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TODAY'S PERSPECTIVE

  • Writer: IRON FIRE
    IRON FIRE
  • Jun 24, 2021
  • 4 min read

Violence Against Children During The COVID-19 Pandemic


Oleh: Agung Sentosa


COVID-19 has lasted more than one year now. It has affected human life in many aspects. From political, economic, social, and cultural. Children are also affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Social distance makes them have to stay at home for a long time, school and studies have to be conducted at home. Their staying-at-home experience could be stressful for them. And unfortunately, some children even have to deal with abusive parents every day. There is no way to hide or escape.


Global and national stakeholders have raised serious concerns about the risk of increasing frequency and severity of violence against children, alongside other forms of violence, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The increased vulnerability of children is a result of stay-at-home orders, school closures, economic pressure on families, and limited access to support services. This situation is exacerbated by the lack of children's access to schoolmates, teachers, social workers, and safe spaces and services provided by schools.


Movement restrictions, loss of income, isolation, overcrowding, and high levels of stress and anxiety are increasing the likelihood that children experience and observe physical, psychological, and sexual abuse at home – particularly those children already living in violent or dysfunctional family situations. And while online communities have become central to maintain many children’s learning, support, and play, it is also increasing their exposure to cyberbullying, risky online behavior, and sexual exploitation.[2] The worldwide estimations of prevalence in self-report surveys are 22.6% for physical abuse, 36.3% for emotional abuse, 7.6% among boys and 18% among girls for sexual abuse, 16.3% for physical neglect, and 18.4% for emotional neglect. Regarding childhood exposure to intimate partner violence, the data available are still limited; however, it is estimated that between 133 and 275 million children are exposed to this kind of violence each year. Despite the gaps in the measurement of child victimization, these high rates of violence and exposure to family violence reveal that interpersonal violence against children constitutes a serious global social and health problem.[3]


In Indonesia, according to a recent survey conducted by the National Child Protection Agency (KPAI) the number of violence against children is still high. The national survey was conducted online with a sample size of 25,164 child respondents who were asked to fill out a questionnaire distributed through social media. The survey found that some Indonesian children had experienced physical violence, with 3 percent saying they had been slapped, while 4 percent had been locked up, 4 percent had been kicked, 6 percent had been pushed, 9 percent had their ears pulled, 10 percent had been beaten and 23 percent had been pinched.[4]


In addition, some children have experienced psychological abuse. Fifty-six percent of respondents said they had been scolded, 34 percent had been being compared to other children and 23 percent had been yelled at. Moreover, 13 percent of the children said they had been glared at, 5 percent had been insulted, 4 percent had been threatened, 4 percent had been humiliated, 3 percent had been bullied and 2 percent had been kicked out of the house.[5]


Facing this issue, all actors have to act together. The government, the international community, and society must unite to respond with an effort to protect children from the risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse. Government has a big role to ensure that COVID-19 prevention does not harm children, especially when it comes to violence against children. In supporting the government, our collective efforts must include social welfare services, mental health, and psychosocial support, child protection case management, social protection coverage for children, and effective communication with parents.


In addition, technology and communications companies must also protect children by ensuring that children are protected online. They must also be able to detect and stop harmful activities against children online, including grooming and the creation and distribution of images and videos of children's sexual abuse. We must support and assist our children online.


COVID-19 has a negative effect on children's lives. Increasing the number of violence against children has been the proof of how. This is our responsibility to protect children from violence. Responding to this issue, not only the government has to make better decisions, but also each individual has to look after their relatives.


[1] UNICEF, 2020, “Research on Violence Against Children During The Covid-19 Pandemic : Guidance to inform ethical data collection and evidence generation”, from https://data.unicef.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/VAC-Guidance-During-COVID19_18Nov2020.pdf on 28th May 2021 [2] UNICEF, 2020, “Leaders Statement : Violence against children: A hidden crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic”, from https://violenceagainstchildren.un.org/news/leaders-statement-violence-against-children-hidden-crisis-covid-19-pandemic on 28th May 2021 [3] Pereda and Díaz‑Faes, 2020, “Family violence against children in the wake of COVID‑19 pandemic: a review of current perspectives and risk factors”, from https://capmh.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13034-020-00347-1 on 28th May 2021 [4] The Jakarta Post, 2020, "Violence against children rampant at home during COVID-19, survey shows", from https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2020/11/21/violence-against-children-rampant-at-home-during-covid-19-survey-shows.html. On 28th May 2021 [5] Ibid, The Jakarta Post



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