Israel helps China combat child abuse

A team from the Jerusalem-based Haruv Institute, which provides innovative training in identifying and fighting child abuse and neglect, held a five-day seminar last week for a group of 40 pediatricians from across China led by Dr. Yoram Ben Yehuda and Dr. Gabriel Otterman.

Sanford R. Cardin, the president of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, which supports the Haruv Institute, attended as well.

The seminar sought to provide the pediatricians, who often serve as the front-line in identifying child abuse, new tools and clinical skills with a focus on early detection.

The training, which took place in Xi'an, a city of ten million in central China, also included methods for documenting and treating cases of child abuse. Shaanxi Hospital in Xi’ang invited Haruv's physicians after hearing about their expertise.

All participants of the seminar (Photo: Jin Pang)

The seminar included lectures, workshops, an examination of case studies, in-depth discussion and clinical, hands-on training. Some of the Chinese physicians were expected to travel to Jerusalem for further training at the Haruv Institute.

This is the first time an Israeli delegation has been invited to another country to train others on the subject of preventing and treating child abuse and is among the first times, if not the first time, that a Chinese institute has asked for such outside expertise on the matter.

Integral role

The seminar's long-term goal is to train a core group of pediatricians in China to become experts in detecting and treating child abuse, who will then be able to transmit their knowledge and new tools to colleagues throughout the country, home to one of the largest populations of children in the world.

“The Chinese have recently realized that the role pediatricians’ play is a very integral one in fighting child abuse, and often they will be the first place a child will go after being hurt,” said Professor Hillel Schmid, