Call for ’Big Society’ action on violence to children

PA 81/11 - A major international conference at The University of Nottingham will hear calls for better strategies to fight child abuse and immunity for existing child protection systems against public sector cuts. The conference, entitled 'Children as Victims : Prevalence and Protection', will hear from an expert panel of international speakers commenting on recent studies which have shown that child abuse is much more prevalent in the UK and the rest of the world than previously thought. A major survey by the UK charity, the NSPCC, last month reported that nearly one in five secondary schoolchildren in the UK have been the victims of violence, sexual abuse or neglect. And surveys of young adults (18-24 years) in the UK have found that one in four suffered some form of abuse or maltreatment during their childhood. The event is taking place at the East Midlands Conference Centre, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RJ on Monday 14th March 2011. It has been organised by the University's Institute of Work, Health and Organisations (IWHO) and the NSPCC and has attracted a large audience of professionals. The findings of the NSPCC surveys and other research will be discussed by a number of experts who have found a similar picture of child victims in the USA, Australia, Japan and Central and Eastern Europe.