Report on the 5th International Congress of Child Abuse and Neglect

This was the fifth International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect that I have attended, others have been held in Geneva, Paris, Amsterdam and London. The 5th International Congress of Child Abuse and Neglect was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada in September 1984. In keeping with the Congress theme, which emphasised community responsibility for the prevention of child abuse and neglect, organisers, agencies, professionals and citizens who contributed to the congress and represented different levels of Government and various sectors of the community; thus a broad cross section of the people involved. Prevention is the only way of reducing child abuse and neglect. The aim of the conference was to bring together preventative strategies from both professionals and self help agencies. Child abuse is a community responsibility. Every child has the right to be protected “against all forms of neglect, cruelty and exploitation”. Workers inthefield recognise that the help they bring to families is too little too late, and that we cannot rely on judicial strategies to reduce child abuse. Times are difficult, resources are strained, this affects service delivery, and brings increasing stress to the family, making them more vulnerable to breakdown. The U.S.A. spends $2 billion a year on treating the problem and only $2 million a year on preventative activities.