Citation

Ferrara P, Franceschini G, Corsello G, Mestrović J, Giardino I, Vural M, Pop TL, Namazova-Baranova L, Somekh E, Indrio F, Pettoello-Mantovani M. J. Pediatr. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jpeds.2021.04.071

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

All across the world, youngsters are daily exposed to toxic levels of violent behaviors, including domestic and family violence. During recent years, violence has increasingly permeated and profoundly affected the lives of children as the most vulnerable members of society. Pediatric societies in Europe and the US raised great concern over the effect that abusive experiences will have on present and future generations. The global spread of COVID-19 during the past months has dramatically worsened the situation, contributing to a further increase in violence and aggression within households. Reports of domestic abuse and family violence have increased around the world since social isolation and quarantine measures came into force and national health and social care systems worldwide have faced serious challenges posed by the fast raising rates of domestic and family abuse conditions. Children are typical primary victims of family violence. However, children who live in homes where partner abuse occurs are described as secondary victims of such circumstance. Minors are increasingly more often witnessing various forms of unprecedented emotional and physical domestic abuse often resulting in femicide and exposed to the emotional, behavioral, physical, social and cognitive effects.

Although both men and women experience violence, and most men are not perpetrators of violence, there are documented gendered patterns in violence perpetration and victimization.

This commentary, authored by the working group on social pediatrics of the European Pediatric Association/Union of National European Pediatric Societies and Associations, briefly discusses the condition of children witnessing family violence and domestic abuse, including femicide as the most extreme and irreversible expression of domestic violence involving parents or household members. Our aim is to raise awareness of pediatricians and social work professionals on this phenomenon, which is rapidly expanding during the COVID-19 pandemic and on its serious long-term effects on children's wellbeing.

Language: en

Keywords

child; victim; COVID-19; femicide; violence; domestic; witness