Child abuse accounts for 33,000 calls to 119 a year. In most cases, it is psychological abuse, most often by the mother.
“An underestimation of the concept of danger. This is how Alain Grévot explains the death of little Marina, who succumbed to the blows of her parents in 2009, at the age of 8, in a report on the functioning of social services. However, each year, 255 infanticides are committed according to the Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
2.7 to 11.8 cases per 1,000
Violence against children seems largely overlooked in France. During a symposium organized in the Senate in June 2013, the pediatrician and epidemiologist Anne Tursz noted a real gap between the estimates and the official figures. It is estimated that the rate of children at risk varies between 2.7 and 11.8 per 1,000 depending on the region. Far from the 10% of abused or neglected children in developed countries, according to a study by Lancet. This discrepancy is not surprising: the last report, written by the National Observatory for Social Action (ODAS), on child abuse and their profile dates back to 2006. The National Childhood Observatory in danger (ONED), supposed to take up the torch, has not carried out any such precise study since.
91 calls per day
To get the typical portrait of the abused child, you have to turn to 119, ” Hello childhood in danger. “In 2013, it handled 33,000 calls, or 91 per day … The 2014 bulletin, however, provides a fairly precise picture of the mistreatment of children. In nearly 13,000 cases, the information was considered “worrying”, which means that the child concerned is in danger or at risk of danger. At the origin of these calls, the parents first (15%), the minor concerned second (11%).
A peak between 10 and 13 years old
Before the age of 12, it is boys who are most at risk, then the trend is reversed, this annual report tells us. But overall, a certain balance emerges between the two sexes, with a peak of cases between 10 and 13 years. Psychological violence, often ignored, still represented one in three calls. Physical violence (24%) and heavy negligence (18%) followed. In 9 out of 10 cases, the alleged perpetrator was an adult: mother (48%), father (32%) and in-laws (9%). This corresponds perfectly to the explanation of Unit 750 of Inserm, which considers that psycho-affective factors are predominant in child abuse.
Once these calls have been made, are they followed up with action? In 8 out of 10 worrying situations, an evaluation was commissioned, mainly by social services. Proximity monitoring in mind, but also administrative or judicial measures if the mistreatment is proven.
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