Maltreatment and other violence at home

Family violence is often perpetrated by those who have greater powers in the family relationship, both within and across generations. Children are often the targets, due to their physical and emotional immaturity. Some families have aggressive ways of relating with each other and use violence as a solution to conflicts or as a teaching/disciplinary strategy. Maltreatment also includes a failure to provide basic care for children. The followings are different types of family violence:

Physical Violence

Physical violence is any intentional, non-accidental use of physical force by parents, caregivers, other family members, and anyone close to the child or teenager, which hurts and injures them. It may or may not leave obvious marks on the body, and sometimes eads to death. Physical violence includes slapping, pinching, kicking, and throwing objects, all of which may cause injuries, traumas, burns, and mutilations.

Is there a difference between physical violence and physical punishment? Physical punishment is a common practice in some countries but is prohibited in others. It deteriorates the relationship between parents and children, blurs moral boundaries, and models aggressive problem-solving. Physical punishment is “physical violence” and should not be used as an educational or disciplinary tool to manage behaviors of children and adolescents. Give them attention when they show signs of problems, and talk to them to understand their struggles to find solutions. (See Menino Bernardo law, and the Child Prevention Law 2000 for Japanese law, regarding physical violence.)

Psychological Violence

Psychological violence is any action or comment that endangers or causes damage to the self-esteem, identity, or development of a child or adolescent. It can be perpetrated in the form of rejection, depreciation, discrimination, disrespect, exaggerated demands, humiliating punishments, or by using children or adolescents to meet the psychological needs of other family members.

Sexual Violence

Sexual violence occurs when someone who is more advanced in their psychosexual development engages in any sexual act or “game” to sexually stimulate a child or adolescent, using them for their own sexual satisfaction. Sexual violence can be perpetuated on children who are the same or opposite sex of the perpetrator. It covers a variety of behaviors and situations such as rape, incest, sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, pornography, pedophilia, touching of genitals, breasts, and anus, penetration, forced intimacy, exhibitionism, sexual games, non-consensual or forced erotic practices, and “voyeurism” (obtaining sexual pleasure through observation). Sexual violence is unfortunately not uncommon in households, and children are often the victims. The perpetrators can be the mother’s partner, biological father, grandfather, uncle, or godfather, as well as mother, grandmother, aunt, or others with whom a child has dependent, affectionate, and trusting relationship. In Brazil, Law 12.015/2009, on Crimes against Sexual Dignity, considers sexual violence in the family as a Statutory Rape, regardless of the gender of the victim, and covers any type of sexual contact (intercourse or other act) with children and adolescents under 14 years of age. It is also a crime to perform such acts in front of minors under 14 years of age or to induce them to witness such acts. In Japan, rape is defined as any non consensual sexual acts and the age of consent is 16.

Negligence

Negligence is the failure by adults (parents or other people responsible for the child or adolescent) to provide basic care needed for the physical, emotional, and social development of children and adolescents. Negligence includes depriving a child or adolescent of medication, health care, education, proper hygiene, stimulation, protection from harm, protection against climatic conditions (cold, heat), access to school, or attention needed for the physical, moral, and spiritual development of the child or adolescent. Abandonment is the most serious form of neglect.