SOS Children received 5,619 reports of child abuse last year in Wallonia and Brussels, according to Sudpresse newspapers on Friday. In 65% of the cases, the perpetrators are the victim’s parents.
“5,619 reports were received in 2014 relative to 5,056 children (the same child may be the subject of several reports),” explains Jean-Luc Agosti, responsible for the support department at the O.N.E. (birth and early childhood) agency, to which SOS Children is affiliated to.
The abuse victims are most often children aged 6 to 9 (19%). Children aged 3 to 6 make up 15% of cases and children under the age of 3, 10%.
The cases related mostly to sexual abuse (35%), physical abuse (22%), gross negligence (22%) and psychological abuse (17%).
(Source: Belga)
