Abstract
Maltreatment of children is a global issue and the human rights abuses and victimization of children with disabilities is an even greater problem worldwide. Children with disabilities are the most vulnerable to all forms of violence, child abuse, and neglect. In addition, the reporting of abuse of children with disabilities and responsiveness to their care is grossly lacking. Professionals, graduate students, and others who are dedicated to improving the quality of life for children with disabilities and to eradicating their maltreatment often set out to develop programs and policies on their behalf. To succeed, these advocates first need data that support the need for policies, programs, and services. Yet very little research exists on child protection and disability. Child Protection and Disability: Methodical and Practical Challenges for Research addresses these and other issues inherent in this process. What are the issues and challenges that have hindered child protection systems and services, research processes, and policy? Why are children with disabilities neglected in these pivotal arenas for care and response? What has gone wrong? How can we fulfill our ethical obligations to the research and protection of children with disabilities across the globe? The authors attempt to offer practical suggestions for answering these questions and setting the tone for further research.
This book opens with a discussion of the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of the Child, the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which include reference to people with disabilities. This international agenda and the need for evidence to support policy development serve as a backdrop to the timely purpose and rationale for the book. The book attempts to guide researchers forward at this opportune time in developing evidence-based solutions to the international problem of maltreatment of children with disabilities.
The book is written for researchers, graduate and postgraduate students, and academicians who are looking for ways to navigate lightly chartered yet much needed spaces in knowledge building and human rights. This 93-page book (minus appendices and references) is admittedly not a light read. The book is written by highly respected researchers, academicians, and program service providers in the field of child protection who are passionate about increasing attention to this underrecognized problem and advancing the rights and quality of life of children with disabilities. It serves as a quick reference for those who want to approach their research on violence against children with disabilities in a careful, ethical, and appropriate manner.
The authors offer a discussion on the current state of research evidence, ethical guidelines, trauma concerns in direct interviewing, and ways to support the protection and participation of subjects, confidentiality, and obtaining informed consent. Of interest to potential researchers are the case studies and reflections of researchers already in the field.
In their global approach, the authors also discuss ways to prepare language interpreters used in research interviews. One area that could be further addressed for readers is the use of researchers who are already fluent in the language of the participants. While the authors admit that interpreting can add a layer of reconstruction of meaning in an interview, the benefit of direct communication with language fluent researchers prevents this potential reconstruction of meaning, preserving the participant’s voice, and could be further addressed as a recommendation.
The book is a well-timed step in the right direction toward the UN agenda to end abuse and trafficking of children, and it advocates for the inclusion of children with disabilities in these efforts. The authors should be commended for this important contribution which has the potential for constructive international implications.