CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT – PREVENTION AND CRIMINAL LAW RESPONSE
CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT – PREVENTION AND CRIMINAL LAW RESPONSE

Summary/Abstract: Child abuse and neglect are phenomena that have been at the center of public and professional debates on the protection of children’s rights over the past several decades. The introductory part of the paper provides a conceptual definition of abuse and neglect, addresses the determination of age limits in relation to children, and examines the effects that abuse and neglect have on children. The second part discusses various approaches to identifying the modalities of child abuse and neglect, including the standard of gross neglect. The third part focuses on preventive activities and provides an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of home monitoring of a child’s family from (pre-)birth. The criminal law response to child abuse and neglect is accompanied by a research component in which the author analyzes available official statistical data and draws conclusions regarding the overall number of criminal offences involving child abuse and neglect. The paper also offers suggestions for possible improvements in the field of prevention and reviews collected judgments, as well as the difficulties associated with assessing insufficiently valid data for drawing more general conclusions. The concluding discussion presents proposals for improving the current state of child protection from violence, particularly through preventive measures, trained professionals, and the establishment of a comprehensive system for protecting children from victimization.

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