Violence against Children in Northern Ireland - Essay Example

Violence against Children in Northern Ireland - What is being done By Devangini Mahapatra Chauhan Violence in the domestic scenario is a serious issues and that erupts practically every second somewhere in the world, in some ugly form or another. To call a person's behaviour violent is one, and to actually sustain that kind of behaviour in the face of all adversity is another. In this regard, there is also scope to misunderstand the situation by applying the wrong parameters to study it. This has promoted great debates into what qualifies as domestic violence and what does not. This kind of violence occurs in the case of women, children and even domestic help, in various parts of the world. Violence against children is a crime that must be prevented. It is something that cuts across elements like culture, race and ethnicity. It does not necessarily come from external sources or influences from cultures. It may come from emotional instabilities and broken marriages as well as the child's insecurities and communal disruptions. Furthermore, violence on children inevitably leaves indelible scars on their psyche. According to the UN, domestic violence can be categorized as follows: physical; emotional; sexual; and a combination of the above. In a society that has major stratification and emotional insecurity embedded into its very cultural fabric, it goes without saying that irregularities within the domestic sphere will be a given. As a society that has been in conflict since the 1920s, Northern Ireland almost has a legacy of violence attached to every walk of its life. In this case, domestic violence against children is a major irregularity that needs to be tackled. Therefore, it was imperative to choose this a subject of study to find out what is being done, can be done and is not being done. In this regard, it is imperative to trace the literature that supports the study of this subject. To begin with, I have used sources like the UN and other agencies like Women's aid and the RUC reports to find the gaps in the existing policies and strategies aimed at these children. While the reports are comprehensive, they still need to link the actual scenario with the recommendations for the future in realistic terms. I have also used sources like books by several authors. But the fact is that the various documents on the subject contain material that is dated and it needs to be more topical. These documents include Barnardo's Northern Ireland as well as Calder,M Harold, G & Howarth, E. (2005) Children Living With Domestic Violence. Another relevant piece of literature is 'Every Child Matters' by the Change for Children in Social Care. Also, there are interesting recommendations by M George in the work titled Children Domestic Violence; Violent Reaction Community Care. Further, the work by M Hester, N Harwin and C Pearson, titled Making an Impact is a significant piece of work in terms of its findings and analysis. A Strategy for Children In Need Deveopling the Strategy is a Consultation Document, by the DH&SS which is also important to this line of study. Further the document titled Co-Operating to Safeguard Children, presents recommendations that are crucial for training and development in this field. This choice of literarture gives an insight into the historical, social as well as psychological perspectives of the plight of children who face domestic violence - in Northern Ireland and beyond. Current Scenario The following are the findings by Women's Aid: 29% of murders in Northern Ireland involved domestic situations (PSNI) Statistics). A national survey in the Republic of Ireland found that 59% of women surveyed know a woman whose partner used violence against her.) In 90% of cases of domestic violence children are in the same room or the next room. 66% of residents in emergency refuges are children. In 40% - 60% of cases of domestic violence child abuse is also occurring The NCH study found 75% of mothers said their children had witnessed domestic violence, 33% had seen their mothers beaten up, 10% had witnessed sexual violence Children's responses to witnessing domestic violence vary according to a multitude of factors, including age, race, class, sex, stage of development, role in the family, relationship with parent(s), and the availability of sources of support outside the immediate family situation. Children of all ages most often take some form of passive or active support to protect their mothers when witnessing domestic violence. Children of all ages phone the police for assistance and a number of research studies suggest that women often attribute their eventual escape to the emotional and practical support provided by their children Children sometimes feel guilty if they do not come to the aid of their mother. This 'guilt' is often accompanied by self blame and feelings that they have in some way 'caused' their father to be violent Children may also feel angry towards their mother for not protecting herself or the children, as well as blaming her for causing the violence. Others may be so concerned about their mother's distress that they keep private their own grief . Source: http://www.womens-aid.org.uk/statistics.php There have been numerous sources for obtaining this data: A record of all incidents of domestic violence dealt with by the RUC during the period 1 January 2001 to 31st March 2001; A record of all domestic violence cases encountered by a sample of 15 senior social workers and 25 health visitors during a 4 week period in March/April 2001. Both samples were spread throughout the Province; Feedback from 165 health professionals (GPs, senior social workers and health visitors) throughout the Province on the number of cases of domestic violence that they had encountered in the past year; Existing data from NIWAF (Women's Aid) on the number of advice calls handled by the organisation during the year 1999/2000 and the number of calls to their helpline during the same time period. Source: Children in Northern Ireland (http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/domesticviolence.pdf) The analysis that has followed this data has shown that a minimum of 11,000 children in Northern Ireland are victims of regular domestic abuse. This excludes the cases of those people who have not had any kind of interaction with statutory services due to non information. (Calder et al, 2005) In this regard, there might be disparities in the report as