Child abuse linked to faith or belief: working towards recognition in practice
Intended for healthcare professionals
CPD    

Child abuse linked to faith or belief: working towards recognition in practice

Maria Tighe Clark Associate professor, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England
Jeannette Littlemore Professor of English language and applied linguistics, College of Arts and Law, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England
Julie Taylor Professor of child protection, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England
Geoff Debelle Consultant paediatrician, Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, Birmingham, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your awareness of the alerting signs of child abuse linked to faith or belief (CALFB)

  • To better understand the circumstances in which CALFB may occur and the metaphorical thinking behind it

  • To contribute towards revalidation as part of your 35 hours of CPD (UK readers)

  • To contribute towards your professional development and local registration renewal requirements (non-UK readers)

Child abuse linked to faith or belief (CALFB) is a worldwide issue that is linked to serious short-term and long-term consequences and even death. Children affected by CALFB may have undergone multiple abuses – such as ritual starvation, beatings, burns, stabbings and drowning – prompting concern in hospitals, schools and communities, including in emergency and primary care settings. Nurses have an important role in safeguarding children and young people, and their role in identifying and responding to CALFB is often challenging.

This article uses a ‘competemility’ (cultural competence and cultural humility) approach to raise awareness of CALFB reporting and investigations in the UK. It examines medical evidence and psychosocial indicators of this form of abuse and explains the metaphorical language and thoughts associated with reported beliefs. The article aims to support nurses to be culturally sensitive to CALFB and to explore how they can contribute to preserve the safety of children in familial and community settings.

Nursing Children and Young People. 35, 3, 34-42. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2022.e1444

Peer review

This article has been subject to open peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

maria.clark@nottingham.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Clark MT, Littlemore J, Taylor J et al (2022) Child abuse linked to faith or belief: working towards recognition in practice. Nursing Children and Young People. doi: 10.7748/ncyp.2022.e1444

Published online: 18 October 2022

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