An intersectional understanding of child abuse and neglect

Claudia Bernard

Chapter 18 in Handbook on Intersectionality and Social Work, 2026, pp 240-252 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter employs intersectionality to understand multiple forms of childhood abuse and neglect in Black and racially minoritised communities. There is a growing recognition that for Black and racially minoritised children, the maltreatment they experience takes complex forms. They are not only exposed to different forms of abuse – physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect – but also to harms linked to culturally based practices such as female genital mutilation, honour-based violence, witchcraft accusation, and spirit possession branding. The chapter starts with an overview of the key debates in childhood maltreatment. It will then move on to consider how the application of intersectional theory can identify how interlocking systems of oppression manifest in contexts of childhood maltreatment. The chapter concludes with some reflections on how an intersectional approach can advance our knowledge and understanding of the factors that underlie the lived experiences of maltreated racially minoritised children.

Keywords: Childhood Maltreatment; Culturally Based Harms; Interlocking Oppressions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035324453
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