Behind Closed Doors
Behind Closed Doors
Behind Closed Doors
The children in this picture are supporting our campaign, and are not victims of domestic violence.
Introduction
What do children need? We know the answer from our own childhoods. First and foremost, children need a safe and secure home, free of violence, and parents that love and protect them. They need to have a sense of routine and stability, so that when things go wrong in the outside world, home is a place of comfort, help and support. For too many children, home is far from a safe haven. Every year, hundreds of millions of children are exposed to domestic violence at home, and this has a powerful and profound impact on their lives and hopes for the future.1 These children not only watch one parent violently assaulting another, they often hear the distressing sounds of violence, or may be aware of it from many telltale signs. Me and my sister are scared, says one nine-year-old girl who lives in a violent home in the United Kingdom. Our parents fight a lot and we fear they might split up. They fight when we're upstairs. They don't think we know what's going on, but we do.2 Several studies also reveal that children who witness domestic violence are more likely to be affected by violence as adults either as victims or perpetrators.5 Children who are exposed to violence in the home are denied their right to a safe and stable home environment. Many are suffering silently, and with little support. Children who are exposed to violence in the home need trusted adults to turn to for help and comfort, and services that will help them to cope with their experiences. Far more must be done to protect these children and to prevent domestic violence from happening in the first place. This report, developed jointly by UNICEF, The Body Shop International and the Secretariat for the United Nations Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children, examines some of the underlying causes of domestic violence and the impact on children of being exposed to violence in the home.
Contents
Introduction Some of the biggest victims of domestic violence are the smallest An unspoken problem, with no easy answers Understanding the extent of the problem Key findings What children need Moving forward: what policyholders must do Annex 1 Map of Countries by Regional Grouping Annex 2 Estimated number of children exposed to domestic violence Endnotes 3 3 5 5 7 9 11 12 13 14
Violence in the home is one of the most pervasive human rights challenges of our time. It remains a largely hidden problem that few countries, communities or families openly confront. Violence in the home is not limited by geography, ethnicity, or status; it is a global phenomenon.
Creating The Report: The Body Shop International and UNICEF Partnership
Through the Stop Violence in the Home campaign, The Body Shop International is working with charitable and government partners all over the world, encouraging millions of people to speak out and take action against violence in the home. In 2005, the campaign was launched in 35 countries throughout the Americas, Asia, Africa, Australasia, Europe and the Middle East. In 2006, Stop Violence in the Home turns its attention to children, the forgotten victims of violence in the home. The campaign is raising funds and awareness to help ensure that all victims of domestic violence are better protected and supported, including children.
The child in this picture is supporting our campaign, and is not a victim of domestic violence.
Key findings
Children who live with and are aware of violence in the home face many challenges and risks that can last throughout their lives.
There is increased risk of children becoming victims of abuse themselves.
There is a common link between domestic violence and child abuse. Among victims of child abuse, 40 per cent report domestic violence in the home.10 One study in North America found that children who were exposed to violence in the home were 15 times more likely to be physically and/or sexually assaulted than the national average.11 This link has been confirmed around the world, with supporting studies from a range of countries including China, South Africa, Colombia, India, Egypt, the Philippines, and Mexico.12 Children who grow up with violence in the home learn early and powerful lessons about the use of violence in interpersonal relationships to dominate others, and might even be encouraged in doing so.21 Not all children fall into the trap of becoming victims or abusers. Many adults who grew up with violence in the home are actively opposed to violence of all kinds. There is reason to believe that children know that domestic violence is wrong and actively want it to stop. Many children who are present during acts of domestic violence try to help. One study showed that in 15 per cent of the cases when children were present, they tried to prevent the violence, and 6 per cent tried to get outside help. Another 10 per cent actively tried to protect the victim or make the violence stop.22
There is significant risk of ever-increasing harm to the childs physical, emotional and social development.
