DETECTION OF INTRAFAMILIAL CHILD-ABUSE - CHILDREN AT INTAKE AT A CHILDRENS OBSERVATION HOME IN INDIA

Cross-cultural studies have brought awareness that child abuse is a gl obal problem. This study sought to assess whether the abuse of childre n by caregivers/parents in a phenomenon that is prevalent in Indian so ciety, where social workers and other human service professionals trad itionally have not been sensitive to its occurrence. Interviews with 5 15 children brought to a Children's Observation Home in Bombay resulte d in self-reports of physical violence from approximately 50% of the s ample, and of these, over two-thirds reported the use of abusive viole nce. In addition, over 60% of the children who had run away from home cited violence by parents as the primary reason for their leaving, sug gesting that this may be one of the variables adding to numbers of str eet children in India. Feelings about perpetrators and implications of findings are discussed.