Geography of Child Maltreatment in Israel: Findings From a National Data Set of Cases Reported to the Social Services

• NCJ Number: 216318
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 30 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2006 Pages: 991-1003
• Author(s): Asher Ben-Arieh; Muhammad M. Haj-Yahia
• Date Published: September 2006
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the "geography" of reported case of child maltreatment in Israel by determining its frequency and rates by parties' nationality, area of residence, and size and type of locality.

Abstract

The study found significant variation in rates of reported cases of child maltreatment by locality and population composition. For the Nation as a whole, there were 17.8 cases of child maltreatment per 1,000 children in 2000, and the rates varied significantly according to nationality. Child maltreatment rates were lower in Arab communities (9 per 1,000 children) compared to Jewish communities (20 per 1,000); and rates of child maltreatment were higher in large cities and in other socioeconomically affluent areas (19 per 1,000). Rates of reported maltreatment also differed by geography, as the rates in southern Israel were nearly double those in Jerusalem and its surrounding neighborhoods. To some extent, the geographical areas correlated with demographic variables such as nationality and religious status. The authors suggest three variables that possibly correlate with and explain the geographic differences in rates of reported child maltreatment: cultural difference among minority groups that lead to underreporting of child maltreatment; minorities' perceptions of child protection services and other social services as formal state institutions; and geographic differences in the availability and quality of social services in general and child protection services in particular. Findings suggest the need to improve policies and services that encourage reporting of child maltreatment among Arab and ultraorthodox Jewish populations and in smaller or socioeconomically disadvantaged communities. Data for this study were collected with a questionnaire on child maltreatment reports sent to directors of the social services in all 276 localities in Israel. Questionnaires asked for information on the number of child maltreatment reports received in 2000. 3 tables and 42 references