Infants and small children who are exposed to violence in the home experience so much added emotional stress that it can harm the development of their brains and impair cognitive and sensory growth.13 Behaviour changes can include excessive irritability, sleep problems, emotional distress, fear of being alone, immature behaviour, and problems with toilet training and language development.14 At an early age, a childs brain is becoming hard-wired for later physical and emotional functioning. Exposure to domestic violence threatens that development. As they grow, children who are exposed to violence may continue to show signs of problems. Primary-school-age children may have more trouble with school work, and show poor concentration and focus. They tend not to do as well in school. In one study, forty per cent had lower reading abilities than children from non-violent homes.15 Personality and behavioural problems among children exposed to violence in the home can take the forms of psychosomatic illnesses, depression, suicidal tendencies, and bed-wetting.16 Later in life, these children are at greater risk for substance abuse, juvenile pregnancy and criminal behaviour than those raised in homes without violence.17 Some studies suggest social development is also damaged. Some children lose the ability to feel empathy for others. Others feel socially isolated, unable to make friends as easily due to social discomfort or confusion over what is acceptable. Many studies have noted that children from violent homes exhibit signs of more aggressive behaviour, such as bullying, and are up to three times more likely to be involved in fighting.18 One Australian study showed that up to 40 per cent of chronically violent teenagers have been exposed to extreme domestic violence.19
There is a strong likelihood that this will become a continuing cycle of violence for the next generation.
The single best predictor of children becoming either perpetrators or victims of domestic violence later in life is whether or not they grow up in a home where there is domestic violence. Studies from various countries support the findings that rates of abuse are higher among women whose husbands were abused as children or who saw their mothers being abused.20
The child in this picture is supporting our campaign, and is not a victim of domestic violence.
Children need to know that there are adults who will listen to them, believe them and shelter them.
Adults who work with children, including teachers, social workers, relatives, and parents themselves, need the awareness and skills to recognise and meet the needs of children exposed to violence in the home and to refer children to appropriate services. Close, dependable relationships can also help children reduce the stress of living in a violent home. Children who have an adult who gives them love, warmth and attentive care cope better than those who do not.23 Children who are exposed to violence in the home need to know that they are not alone and that the violence is not their fault.
Children need to learn that domestic violence is wrong and learn non-violent methods of resolving conflicts.
Children must hear it re-affirmed that domestic violence is wrong. They have to see alternative role models in order to grow up with a positive idea of the future. Several countries have instituted programmes that teach young people how to avoid violence in personal relationships. Schools are key in the strategy. School-based programmes can reduce aggression and violence by helping children to develop positive attitudes and values, and a broader range of skills to avoid violent behaviour.25 Other successful programmes emphasise conflict resolution, cooperative play and positive role models.
The child in this picture is supporting our campaign, and is not a victim of domestic violence.
Violence has no place in a childs life. With a clear vision and concrete action, we can and must give children a brighter and more peaceful future.
Private Sector Engagement
Corporate social responsibility is a growing priority for the private sector. Increasingly, companies are recognising their responsibility to address issues that impact their customers, employees, the environment and the communities in which they work. Corporations have a critical role to play in addressing the impact of domestic violence on children. UNICEF and The Body Shop International encourage businesses to ensure that time and resources are committed to protecting and supporting children who are exposed to violence in the home. The private sector can: Finance or otherwise support initiatives that seek to prevent domestic violence and services that support all victims of domestic violence, including children. Actively engage in partnerships with NGOs to develop public awareness and communication campaigns and fundraising initiatives. Increase awareness of the issue through innovative employee education and training programmes. Take action to persuade governments to take the issue of domestic violence and its impact on children seriously.
Enhance social services that address the impact of violence in the home on children.
Governments must specifically allocate resources to support children who are exposed to violence in the home, within the overall context of prevention and support for adult victims of domestic violence. Interventions that support children who are exposed to domestic violence are crucial in minimising the long-term harm. Some innovative programmes exist to address the needs of these children, for example through training staff who work with children to detect early warning signs and to provide appropriate responses and support.28 Early detection programmes that train health care workers to ask women about domestic violence can also help to break the silence and encourage women to seek help.29
The children in this picture are supporting our campaign, and are not victims of domestic violence.
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Annex 1
Regional Estimates of the Number of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence by MDG (Millennium Development Goals) Region
These are the official regions as defined by the United Nations Millennium Project, http://www.unmillenniumproject.org
Developed countries Commonwealth of Independent States Northern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Latin America & the Caribbean Eastern Asia Southern Asia South-eastern Asia Western Asia Oceania
Annex 2
National Estimates of the Number of Children Exposed to Domestic Violence for The Body Shop International Countries where available
Source: United Nations Secretary-Generals Study on Violence against Children (forthcoming, 2006).
