Child protection (sometimes “child welfare”) refers to the protection of children from violence, exploitation, abuse and negligence. It is about keeping children safe from a risk or perceived risk to their lives or childhood. Child protection is to ensure safety net to depend on, and if they happen to fall through the holes in the system, the system has the responsibility to provide the child with the necessary care and rehabilitation to bring them back into the safety net.
Encountered problems
Child labour: Poor children and their families may rely upon child labor in order to improve their chances of attaining basic necessities. More than one-fourth of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty, according to 2005 U.N. statistics. The intensified poverty in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America causes many children there to become child laborers.
Child abuse: Most parents love their children, but when stressed, tired, lack behind the skills, information and support, conditions can be overwhelming. Child abuse and negligence is never justifiable, but as a community we need to ensure parents have the information, skills and support to take care of their children.
Endangerment and infanticide: In some countries, children are imprisoned for common crimes. In some countries, like Iran or China, children are even be sentenced to capital punishment. In contexts where military use of children is made, they also risk being prisoners of war. Other children are forced to prostitution, exploited by adults for illegal immigration due to endangered poverty and hunger. Infanticide today continues at a much higher rate in countries with extremely high poverty and overpopulation, such China and India.
Protecting children and promoting their welfare is a collective social responsibility. Child protection entails creating child-centric mechanisms for keeping children safe and helping them when they mostly need it. Child protection, is not simply about creating an environment that minimizes risk or danger but, it is about building an environment that is both safe and friendly where children feel respected, valued, and encouraged to reach their full potential.