Inside Health

Scotland is leading the way on child welfare, writes Professor Harry Burns

Over Christmas, several charities asked us to support their work in reducing maltreatment of children. Their stories were heartbreaking and, hopefully, their appeals were successful. Watching them might have given the impression that violence against children was restricted to low-income countries or those affected by war. However, here in Europe, we too have problems.

The World Health Organisation recently hosted a meeting in Estonia to discuss the issue of violence against children. Of 190 million European children, WHO estimates that, each year, at least 55 million will experience some form of violence. This might be physical, sexual, emotional, psychological or a mixture. Much of the abuse goes unreported, but it is estimated that 9.6 per cent of under-18s in the WHO Europe region experience sexual abuse, 22.9 per cent physical abuse and 29.1 per cent emotional abuse. Also, 700 children in the region are murdered every year. Is the UK any different?

In 2017, the NSPCC published a report on abuse and neglect of UK children.it asked 18 to 24-year-olds about their experience of abuse and neglect in a telephone survey. Nearly 24 per cent had experienced domestic violence and 11 per cent had been abused sexually. While respondents were randomly selected, this method has limitations. However, the results are broadly similar to elsewhere in Europe.

Results in individual UK countries were surprising, however. The report recorded offences of cruelty and neglect of children under

16. Between 2009/10 and 2015/6, they found increasing numbers of such offences by a parent or carer in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Offences doubled in England and tripled in Wales. Much of this increase may reflect better reporting. Scotland, however, experienced a 56 per cent reduction in reported offences against children. Why has Scotland bucked the trend? It’s hard to imagine Police Scotland record crime less efficiently.

Since 2008, the Scottish Government has implemented a series of policies to improve children’s welfare. Could it be that Scotland’s approach to children’s well-being is making a difference? Policies such as support for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ‘Getting it right for every child’ (Girfec) and the improvement collaboratives which have enhanced wellbeing and development of babies and children have been implemented. This focus on children’s well-being may have been instrumental in delivering significant reduction in offences against children while the rest of the UK has seen significant increases.

The WHO conference suggested a package of policies to address violence against children. It encourages countries to implement and enforce laws; develop a culture of norms and values; provide safe environments, parent and caregiver support; strengthen economies and enhance income for poorer families; improve the responsiveness of support services and provide better education. Many of these policies are already in place in Scotland.

The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children designates as pathfinder countries those that have made a formal, public commitment to action to end all forms of violence against children. Ending such abuse is also part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. WHO relies on pathfinder countries to lead regional action on the prevention of and response to violence against children. Perhaps Scotland could be the pathfinder country for the UK?