Child Protection Services last year received 20 per cent more child abuse referrals over the previous year, according to a study by Appogg.
A total of 1,383 abused children were referred to the CPS, about 300 more than the number referred in 2002.
The figures were published in a study called Protecting Abused Children: The Maltese Context, by Sara Soler from the Appogg research office. The study was yesterday presented to over 200 professionals from various fields including members of the judiciary, heads of school, school counsellors, psychologists, directors and coaches during a seminar organised by Appogg.
The study found that the majority of cases the CPS dealt with last year included a combination of abuse. This was followed by neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse. There were also some children who were at risk and others who suffered emotional abuse.
Child abuse, the report says, impairs the normal functioning of a child.
It affects the victim's emotional and educational needs, the child's health and its sense of identity. The need to be protected is the most basic need for children.
Interviews held with children showed that certain children's needs had not yet been addressed. These included the need to be understood and the need to be listened to.
Child abuse is defined as "the omission or commission of an act that is developmentally harmful to the child".
The report says there is a connection between abuse and the child's academic development. Abused children primarily need love and security, together with support, care and understanding. They need their requirements to be entertained and they long for a sense of belonging. They need to build stable healthy relationships.
The report recommends the setting up of shelter services for victims and their families, adequate placements for children, including fostering, family placements and residential placements.
Specifically trained professionals are also required in order to identify the symptoms of child abuse, according to the study.
The seminar was chaired by Commissioner for Children Sonia Camilleri who said that in her role she needed to ensure that children at risk and requiring protection were well catered for.
She said a call for applications would soon be issued to include children in the Children's Council.
Appogg chief executive Joe Gerada said children would continue to rank high on the agency's agenda and in this respect, the agency would further consolidate its services with particular emphasis on children's homes.
He reiterated that a child's place was in a family environment because he would, one day, become a parent himself.
Appogg offers child protection services and operates the support line 179.