well as certain mismatches owing to the fact that the British Crime Survey shows that 50% of all crimes go unreported - this includes reports of domestic violence. Therefore, the key problem area in this case is underreporting. (George, 1995) Problem Areas: Childcare and other organizations that work with children who are victims of domestic violence are of the belief that there are a number of gaps and issues that need to be looked into in order to provide more comprehensive facilities for these children. These issues and gaps are in respect of the regular provisions that are made for the children on a day to day basis. Lack of resources is a major problem apart from faulty resource allocation of already scarce resources. Manpower acquisition and allocation is another major issue for which widespread recruitment of volunteers and other employees needs to be carried out with a special focus on interns from the teaching and psychological field. Further, apart from the financial problems, there is a lack of specialist services that will cater to these issues and find out the key problem areas that will help curb the problem of domestic violence and focus on the detrimental effects of the same of the child's psyche. (Every child matters) These services must be available to carry out widespread work with the families and other people related to the children. Further, these services must have the strong backing of management tools so as to develop the plans and implementation process in a strategic fashion. Further, these strategies need to operate at a regional and local level so as to bring maximum benefit to maximum people, owing to the fact that most people from socially deprived areas in Northern England, are unaware of the national policies in most matters. Recommendations: Policy Measures: According to the report titled Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness, there are a number of recommendations that needed to be adapted by the policy makers with the primary aim of the creation of a cultural state of things where respect and protection will be normal things to attribute to a child. In this regard, the Government needs to follow these guidelines as consideration to formulate apt policies that will create the scope for the children to enjoy this kind of an activity: - The government needs to give special attention to the formulation of a strategy that is aimed specifically at the children of Northern Ireland in context of the projections as well as those plans that are being currently implemented by various agencies. - The government, in its policy considerations, need to give priority to the development of strategy that will revolve around family support in context of encouraging parents to take to non violence as a tool to imbibe discipline and an organized way of living in the household and the family. This will greatly enhance the family life. - The children of Northern Ireland are exceptions and need to be treated accordingly due to the history of communal and other kinds of violence that have marked the horizon of Northern Ireland in general. Therefore, they need to be given similar rights as adults when it comes to legal protection against violence. - In this regard, the safeguard functions of the Area Child Protection Committees need to be made stronger so as to take on a more assertive role. - As for the effective management of the various systems that govern the operations of the various agencies and authorities, there needs to be a better form of knowledge management as well as acquisition through stronger legislative arrangements. This can be promoted through better cooperation and information exchange patterns between various agencies. - There needs to be a wider resource base for the Government to access as to implement the new accreditation provisions that have been included in the Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (NI) Order, 2003. - The various agencies as well as authorities must make use of the information and knowledge that is first hand to them by converting the same into relevant statistics and reports that will act like well being indicators for goals like child protection. - Through a better legal and security framework, the government must ensure that there is an appropriate structure to combat cross border assaults on children - The government must also invest more in a wide range of children's services. (Source: Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness) Training and Development Training is currently being carried out by organizations like Women's Aid (My Life, My Choices), as well as Barnado's and the RUC. The NSPCC also has a plethora of activities aimed at the same. But this training is not all inclusive in terms of elements like health issues in the sphere of domestic violence. The training must revolve around seeking out and providing specialized training to health professionals in terms of the sudden burst of events that take place in domestic violence. In this regard, the health professionals need to be trained to show fast thinking on the feet in terms of treating such patients. These professionals must be trained when they take up medicine and start practicing in any field. Besides that the domestic violence issues need to be dealt with on a day to day basis by the organizations discussed above so as to provide a more psychological insight into the problems which will give a better impetus to the treatment methodologies. With a special emphasis on data collection and the transmission of the same to various parties to garner interest from various quarters, the agencies must follow the recommendations of various advisory panels. In this regard, the basic aims that must be achieved by these agencies as per the Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness report are as follows: how to recognise domestic violence cases more effectively; how to deal with such cases once they have been identified; the specific effects on children and appropriate responses; management and treatment of trauma; awareness of the impact of trauma on families; specific guidance on the referral process; advising victims on how to remove themselves from the abusive situation; advising those who are unable to leave the abusive situation; legislation in relation to domestic violence; (Source: Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness) Inter-Agency Co-operation A conjoined effort by a variety of organizations and authorities is a prerequisite