Donata Bianchi
Associazione Artemisia
Sociologist, expert of the issue of child abuse prevention and protection, and promotion of children's rights. Has collaborated with ISPCAN group on data collection; she has been working since the early 2000 as consultant for the activities of the National Centre of documentation and analysis for childhood and adolescence. Founder and consultant for Associazione Artemisia since 1991 , authors of articles and co- editor of books on the issue of child protetcion and child well being.
The paper addresses the problem of child abuse in institutional settings, particularly in residential care, from the perspective of adult survivors in order to understand the long terms effects of such events, how and if the... [ view full abstract ]
The paper addresses the problem of child abuse in institutional settings, particularly in residential care, from the perspective of adult survivors in order to understand the long terms effects of such events, how and if the survivors of these crimes may find protection and compensation in the existing legal framework, and how their experience may enlighten prevention strategy for the protection of children living today in residential care.
The child abuse in institutional settings is still an under-researched area and it has not received the proper attention and recognition by the scientific community. Institutional care, particularly for very young children, is associated per se with negative consequences for children’s development, but the focus of the paper is not on this issue but on the child abuses that in this settings can be intentionally committed by professional carers working in the staff, starting form the dramatic experiences fo the survivors fo the violences committed in the residential care of Il forteto in Italy. The paper refers the three years work with the survivors and also the first year results of the european project SASCA that Associazione Artemisia is developping with Ireland (Justice For Magdalenes Research and Waterford Institute of Technology), Romania (Babeş-Bolyai University) and Greece (Institute of Child Health). SASCA seeks the view of the victims and of key professionals for scrutinizing systems and processes that impede the recognition of the phenomenon, and it focuses on practices, values, attitudes and professional roles.
The paper addresses the specific needs of these adults that suffered severe forms of institutional abuse, in the pathway for healing they need social and psychological help, legal advice but also to feel that it is recognised that their abuse was the full failure of protection system.
