Five percent of children in a recent survey reported having experienced serious physical violence at the hands of their primary carer — either a parent or guardian.
The "alarming" statistic was revealed by an extensive study commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, and published last year.
According to the nation's Ombudsman for Children, Elina Pekkarinen, child abuse is surprisingly common in Finland.
"Between two and three children aged 1-9 die every year in Finland as a result of violence. In addition, babies and teenagers die too," Pekkarinen said.
Data provided by Statistics Finland shows that 31 children, under the age of 15 years old, have died a violent death over the last 10 years.
A Finland-based study from 2014 found that 6 percent of mothers admitted to committing severe violent acts against their own children. These acts included slapping, hitting, punching (with a fist), kicking, biting, hitting/trying to hit the child with an object, or shaking (an under 2 year old child). The respondents said they had committed at least one of these acts, at least once, in the 12 months prior to the survey being conducted.
Pekkarinen cited the case of the death of a child in the city of Joensuu, in the east of Finland, during the summer of 2023 as worrying evidence that Finland's child protective services are currently unable to respond to the needs of children.
In the Joensuu case, the child's mother and stepfather are currently standing trial on charges of murder.
Figures from Finland's public health authority THL meanwhile revealed that the maximum number of clients per child protection worker was exceeded in 15 healthcare regions last year. Finland has a total of 21 healthcare regions, otherwise known as wellbeing service counties.
THL further noted that about 13 percent of vacant social worker positions are currently unfilled — with students often given temporary contracts to make up the shortfall.
Another survey, published by THL last autumn, found that about 17.5 percent of boys in the 4th and 5th grades (aged about 10-12) reported having suffered physical violence from a parent or guardian, reflecting a three percent increase compared to a previous study carried out in 2019.
The same survey revealed that 14.2 percent of girls in the same age group reported experiences of physical violence at home, up from 10.5 percent in 2019.
Ombudsman: Law reform did not go far enough
Since the beginning of this year, under new legislation, the maximum number of child welfare cases a social worker can have is 30.
The limit is part of child protection reforms brought in as part of the Child Welfare Act, which came into force in January 2022.
"If staffing levels remain the only change to the Child Protection Act, it could lead to a worse situation for children's rights," Pekkarinen stated, noting that improvements are also needed in mental health and substance abuse services, as well as in various educational and family counselling units.
She added that, in practice, the law change means that social workers, senior social workers and welfare regions are trying to prioritise child protection cases — often limiting some children from becoming clients of protective services.
"Unfortunately, this is what is happening now. It can happen that children in unsafe situations are quickly taken off the caseload and this can lead to terrible tragedies," Pekkarinen said.
Last chance to act
Eight-year-old Vilja Eerika died of suffocation on Mother's Day in May 2012, following long-term abuse at the hands of her father and his girlfriend — who were both later found guilty of her murder.
The incident led to the government at the time establishing a working group to assess the capabilities of child welfare authorities in Finland.
In its final report, the group made a number of recommendations aimed at preventing or deterring violence against children.
In Pekkarinen's opinion, Finnish authorities now face their last chance to implement the recommendations made by the working group in the early 2010s.
"Many were made, and only a fraction of them have been implemented," she noted.
The report's recommendations included a stipulation that the background of all adults living with children in a home should be carefully checked. The working group also emphasised the importance of seamless cooperation between different authorities as a means of ensuring that children in unsafe situations were taken care of quickly and effectively.
The report further recommended that authorities should learn the lessons from past mistakes, particularly those from serious cases of domestic violence, and called on the health ministry to ensure THL collected data on all incidents in which the death of a child had occurred.
Pekkarinen added that children and families must be supported in all aspects of their lives, and not just when they are in acute need of help.
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