for the success of the plans that have to be implemented in terms of the agreements between these agencies. (Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness) There is also a need for a more concerted effort to coordinate and plan activities and events that first and foremost help these agencies interact with other, and then formulate plans as to how children facing domestic violence can be helped. In this regard, it is imperative to note that these activities must be presented as platforms where there is a raising of awareness regarding the issue and the policies attached to the same. Further, these events must be places where children and their families come together to interact and help each other. Further, the need for specialist services is imperative to make sure that there are guidelines that dominate the operational spheres of each of these agencies with respect to tools like local forums as well as the conditions of the services offered. (Hester et al, 2002) Following International Standards: According to the report titled Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness, the best way for agencies to formulate relevant policies and operational guidelines, they need to follow the example of various countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, when it comes to tools of dealing with such children. These tools include the use of police, legal protection, health and social care as well as specialist services through voluntary and child care policies. The work in Northern Ireland, in this regard has special relevance when compared to the work within UK in general in terms of laying down benchmarks for the creation of an appropriate knowledge base and knowledge management system with proper recoding and transmission practices. This kind of comparison in formulating policies will help Northern Ireland gain zero tolerance in cultural terms where domestic violence and child abuse is concerned. (Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness) Recording prevalence Recoding the information and making actual reports is a major problem that needs to be dealt with. From the following figures provided by the Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness report, one will come to the conclusion that the majority of events that revolve around domestic violence go un reported especially where children are involved as victims of this kind of violence. The events of The Scottish Crime Survey of 1996 highlighted that, out of a sample of 1,943 Scottish residents, 5% intimated that their partner had used violence against them; Of those, 20% said that it happened at least once a week; 49% said that they had sustained injury more than once; and 75% said that the police had not been informed about any incident. (Source: Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness) Therefore, these needs to be a more focused approach towards making the citizens aware of their rights and duties apart from making the children realize that they are entitled to protection. These children also need to feel secure and confident enough to take a step. This kind of security will come from the knowledge of equal legislation for adults and children, as discussed in the policy recommendations above. Further research If the statistics on the previous page are to be taken seriously, then one will have to admit that there are numerous gaps in the information available and the research areas. Therefore, there is a need for an entire voluntary wing that will make sure that there is a provision of services to curb and handle domestic violence against children in Northern Ireland. This wing must be all purporting in its awareness drives as well as it focus on the provision of services in all corners of Northern Ireland. This kind of a specialized agency or wing could provide the missing link between the service providers and the information providers, so as to provide a better framework for the formulation and operation of policies at a regional and local level. Therefore, this voluntary wing must be organized to undertake research in a variety of fields so as to come up with relevant recommendations. Also, it must recognize the gaps in the legislations by specifically aiming at research into areas that have been untouched. One such relevant area that is missing an important ingredient in terms of its expertise to cure discrimination through the promotion of equality, is Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. According to this act, various Public Authorities are supposed to promote equal opportunities and good relations in various quarters of the social structure of Northern Ireland which includes groups like men, women, racial groups, sexual orientations, religions and other such categories of legislation. In this regard, there needs to be a more concerted effort towards driving home the point that these categories affect the level and degree of domestic violence. This can be achieved only through the use of research and surveys to give credibility to findings and the subsequent recommendations. (Every Child Matters) Breakthroughs Through the Northern Ireland Regional Forum, there has been a new lease of life in the activities carried out by the voluntary agencies. The organization of these agencies has been of primary importance to the sharing of knowledge for the effective achievement of goals where children caught in domestic violence are concerned. This might explain the setting up of various sub groups that are organized according to various issues that require individual attention. This took place in 1995. According to the report titled, Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness, these sub groups analyze the following aspects of domestic violence against children in Northern Ireland: Child Protection; Criminal Justice; Education & Training; Inter-agency Co-operation; Information & Research; and Churches. These groups were set up at various periods between the years 1995 and 1999 to create policies from the existing frameworks in order to work with the Area Child Protection Committees (ACPC), Child Protection Panels and local domestic violence fora. (Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness) These sub groups would focus on a variety of goals. The primary goal was the raising of awareness through training and the redefinition of domestic violence to fit a more extensive arena of the violence that victimized such children. Further, these sub groups have