Assessing and Explaining the Prevalence of Child Abuse and Its Criminalization in Isfahan, Iran

Child abuse by parents or others is a social and health problem that can cause serious harm to children and even give rise to their death. This social phenomenon is therefore considered a crime today. In most cases, child abuse is a sign of family disorder, and by understanding the factors involved in such event, the appropriate action can be taken against it. To this end, in the present study, the prevalence of child abuse cases and its criminalization in Isfahan has been evaluated and detected.

In this cross-sectional study, the recorded data of 30 abused children over the years 2015 and 2016 was collected from centers such as Isfahan Forensic Medicine Organization, courts and lawyers’ offices in the city.

The results of this study showed that child abuse has increased in Isfahan during these two years by 0.005%. Out of 30 registered abused children, 11 (36.7%) were girls with the mean age of 7±1.83 years and 19 (63.3%) were boys with the mean age of 7.79± 2.12 years. The highest frequency of child abuse cases with 14 (46.7%) was pertinent to the type of physical abuse, followed by sexual abuse with 11 (36.7%) and no case of child criminal exploitation was found. The abuser was mostly familiar with the abused one 11 (36.7%).

According to the results of the present study, although the prevalence of child abuse cases was very low, most of them were physical and sexual, and boys have been reported more than girls. This phenomenon has been more prevalent in low-income families with lower levels of education, and the abuser has often not been a first-degree relative. Therefore, it seems that informing families about children’s rights can prevent the spread of this social problem as much as possible.