NCJ Number
186933
Date Published
2001
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This chapter provides an overview of the nature and prevalence of child abuse in Spain and the response to it.
Abstract
Following a demographic profile of Spain, including the infant mortality rate, the chapter reviews the history of child protection services in Spain, noting that there was virtually no child protection system in that country until the middle of the 20th century. Until then, protection of neglected or abused children was done by charitable organizations, usually under the auspices of religious organizations. The publication of the Spanish Constitution in December 1978 changed the Spanish child protection system, as it incorporated the full body of international legal knowledge regarding human rights. By doing this, the Constitution acknowledges the importance of protecting children's rights and interests. The Constitution supports the view that it is essential to keep children in their natural environment if possible, and if this is not possible, to provide them with an alternative family. This chapter contains a section on Spanish definitions of child maltreatment, as well as a section that addresses the following issues in child protection: principles and characteristics of the current child protection system, child protection measures outside the courts, decentralization of the child protection system, individualization of the intervention, and the role of the protected children and/or their families. Also discussed are treatment services and data from recent studies on the prevalence of child maltreatment. Since 1987, many significant changes and improvements in child protection services have been developed in Spain, specifically in case detection and reporting, in procedures for investigation and evaluation of children and families, and in family treatment programs. 27 references