240,000 to 963,000 8,000 to 42,000 85,000 to 362,000 1.6 to 8.5 million 339,000 to 2.7 million 82,000 26,000 to 170,000 22,000 61,000 240,000 to 802,000 1 million 45,000 237,000 to 431,000 2,000 385,000 to 1.1 million 28,000 38,000 to 68,000 44,000 to 168,000 300,000 1 million 500,000 to 1.3 million 188,000 46,000 8,000 to 76,000 2 to 6.2 million 75,000 to 640,000 75,000 to 82,000 427,000-875,000 1.2 million 951,000 18,000 to 35,000 1.8 to 3.2 million 903,000 to 2.6 million 27.1 to 69 million 6.1 million
Austria Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Greece Holland Iceland Italy Kuwait Norway Portugal Romania Saudi Arabia South Africa Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey
Asia Pacific
This map does not reflect a position by UNICEF or The Body Shop International on the legal status of any country or territory or the delimitation of any frontiers.
Global Estimate Developed countries Commonwealth of Independent States Northern Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Latin America & Caribbean Eastern Asia Southern Asia South-eastern Asia Western Asia Oceania
133 to 275 million 4.6 to 11.3 million 900,000 to 3.6 million No Estimate 34.9 to 38.2 million 11.3 to 25.5 million 19.8 to 61.4 million 40.7 to 88.0 million No Estimate 7.2 to 15.9 million 548, 000 to 657,000
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Endnotes
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See Annex 2 on previous page. ChildLine, A ChildLine Information Sheet: Domestic Violence, United Kingdom, 2004. http://www.childline.org.uk/pdfs/DomesticViolence.pdf World Health Organization, World Report on Violence and Health, ed. by Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002. Brown, Brett V., and Sharon Bzostek, Violence in the Lives of Children, Cross Currents, Issue 1, Child Trends DataBank, August 2003. World Health Organization, World Report on Violence and Health, ed. By Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002; James, M., Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention, Issues in Child Abuse Prevention, 1994; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Calverton, MD, ORC Macro, Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health in Eastern Europe and Eurasia: A Comparative Report, Atlanta, GA 2003; Indermaur, David, Young Australians and Domestic Violence, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 195, Canberra, 2001. Ellsberg, M. and Heise, L. Researching Violence against Women. A Practical Guide for Researchers and Acitivists. Washington DC, United States: World Health Organization, PATH, 2005. United Nations Population Fund, State of the Worlds Population, New York, 2000. World Health Organization, World Report on Violence and Health, ed. By Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002; Moffitt, Terrie E., and Avshalom Caspi, Findings About Partner Violence from the Dunedin Multi-Disciplinary Health and Development Study, Research in Brief, National Institute of Justice, Washington DC, July 1999; Kishor, S., and Johnson, K., Profiling Domestic Violence A Multi-Country Study, Calverton MD: ORC Macro, 2004; Population Information Program, Ending Violence Against Women, Population Reports, Series L, Number 11, 1999; Victoria Department of Human Health Services, The Health Costs of Violence, Measuring the Burden of Disease Caused by Intimate Partner Violence, Victoria, 2004. Rodgers, K. Wife assault: the findings of a national survey. Juristat Service Bulletin, 1994, 14:1-22, cited in World Health Organization, World Report on Violence and Health, ed. by Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002. World Health Organization, World Report on Violence and Health, ed. By Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002. Volpe, J.S., Effects of Domestic Violence on Children and Adolescents: An Overview, The American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress, 1996. World Health Organization, World Report on Violence and Health, ed. By Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002. Osofsky, Joy D., The Impact of Violence on Children, The Future of Children Domestic Violence and Children, Vol. 9, no. 3, 1999; Koenen, K.C., et al., Domestic Violence is Associated with Environmental Suppression of IQ in Young Children, Development and Psychopathology, Vol. 15, 2003, pp. 297-311; Perry, B.D. The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood, Chapter 18 in: Textbook of Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry, (Eds., D. Schetky and E.P. Benedek) American Psychiatric Press, Inc., Washington, D.C. pp. 221-238, 2001; James, M., Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention, Issues in Child Abuse Prevention, 1994. Osofsky, Joy D., The Impact of Violence on Children, The Future of Children Domestic Violence and Children, Vol. 9, no. 3, 1999. James, M., Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention, Issues in Child Abuse Prevention, 1994. Fantuzzo John W. and Wanda K. Mohr, Prevalence and Effects of Child Exposure to Domestic Violence, The Future of Children Domestic Violence and Children, vol. 9, no. 3, 1999; Kernic, M.A. et al., Behavioral Problems among Children whose Mothers are Abused by an Intimate Partner, Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 27, no. 11, 2003, pp. 1231-1246.
