Safeguarding Children - Essay Example

The kind of exposure does not matter as the damage level is portrayed in the development of behavioural and psychological problems in indirect victims. Even though men are the casualties, a majority of victims is the female gender, who suffers silently as the abuse goes unreported (Worrall et al., 2008, p.2). The vice had significant cost impact on the economy as a publication by the Home Office (2013, p.3) reveals that UK suffers a loss of £36.7bn annually from lost economic output of female victims, a figure that may be underestimated due to the unreported cases.

In children, domestic violence presents itself in different models. Analyses documented from child protection inquiries link child domestic violence to marital conflicts, parental behaviours such as substance abuse, stressful pregnancy and violent infancy that result to neglect and abuse of a child (Department of Community Services 2002, p.1-3; Herrenkohl 2005: 414; Cohen 2006, p.761). At pregnancy, maternal violence raises levels of stress hormones which in turn affect children’s brain development leading to hyperactive child syndromes (Worrall et al.

, 2008: 3; Martinez-Torteya et al., p.573). Direct violence, which is a common occurrence, happens when infants are used as shields by the parents due to fights or lack of economic attachment, and thus introducing them to extreme traumas that affect their stress management levels as they develop into adulthood (Margolin & Gordis 2000, p.445& 449). In additionally, when violence happens together with neglect, the effects are immense and disturbing (Sousa et al., 2011, p.115; Herrenkohl et al., 2008, p.

87; Dong et al., 2004, p.772) National governments and local authorities are mandated to establish strategic approaches moulded on the use of preventive, support, partnership and legal approaches safeguarding