Children's Victimization in Lithuania: Context, Forms and Prevalence

• In Event: Adolescent Victimization and Offending: Empirical and Theoretical Insights from the International Self-Report Delinquency (ISRD) project

Abstract

Children's victimization is one of the indicators of the child's rights situation in a country. presentation focuses on recorded children's criminal victimization and their latent victimization in Lithuania. It briefly overviews the changing social context since 1990, showing that, on the one hand, there are firm foundations for a safer and better life for all residents and children too; on the other – recent social structural changes have opened new sources of insecurity. The presentation is based on registered criminal victimization of Lithuanian children and on latent victimization as well. Data on latent victimization is collected by implementing the International Self-reported Delinquency and Victimization Study ISRD4. The presentation notes that though general registered numbers of victimized children are decreasing, the forms of crime children are exposed to are of a dangerous nature. Most children experience physical or sexual violence, and adults from their close environment are the perpetrators in the majority of cases. ISRD4 survey data revealed the high latency of children’s victimization. Victimization survey data showed that cyberbullying, theft, and parental violence are those infringements that most commonly affect children and are often underreported or unreported.

Author

• Ausra Pociene, Vilnius University, Lithuania