By Ching-Min Tang, Chen-Fang Lou, Shao-Hsuan Hsia, Kuang-Tsung Liang, Wen Chang, Jainn-Jim Lin, Oi-Wa Chan, Kuang-Lin Lin & En-Pei Lee

Background: Child abuse in Taiwan is a major societal concern that severely affects the well-being of children. Despite the complexity in detecting abuse, reports of child abuse are increasing, evidenced by a rise in cases and heightened awareness. This study utilizes judicial judgments as a lens to understand the varied interpretations of child abuse by clinical and forensic experts and explores the broader epidemiological trends of such abuse within the declining youth population of Taiwan.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study by analyzing official court judgments on child abuse allegations judged from 2008 to 2022 from the online database of Judicial Yuan. Furthermore, the study analyzed demographic factors, injury patterns, and opinions from various experts.

Results: The results reveal that severe criminal cases of child abuse predominantly involve biological fathers as the primary offenders and physical abuse as the most common form of maltreatment. Victims are typically aged less than 5 years, which frequently leads to an unfavorable prognosis. Analysis also highlights the TEN-4-FACESp acronym as a highly predictive indicator of child abuse and underscores the prevalence of abusive head trauma (AHT). Moreover, the findings emphasize ongoing disparities in opinions between forensic medical examiners and clinical physicians, especially in AHT cases, which potentially influences judicial decisions.

Conclusion: In summary, the study reveals ongoing disagreements between forensic medical examiners and clinical physicians, especially in cases of AHT, which may impact judicial decisions. Promoting consensus through interdisciplinary collaboration and improved communication can aid in revealing the truth in child abuse cases.

Archives of Public Health volume 82, Article number: 191, 2024, 8p.

By Betty Luu, Amy Conley Wright, Stefanie Schurer, Laura Metcalfe

In a data first, this ANROWS report, released in partnership with researchers from the University of Sydney, highlights approximately 33% of all reports to NSW’s Child Protection Helpline express concerns about a child experiencing domestic and family violence, either alone or in conjunction with parental mental health and or substance use issues.

The research uses the newly established NSW Human Services Dataset to see how families interact with a range of services, including police, child protection and health, over time. The analysis focuses on cases reported to the NSW Child Protection Helpline, unveiling the challenges families experience with domestic and family violence, alongside parental mental health or parental substance use issues.

The findings also confirm that domestic and family violence, parental substance use and parental mental health issues are strongly interlinked and contribute to children being placed in out-of-home care, with findings suggesting that the odds of a child being removed double when all three issues are present.

Sydney, Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's Safety (ANROWS), 2024.89P.