The Magnitude of the Child Maltreatment Problem in Alexandria: Governorate Documentation

Abstract

Child maltreatment (CM) is not always documented or reported, and as such, estimates of the prevalence of violence against children are inaccurate while true rates remain unknown. Researchers have established that physicians have unsatisfactory knowledge, attitudes, and report of CM.

The purpose of the present research is to assess the magnitude of CM within the Alexandria Governorate and to formulate a simple graphical guideline for physicians to follow in CM cases.

A list was adopted from World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines to record known and suspected CM cases to assess the magnitude of the problem within the governorate and how CM cases are being managed; the checklist was then modified according to the available data.

Three hundred ninety-six children had been exposed to different forms of CM in 2019 according to official documentation, mostly boys. In most cases, danger had been confirmed, and a single person was the most common perpetrator. Investigations were conducted in most of the cases, and most of the child victims received psychological support. In terms of prognosis, the child’s circumstances improved in most cases.

Our research revealed that child neglect was the most common form of CM reported in Alexandria, with more boys being exposed than girls. A familiar person was the alleged perpetrator in most of the studied cases, mainly a parent. Cases were managed through multidisciplinary approaches, with the coordination of many agencies and continuous follow-up for most victims.