The role of pediatricians in identifying violence against children

Nasilje nad otroki je nedopustno ravnanje, ki otroka zaznamuje za vse življenje. Otroci so še posebej ranljivi, ker se ne zmorejo braniti sami. Najpogosteje se nasilje dogaja znotraj družine, kar posledično pomeni, da okolje, ki naj bi bilo najvarnejše za otroka, predstavlja resno grožnjo njegovemu zdravju. Zato je pomembno, da vsi sistemi, kot so šola, zdravstvo in drugi, otroku pomagajo zagotoviti varnost. Od zaposlenih v zdravstvu se pričakuje visok angažma pri odzivanju in tudi preprečevanju nasilja v družini. Še posebej to velja v primeru nasilja nad otroki, kjer so kot ključni akterji prepoznani zaposleni v pediatriji, kar je jasno iz narave njihovega dela. V diplomskem delu smo raziskovali, ali zaposleni v pediatriji prepoznajo pomembnost te vloge. V teoretičnem delu smo pojasnili osnovne pojme, vrste nasilja in posledice nasilja nad otroki. Podrobneje smo opisali vlogo zdravstvenih delavcev pri prepoznavi žrtve nasilja v družini in potek zdravstvene obravnave otroka ob sumu na nasilje. Za namen empiričnega dela je bila narejena raziskava med zaposlenimi na Pediatrični kliniki v Ljubljani. Izvedena sta bila spletno anketiranje (n = 54) in en krajši polstrukturiran intervju. Rezultati anketnega vprašalnika so prikazani in interpretirani s pomočjo programov SPSS in Microsoft Excel. Med 46 anketiranci, ki so odgovorili na vprašanje, ali so med svojim delom že obravnavali žrtev nasilja, jih je bilo 13 brez takšnih izkušenj. Anketirani so se prepoznali kot pomembni akterji za prepoznavo otrok kot žrtev nasilja. Iz kliničnih znakov uspe 21 od 33 anketirancev občasno in 11 od 33 anketirancev pogosteje prepoznati, da je pacient žrtev nasilja v družini. Toda vseeno med anketiranimi zaposlenimi na Pediatrični kliniki v Ljubljani obstaja zavedanje, da so premalo ozaveščeni glede prepoznave nasilja v družini in da niso dovolj usposobljeni za prepoznavo tovrstnega nasilja. Poleg tega jim pri tem največjo oviro predstavlja pomanjkanje sodelovanja z ostalimi institucijami, ko se nasilje odkrije. To izpostavljamo kot ključne elemente, ki jih bo treba nasloviti v prihodnosti.Violence against children is an unacceptable act that marks a child for life. Children are especially vulnerable because they cannot defend themselves. In most cases violence occurs within the family, which means that the environment that is supposed to be the safest for the child poses a serious threat to his health. It is therefore important that all systems, such as schools, healthcare and others, help ensure the child’s safety. Healthcare employees are expected to be highly involved in responding to and preventing domestic violence. This is especially true in the case of violence against children, where pediatricians are identified as key actors, which is clear from the nature of their work. In the thesis, we researched whether pediatricians recognize the importance of this role. In the theoretical part, we explained the basic concepts, types of violence and the consequences of violence against children. We described in more detail the role of health professionals in identifying victims of domestic violence and the course of medical treatment of a child suspected of violence. For the purpose of empirical work, a survey was conducted among employees at the Pediatric Clinic in Ljubljana. An online survey (n=54) and one short semi-structured interview were conducted. The results of the survey questionnaire are presented and interpreted using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. Among the 46 respondents who answered the question if they had already dealt with a victim of violence in the course of their work, 13 had no such experience. Respondents recognized themselves as important actors in identifying children as victims of domestic violence. From clinical signs, 21 out of 33 respondents, occasionally and 11 out of 33 respondents, more often recognize that the patient is a victim of domestic violence. However, there is an awareness among the surveyed employees at the Pediatric Clinic in Ljubljana, that they are insufficiently aware of the recognition of domestic violence and that they are not sufficiently trained to recognize domestic violence. In addition, their biggest challenge is the lack of cooperation with other institutions when violence is perceived. Which we highlight as key elements that will need to be labelled on in the future