International perspectives on child maltreatment

Child maltreatment is a global social problem aff ecting a concerning proportion of children and young people in all jurisdictions. Many assume that victimization of children primarily occurs at the hands of strangers outside of the home, but this is not the case. In addition to violating the rights of the child, maltreatment is associated with a range of negative biopsychosocial outcomes and economic costs. In this chapter we provide an overview of child maltreatment and its components. We discuss the challenges associated with researching maltreatment, its causes and consequences, and the policy implications of this knowledge. We note that protection of children across the globe is dependent upon evidence- based prevention and intervention, and local, national, and international policies.