Child Safety, Welfare and Well-being ― Issues and Challenges

This volume presents the unique features of child abuse and neglect and discusses proposed as well as experimented protective measures to create awareness about child rights and their implementation. Divided into four sections, the volume discusses (a) the nature and prevalence of child abuse and neglect, risk factors and impact; (b) issues pertaining to child rights with regard to nutrition, health and education; (c) rights of children with disabilities, HIV/AIDS, and in circumstances like disaster and adoption; and (d) field-based experiences of researchers in protecting child rights and preventing child abuse. The most important contribution of this volume is in providing an analysis of the current legal scenario of child protection, emphasizing the rights of different sections of vulnerable children. Professionals and academics specializing in this area from different academic backgrounds and regions have contributed chapters to this volume, creating a global and multidisciplinary forum for discussion. This volume is important for a wide range of professionals and researchers from the social sciences, law, medicine, and behavioural sciences. It is also beneficial for policy makers and law enforcement agencies working with children.

Sibnath Deb is currently professor at the Department of Applied Psychology, Pondicherry University (A Central University), Puducherry, India and Adjunct Professor, School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia has 26 years of teaching and research experience. Currently he is coordinator of UGC SAP project. In 1994, Prof. Deb did an intensive course on ‘Qualitative Research’ from the University of Western Australia, Australia. During April 2009 to Aug. 2009, Prof. Deb visited the School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia as Visiting Faculty. Prof. Deb has produced ten Ph. D.’s and successfully coordinated more than 50 large-scale qualitative and quantitative studies in addition to publishing more than 100 research papers, writing eight books and editing four. Prof. Deb is in the editorial board of the ‘Journal of Interpersonal Violence’, published by the University of Washington, USA and consulting editor of a number of journals. During 2004-’08, he served the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) as Councilor Member. In 2009, Prof. Deb received ‘Endeavour Executive Award’ from the Australian Government. His current areas of research interest include child protection, students’ mental health, adolescent reproductive health, and HIV/AIDS.