Children as Victims

Children and young people can be affected by crime either directly as a victim, or indirectly as a witness. Children who experience acts of domestic and/or sexual abuse, for example, may be the direct victim of the abuse, or witness the abuse of others in their family. In both instances, the child is a ‘victim’ and is likely to be affected by this for the rest of their life. 

Child abuse is a generic term used to describe a range of actions or inactions likely to harm or hinder a child’s development, health or safety. Although child abuse can be perpetrated by other children, in the vast majority of cases the abuser is an adult. Child abuse can take many forms and may include emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect. Although abuse can occur over a single period of time, research has found that it usually occurs over a much longer one.  

Research has shown that children are at a greater risk of abuse if there parent or guardian: abuses drugs or alcohol, suffers from a mental illness and/or was a victim of childhood abuse him/herself. Other factors found to increase the likelihood of abuse include: young age of the mother, presence of domestic violence, economic disadvantage, limited or poor social support, and previous record of child abuse in the family. However, the research also suggests that it is usually a combination of factors, rather just one, which places children at greater risk of abuse. There is also evidence of a link between child abuse and subsequent offending behaviour in young people and adults.  

For more information on victims, domestic violence and young offenders, please visit these pages of the website. 

A number of agencies provide a range of services for children at risk, such as Action for Children and Barnardo’s, both of which conduct research into many of the issues facing vulnerable children and young people in the UK.

The Centre holds a small number of books on this (and related) topics, details of which can be found here.