Ending Violence Against Children

What is child abuse? Child abuse is when a parent or guardian, whether through action or failing to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child. There are many forms of child maltreatment, including:

1. Neglect, when a parent or guardian does not give necessary care, supervision, affection and support needed for a child’s health, safety and well-being.
2. Physical abuse, when a parent or guardian causes any non-accidental physical injury to a child.
3. Sexual abuse, when an adult uses a child for sexual purposes or involves a child in sexual acts. It also includes when a more senior child engages another child for sexual gratification or excitement.
4. Exploitation, the act of using a minor child for profit, labor, sexual gratification, or some other personal or financial advantage.
5. Emotional abuse, when a parent or guardian harms a child’s mental and social development, or causes severe emotional harm.

At St. Michael Community Centre we play an important role in the prevention of child abuse. We strive to PREVENT child abuse and not in safeguarding.

How We Do It: 

We educate people who care for children on how to recognize an abuser and an abused child by their visible behaviors. By doing this one can recognize a child at risk and someone who is a risk to a child and take the appropriate action.

St. Michael Community Centre’s work is about PREVENTION and not the implementation of the Government Policies

Violence compromises children’s development, health and education and has a high cost for society.

One in five children experience physical and/or sexual violence before the age of 18. That is one too many.

Children’s lives are at stake and the consequences of violence can last a lifetime.

How we help the community avert child abuse:-

1. Encouraging abused girls to continue with their education, seek to empower them in girls’ clubs, and offer them skilled training;
2. Supporting families of abused children by increasing their income, because poverty remains one of the biggest causes of child abuse.