Emotional abuse of NI children 'trebled over seven years' - NSPCC

It dealt with 842 calls to their helpline in the last year, with 100 of these relating specifically to emotional abuse.

Of those 100, two-thirds were referred to the PSNI.

However, the charity fears the problem could be much worse and is calling on the NI Executive, when it is back up and running, and the UK government, to commission a UK-wide study that looks at the prevalence of child abuse and neglect.

Helpline staff reported hearing accounts of:

• parents telling their children they hate them or wished they were dead
• threatening them with extreme violence
• blaming them for issues they are facing themselves such as unemployment or financial problems

The charity says the full picture of what is going on remains unclear as the last study into the full extent of the problem was carried out back in 2009.

Neil Anderson, Head of NSPCC in Northern Ireland said: “Hearing reports from our Helpline about parents or carers who are consistently verbally assaulting, bullying, isolating or humiliating their children is devastating.

“The increase in people recognising and reporting emotional abuse to our Helpline indicates people are willing to take action, but the disturbing truth is that in Northern Ireland we have no idea how many other children are suffering from emotional abuse or in fact, any type of abuse.

“We urgently need the Northern Ireland Executive in conjunction with the UK Government and other devolved nations to step in now, before another eight years go by, and commission a study that gives us the clearest possible picture of the extent of child abuse and neglect in the UK."

• NSPCC
• northern ireland
• emotional abuse