Vaikų prievartos bei smurto paplitimo problemos Kėdainiuose

One of the most important indicators that characterize moral and social position of a state is criminality. Violence or compulsion, especially against children, have already become one of the most painful problems in our society. Respect to a person’s life and the surrounding world, health, or views, like many other human values, have lost their real value, not only in terms of a separate individual and family, but also in the behaviour and consciousness of all society. However, it can be clearly defined that punishing a child by physical punishments leads him to the other status in society, i.e. lower than of adults. This paper deals with the spreading of violence against children in Kėdainiai. The theoretical part presents the definitions of violence and compulsion. The second part concentrates on the forms of agression and the display of them. The third part outlines the factors which influence violence and compulsion. The fourth part discusses the existing situation in Kėdainiai, and finally, the fifth part presents the ways of violence prevention and provides suggestions how to improve the existing situation. In order to try to stop violence against children, it is necessary to explain actively the phenomena of violence to the society and the children themselves, change the traditional opinion of the society, by stressing the fact that violence and compulsion in a family and society are not only the matters of the family. The view of the society towards children is still related to their controlling and punishing, with such distinguishing features as impulsiveness, aggression, and indifference to the close people either. Therefore, it is necessary to promote the consciousness of the society and separate communities as well, to induce the intolerance of physical punishments, and increase the dispersion of information about possible help to a child and his/ her family. Violence, experienced in the childhood, forms and deforms a personality. A child who experienced violence meets with large difficulties. He/ she has to learn to trust the people, who are not worthy of confidence, maintain the feeling of safety in such surrounding which is not safe, control the situations, which are not predicted, and get strength in the situations in which the child is helpless. Moreover, the paper presents concrete proposals to the specialists of Kėdainiai and other regions, which have similar population, actual recommendations which help to ensure children’s safety. By purposeful efforts it should help the problematic families and growing children in them to overcome difficulties. Knowing rather limited budget possibilities of our country and local administration, it should be worthy not only to increase the number of workers in the field of assurance of child’s rights, but also improve the quality of work, and interdepartmental collaboration. Therefore, it is not abstract, but more concrete, to the actual practice of precautionary activities oriented final master thesis.