Social Determinant of Child Maltreatment: Relationship Between Collective Efficacy and Child Maltreatment Among Community in Petaling Jaya, Selangor

The community has active roles to play to mitigate child maltreatment. In reviewing the Child Abuse and Neglect prevention measurement in Malaysia, the readiness score is relatively at the moderate level based on World Health Organization assessment tools. The primary objective was to assess a relationship between collective efficacy and child maltreatment in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. The cross-sectional and correlational study has been adopted. A sum of 390 questionnaires were disseminated to Petaling Jaya community, particularly those who were married with at minimum one child. The findings have revealed that the social cohesion and child maltreatment possesses a significant relationship (r= 0.111, p<0.05), however informal social control did not indicate any relationship (r= 0.098, p>0.05) with child maltreatment. The findings of this study contribute to several significant contribution. Several suggestions were provided for the Malaysian government to initiate some community approaches in effort to mitigate child maltreatment. It is practically to recommend the government to invigorate the comprehensive policies in fostering the community awareness to exercise their social responsibility in community in addressing the child maltreatment issues.The community awareness enables to enhance proactive involvement in which it could prompt the active action and establish a set of partnership among community group members. Hence, it is able to strengthen the solid protection to increase the resilience of children due to the proactive society to protect the vulnerable children and have zero tolerance on violence against children. &nbsp