Starting from this January, things have changed. All the nurseries in Taipei posted a child protection poster, urging everyone to expose child abuse cases.

The Child Abuse and Neglect--What Everyone Should Know handbook, published by the Department of Social Affairs (DSA) of the Taipei City Government, writes, "It is possible for any parent to abuse their child." This kind of phrase, directly challenging the authority of parents, can't help but leave people asking, "Today there's not enough time to spoil the kids; how can there be child abuse?"

"In the past, we generally believed that Chinese stressed the family, with the benevolent father and filial son; therefore child abuse, though it existed, was rare," says Wong Huei-yuan, supervisor at the Chinese Children Fund, Inc. (CCF). Unfortunately, the facts are not so upbeat as what is imagined.

CCF tabulated the reports about child abuse in publications from July to December, 1987. The total reached 682. Since last July, the Fund has had child protection hotlines, which have received more than 100 cases. The DSA established a similar hotline on January 16 of this year. Within three and a half months they had 57 cases involving 75 children--and that only covers Taipei city. So you can get a glimpse of the seriousness of the problem.

Dr. Chou Cheng-cheng of the Department of Pediatrics at National Taiwan University Hospital says, "The most serious problem in child abuse is that we don't know the real degree of seriousness of the problem." The root of this is that our sensitivity to child abuse is low.

Cheng Jui-lung, recently graduated from the Graduate School of Child Welfare at the Chinese Cultural University, revealed in his dissertation "A Critical Study of the Severity of Chid Abuse in the ROC" that the most common forms of child abuse are things we see often in daily life: children forced into prostitution, using children to sell things, using deformed children as shows, using children for dangerous performances, permitting children to watch restricted films, and so on.

But most people only limit themselves to a sympathetic glance and don't consider reporting to the child protection hotlines. Child performances not only aren't criticised; they even win applause.

Yang Hsiao-jung, professor of sociology at Soochow University, believes that "Viewpoint' is the biggest obstacle to promoting child protection." In the traditional Chinese view, parents have absolute authority over the child. The children are seen as personal property, and children's "human rights" are seriously neglected. Authority extends to disciplining the child. "Discipline" is the natural duty of the parent; therefore, some abusive activity is easily lightly treated as a private "domestic matter."

Taipei city social worker Kao Chao-mei says that, "In making visits to handle cases, some parents don't even know their behavior constitutes child abuse."

Perhaps some people will respond that today most households only have one or two children. They are treated as precious. Who is still abusing the children?

But the facts are "cruel." According to the article "Child Abuse in Taiwan" written by Wu Yen-ho in 1981, early child abuse was mostly due to traditional cultural values and economic pressure.

In recent years, along with changing cultural values, cases of abuse directly due to family economic factors are relatively less. But increasingly, broken homes and the low tolerance for frustrations in small families have become important causes leading to child abuse.

Hsiao Meng-chu, supervisor in the DSA, notes, "Currently the child abuse problem is not the property of a special class; it has become extremely common."

With the rapid changes of an industrial society, the pressures faced by family life become greater. When marriages hit the rocks, children are the first to bear the brunt. When pressure on working mothers gets too severe, children easily become vents for their anger. In a society increasingly directed toward money, it is hard for children to escape the mood of their parents. When a family crisis hits, it is easy for child abuse problems to arise.

The aftereffects are even more widespread. Studies have pointed out that "Those who have had the experience of being abused easily look lightly upon the severity of child abuse." That is, those abused when small will very possibly abuse their own children.

According to the study, "The Relationship Between Child Abuse and Juvenile Delinquency" completed by Chen Chao-fan last June, there is a clear relationship between the two. One more abused child, ten years down the road, can mean one more juvenile offender. Thus, child abuse is not a family problem; it is a social problem no one can afford to ignore.

Currently, institutions specializing in handling child abuse in the ROC are limited to the 22 Family Projects of the CCF and the DSA hotline.

In the past, the DSA dealt with child abuse as separate, individual cases. But this problem involves broad areas, requiring coordination of medical, police, legal, psychological, educational, and other units. The city has already begun to build a child protection service network.

But there is often the problem of inadequate capabilities. Institutions lack legal spokespersons to specially deal with this kind of problem. If cases go to trial, those involved, in addition to their daily work, must endlessly traipse to court to give testimony. This affects willingness to expose cases.

Legally, the protection given to children in the ROC is inadequate. Though the Child Welfare Law was passed in 1973, it lacks effective steps for implementation and gives no clear definition of child abuse.

Inadequacy of supporting institutions is also a problem. For children who need to temporarily leave home, currently they can only be placed in orphanages. There is a need for half-way homes and psychiatric guidance institutions.

Child protection work is not easy. When social workers approach the homes of abused children, they are often kicked out the door. Pai Shiu-hsiung, director of the DSA, prepares social workers, saying that establishing the hotline is not to undermine parents: "Parents basically love the child; the work of the hotline is to help the parents discover the cause of the problem and to improve things."

Educating parents is not an easy task. Currently the social variables are overwhelming. Parenting is already not a "natural ability," but should be seen as "specialized knowledge." As to what kind of protection with which to provide children, this requires work on the part of the parents.

It is hoped that Pai Shiu-hsiung's ultimate ideal--mothers and fathers all know how to be good parents, sons and daughters can all grow up safely--can be realized soon. Only then can the welfare of contemporary children be guaranteed.

[Picture Caption]

Corporal punishment is a common sight in school, but what's the impact on a child's self-respect and psyche? (photo by Edward Lin)

(Right) Engrossed in the cartoon, this little boy hasn't detected the change in mother's mood; it's going to be hard to escape from a swat with the duster now.

In the past, adding to the family income reflected filial piety, but how should it be defined today?

Childhood should be carefree. However, this child from a television series works day and night wrapped up as a mushroom. Overwork is a serious problem. (photo courtesy of China Television advertising department)

These little observers brought by parents to the stock market take in more than the action as they breathe the smoke-filled air. (photo by Vincent Chang)

Little sister looks after little brother; but who looks after her? (photo by Edward Lin)

（Right） Engrossed in the cartoon, this little boy hasn't detected the change in mother's mood; it's going to be hard to escape from a swat with the duster now.

In the past, adding to the family income reflected filial piety, but how should it be defined today?

Childhood should be carefree. However, this child from a television series works day and night wrapped up as a mushroom. Overwork is a serious problem. （photo courtesy of China Television advertising department）

These little observers brought by parents to the stock market take in more than the action as they breathe the smoke-filled air. （photo by Vincent Chang）

Little sister looks after little brother; but who looks after her? （photo by Edward Lin）