Psychological maltreatment: An international challenge to children's safety and well being.

Background: Child psychological maltreatment (PM), also known as emotional abuse and neglect, mental violence, and emotional maltreatment, is the least recognized and addressed of the four major forms of child maltreatment.

Objectives: This article provides an 1) the history of PM and its relationship to children's rights, 2) an overview of the current state of knowledge, 3) implications of diversity for the topic of PM, 4) an example of a topic-relevant intervention, and 5) a vision for further progress in addressing this form of child maltreatment.

Participants And Settings: NA.

A new age for child protection--General Comment 13: why it is important, how it was constructed, and what it intends?

Children continue to be subjected to high levels of violence (i.e., physical, psychological and sexual maltreatment) throughout the world.

Psychological maltreatment: maltreatment of the mind: a catalyst for advancing child protection toward proactive primary prevention and promotion of personal well-being.

Objective: Child protection, as primarily applied toward narrow corrective intervention, has been judged to be inadequate in dealing with the wide variety of forms and levels of physical, psychological and sexual violence to which children are subjected throughout the world. Concern about this state of affairs has grown as a part of a global increase in commitments and expectations for nations and their societies to be accountable to and for children, particularly in association with the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. A reconstruction of child protection is needed.

Protecting children from violence and maltreatment: a qualitative comparative analysis assessing the implementation of U.N. CRC Article 19.

Objectives: (1) To identify which United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recommended child protection (CP) measures, such as policy, reporting systems, and services for child abuse and neglect (CAN) victims, individually or in combination, were most important in establishing a basic level of child protection in 42 countries; and (2) to assess whether these measures were necessary or sufficient to achieve basic child protection in developing and industrialized countries.

Method: Child protection and/or rights expert respondents from 42 countries completed a questionnaire on CRC Article 19 (CRC19) required CP measures implementation and rated their country's effectiveness in implementation, the current level of effectiveness of child protection, and the relevance of improvements in child protection since the CRC was adopted in 1989. Information from the Committee on the Rights of the Child Concluding Observations, as well as UNICEF and WHO indicators on child health and protection issues were used to check and supplement responses.

The need for a General Comment for Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Toward enlightenment and progress for child protection.

Objective: To present the need and plan for development of a General Comment for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Article 19 which has the potential to transform and advance child protection through the infusion of a child rights approach.

Methods: The Committee on the Rights of the Child (Committee) authorized ISPCAN and IICRD to draft a General Comment for CRC Article 19 (GC19) and to introduce implementation supports. An international working group (GC19WG), Expert Advisory Panel (EAP), and GC19 Focal Group of Committee members (GC19 CRC FG) have been organized to help guide and carry out the program of development.