NCJ Number
158156
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 19 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1995) Pages: 1209-1219
Date Published
1995
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Because there is a lack of knowledge about the problem of child abuse in Arab societies, a study was conducted to determine how 353 West-Bank students of social science perceived child maltreatment.
Abstract
An instrument constructed for this study was used to examine the following subjects: students' perceptions of situations of child maltreatment, their awareness of signs that children have been maltreated, their awareness of risk factors that could be related to this problem, and their willingness to report cases of child maltreatment. The results show a high level of agreement among students in their views of situations that constitute child abuse and neglect. Differences were found in their willingness to report situations of child maltreatment. There was a higher tendency among the students to report situations of abuse compared to neglect. The students were inclined to minimize social and cultural conditions as risk factors and to disregard signs that do not involve explicit signals that child maltreatment has occurred or is occurring. Implications of these findings for the development of child protection services in Arab societies are discussed. 4 tables and 19 references