focused on their respective areas of study and research to find the gaps in various policy and procedural frameworks, so as to plan for the future in terms of providing for links that would acts as bridges between domestic violence and child protection issues and initiatives. The major development that these sub groups stumbled upon was in terms of recognizing the areas that required more extensive research and needs assessment. These areas include the degree and quality of services in context of the actual requirements of these children. On the basis of this research, the existing frameworks were assessed and revised to include recommendations for models upon which the Regional Forum on Domestic Violence could act. This advice was aimed at the requirements of children who needed specific protection. (Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness) The sub groups made various breakthroughs where the primary and most notable ones came in the face of initiatives that were aimed at the redefinition of domestic violence to include the references to special cases as well as the undertaking of an audit that would improve upon the existing methods of training. This training pertains to the child protection awareness drives and programs that would help the allocation of relevant resources. Further, with a focus on training children and their families, there was also a revision of various documents like the Protect Children document to come up with a model that would focus on the development of specialized services that would aim at domestic violence in particular. (Co-operating to Safeguard Children) Also, the sub group managed to come up with recommendations for a relevant version of the "Making an Impact" paper that would fit the requirement of Northern Ireland. (Hester, 2002) Further, the childcare organization came up with a number of recommendations that identified the need for a standardization of recoding and information sharing practices in terms of domestic violence with specific attention on the same. Further, the voluntary agencies were required to maintain a centralized system of record keeping in terms of a pro forma that these agencies would mutually agree upon. These records would be the cases that would be subject to research. Further, the volunteers as well as managers at the agencies were to go through a standardized form of training that would be carried out under the guidance of social services apart from practices like asking the parents about the progress their children are making at school with the recoding of grades and other such activities. Further, it was agreed that there would be a routine of confidential interviews where the children would be questioned to assess their sense of insecurity and to find any probability of violence in the future. All this information would be logged along with a separate database on offenders and those people who victimized the children, in one central body for further discussion and research. There was also recognition of the fact that there needs to be more generalized surveys for devising ways of creating more awareness and education for professional. All these factors would lead to a better assessment of risk factors and the potential offenders. Also, the sub groups brought various other requirements to the fore such as the need for a better knowledge management and sharing system through a centralized definition of all matters pertaining to domestic violence and its elements. Inter agency cooperation was the foremost recommendation that has emanated from the operations of these agencies. Conclusion With the strong backing of history and the violence contained in it, Northern Ireland is an area where change will not come very easily if at all. While recent attempts at promoting peace have been met with much success, there is still a need to come up a better version of the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 that help people become more aware of the situation with a stronger focus on educating them about practices in other parts of the globe. Further, there must be a stricter adherence to the policies of UNICEF as regards domestic violence, where the UN has stated that any form of domestic violence must be eradicated. In this regard, the UN Study on Violence against Children is a breakthrough of sorts in its realistic demonstration of the facts and recommendations that will help improve the overall systems that are aimed at curbing and dealing with the same. Further, there is also a need to promote voluntary efforts like those of the Peace People who were born in 1976, with the aim of finding peaceful ways to help ordinary citizens and people break out of their problems and give up violence. This organization came up as a society born out of the pain that came from the tragic death of the relatives of Miread Maguire. Along with Betty Willams, Maguire won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1976 for their efforts in Northern Ireland. In this regard, the various agencies in and around Northern Ireland have extended a helping hand with an initiative to learn more about these children and how they can be helped. The basic need in this regard is the initiation into further research and the development of plans based on the needs that are required to be studied and met on an everyday basis in the homes and families of these children. References: 1. Barnardo's Northern Ireland at www.barnardos.org.uk/northernireland.htm 2. Calder,M Harold, G & Howarth, E. (2005) Children Living With Domestic Violence 3. 'Every Child Matters' Change for Children in Social Care www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/aims 4. George, M (1995) Children Domestic Violence. Violent Reaction Community Care 5. Hester, M. Pearson, C. Harwin N (2002) Making an Impact. Child and Women Abuse Studies Unit. 6. A Strategy for Children In Need, August (2003) Deveopling the Strategy, A Consultation Document, DH&SS 7. Co-Operating to Safeguard Children, (May 2003) DH&SS www.dhsspsni.gov.uk 8. Women's Aid. URL: http://www.womens-aid.org.uk/statistics.php (Accessed during March 2007) 9. UNICEF. Child Protection form violence, exploitation and abuse. URL: http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_27374.html (Accessed during March, 2007) 10. Children in Northern Ireland: Domestic Violence and Professional Awareness. URL: http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/domesticviolence.pdf (Accessed during March, 2007) Read More