, regulatory and legal sources and an analysis of social and legal practices, we came to the conclusion that the main formations that should be actively involved in measures to prevent and combat child abuse at the community level can be conditionally divided into several groups: authorized bodies and local self-government officials; institutions and establishments providing educational, medical and psychological services to the population of the community; religious organizations; public organizations and volunteers; various forms of self-organization of the population. It has been established that community social control and collective efficacy are significant protective factors for all forms of violence against children, but they need to be developed at the level of forming the appropriate social culture and consciousness. Organizational ties are also considered a necessary component of increasing the effectiveness of public control and established systematic work in this direction. In connection with this, it is noted that the community needs a consolidating link, whose role in preventing and countering child abuse at the community level, in our opinion, should be played by children’s services.