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Felitti V.J. et al, The Relationship of Adult Health Status to Childhood Abuse and Household Dysfunction, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Vol. 14, 1998, pp. 245-258; James, M., Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention', Issues in Child Abuse Prevention, 1994; Herrera, V. and McCloskey, L. Gender Differentials in the Risk for Delinquency among Youth Exposed to Family Violence, Child Abuse and Neglect, Vol. 25, no.8, 2001 pp. 1037-1051; Anda, R.F., Felitti, V.J. et al. Abused Boys, Battered Mothers, and Male Involvement in Teen Pregnancy, Pediatrics, Vol. 107, no. 2, 2001, pp.19-27. Baldry, A.C., Bullying in Schools and Exposure to DV, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 27, no. 7, 2003, pp. 713-732; Fantuzzo John W. and Wanda K. Mohr, Prevalence and Effects of Child Exposure to Domestic Violence, The Future of Children Domestic Violence and Children, vol. 9, no. 3, 1999. James, M., Domestic Violence as a Form of Child Abuse: Identification and Prevention, Issues in Child Abuse Prevention, 1994. Indermaur, David, Young Australians and Domestic Violence, Trends and Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, No. 195, Canberra, 2001; Ehrensaft, Miriam K., et al., Clinically Abusive Relationships in an Unselected Birth Cohort: Mens and Womens Participation and Developmental Antecedents, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, vol. 113, no. 2, 2004, pp. 258-271; WHO, World Report on Violence and Health, ed. By Krug, Etienne G., et al., Geneva, 2002; Kyu, Nilar and Atsuko Kanai, Prevalence, Antecedent Causes and Consequences of Dmestic Violence in Myanmar, Asian Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 8, no. 3, 2005, p. 244. Baldry, A.C., Bullying in Schools and Exposure to DV, Child Abuse and Neglect, vol. 27, no. 7, 2003, pp. 713-732; Fantuzzo John W. and Wanda K. Mohr, Prevalence and Effects of Child Exposure to Domestic Violence, The Future of Children Domestic Violence and Children, vol. 9, no. 3, 1999. Spaccarelli, S. et al. Exposure to serious family violence among incarcerated boys: its association with violent offending and potential mediating variables. Violence and Victims, vol. 10, 1995:163-82. Minnesota Center against Violence and Abuse, Making the link, Promoting the safety of Bettered Women and Children Exposed to Domestic Violence. https://www.mincava.umn.edu/link. Richter, L.,The Importance of Caregiver-Child Interactions for the Survival and Healthy Development of Young Children, World Health Organization, Geneva, 2004. Wolfe, David A. and Peter G. Jaffe, Emerging Strategies in the Prevention of Domestic Violence, The Future of Children Domestic Violence and Children, vol. 9, no. 3, 1999. Grossman, D.C. et al., Effectiveness of a Violence Prevention Curriculum among Children in Elementary School: A Randomised Controlled Trial, The Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 27, no. 20, 1997, pp.1605-1. Wolfe, David A. and Peter G. Jaffe, Emerging Strategies in the Prevention of Domestic Violence, The Future of Children Domestic Violence and Children, vol. 9, no. 3, 1999. Asian and Pacific Islander Institute on Domestic Violence (APIAHF), Children, Youth and Their Abused Mothers, 2005. http://www.apiahf.org/apidvinstitute/CriticalIssues/child.htm For example: Child Helpline International of Europe, Hawaiis Healthy Start and Iowas Cornerstone Project, Latin Americas all-women police stations, and Canadas Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy. Population Information Program, Ending Violence Against Women, Population Reports, Series L, Number 11, 1999
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For more information, please contact UNICEF Child Protection Section Programme Division 3 United Nations Plaza New York, NY 10017 (tel)1 (212) 326 7198 For more information on the global Stop Violence in the Home Campaign. Visit www.thebodyshop.com
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