The articles in this special section add significantly to our knowledge about the impact of ethnic and political violence on children. At the same time, these studies also illustrate some of the problems in this area and, in particular, draw attention to the many methodological difficulties researchers face in this domain. In this commentary, the authors consider both the contributions and limitations of the investigations included in this section, and make suggestions as to how the field may advance in the next decade.

A sample of  children with intellectual disability (ID) attending special schools in Cape Town, South Africa, were assessed on the Developmental Behavioural Checklist -Teacher Version (DBC-T). A prevalence rate of % for psychopathology was found. Boys manifested more behaviour problems than girls, especially in relation to disruptive, selfabsorbed and antisocial behaviours. Children with severe and profound levels of ID showed more behavioural difficulties than those in the mild and moderate categories. Specific behaviour problems were self-absorbed and autistic behaviours in children with profound ID, communication problems and anxiety in those with severe ID and antisocial behaviour in children with mild ID. Epilepsy, but not cerebral palsy was associated with higher total behaviour scores. Ambulant children were more disruptive and antisocial, while non-ambulant children were more anxious. Non-verbal children had higher scores on all of the subscales except for disruptive behaviour.

In a country in which human rights feature prominently in our discourse about who we are, as well as in the South African constitutional and legal framework, so many wrongs continue to be done to children. One category of wrongs is abuse, but it is not the only one. Poverty, patriarchy and gender violence, as well as the socialised obedience, dependency and silence of women and children, create conditions in which abuse can occur, often with few consequences. South Africa has extremely high rates of both physical and sexual abuse of children. Progressive, rights-based legislation exists to protect children, but it is not adequately supported or resourced by services to fulfil their provisions. Child abuse and neglect will not be significantly reduced in South Africa, without simultaneous improvements in the social and economic conditions in which very large numbers of children live.