Over 700 child abuse cases referred for assistance

Child safety services has received over 800 requests for assistance since it was set up just over two years ago.

Education Minister Louis Galea said yesterday that about 720 requests were related to cases of abuse. Child safety services is a unit within the education division.

The minister launched a leaflet which is being distributed in schools to raise awareness on types of abuse.

Micheline Sciberras from child safety services said cases involved children in state, Church and private schools aged between three and 18.

Referrals from primary schools numbered 344, 413 of the requests were from girls and 311 from boys. This did not mean that fewer boys were abused but international research had found that they found it more difficult to come forward.

The reported abuse came from outside the school environment, normally from a relative of the student. It was very rare for children to be abused by someone they did not know.

Ms Sciberras said there were four types of abuse - sexual, physical, neglect and emotional. A total 249 of the cases related to sexual abuse, 178 physical, 153 neglect and 45 emotional. Some cases related to dual, triple or quadruple abuse.

Although the abused came from all the social classes, their families usually had relationship problems, incidents of domestic violence and an overall lack of peace.

Ms Sciberras said it was difficult to gauge the extent of abuse before the service was launched.

Once the unit had enough information, it would analyse the situation in Malta and see how this compared with the situation abroad.

Child safety services provides consultation and support to schools and devises prevention programmes for students at secondary level and parents. It also trains Education Division employees, especially school staff, counsels victims of abuse and carries out research.

Dr Galea said that information meetings were to be held in schools offering basic information on abuse, what one should do when children opened up and on the help available.

The minister said the government worked to provide policies and structures for children to go to school in a safe environment which encouraged learning.

Policies were drawn up on child abuse, bullying, abuse from dangerous substances, together with a code of good behaviour and discipline.

The government also set up the necessary structures to provide support and protection.