Child abuse in China: a yet-to-be-acknowledged 'social problem' in the Chinese Mainland

Abstract

Child abuse or child maltreatment has been a worldwide concern. In China, however, it receives scant attention from both academic communities and government. Chinese society has little awareness of child abuse as it is known in the West and there are apparently different conceptions and treatments of the problem. This paper attempts to delineate how the problem is now understood and treated in Mainland China. The reasons why child abuse has not yet been recognized as a social problem worthy of public concern in China are explored. It is argued that as a signatory of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child there is a need for the Chinese government, the academic community and professionals to reflect on their conception and treatment of child abuse so as to achieve more effective child protection for all children who are victims of child abuse.

Missing Elements of a Child Protection System in China: The Case of LX

“…Like Qiao and Chan (2005), our research confirms that the issue of child abuse has not yet been given adequate attention in China. The great majority of interviewees believe that child abuse seldom if ever occurs and they did not see it as an important social problem.…”

The prevalence of family childhood adversities and their association with first onset of DSM-IV disorders in metropolitan China

“…Stigma and the belief that ‘shameful affairs should not be spread outside the family’ could also cause under-reporting of morally sensitive FCAs (Chen et al . 2004; Qiao & Chan, 2005). This explanation is supported by the comparable prevalence of less stigmatizing FCAs such as parental death between our study (11.1%) and the NCS-R (9.9%).…”

Relation Between Childhood Maltreatment and Severe Intrafamilial Male‐Perpetrated Physical Violence in Chinese Community: The Mediating Role of Borderline and Antisocial Personality Disorder Features

“…However, some Chinese parents rationalize some degree of fighting in children as normal educational behavior, especially in rural areas, which contribute to family dysfunction [Yang and Zhang, 2007]. Chinese society and civilians have little awareness of child maltreatment [Qiao, 2005], and almost no victims of child maltreatment appeals for help outside. Therefore, the violent family will be immersed in the vicious circle or spiral of intimate partner violence.…”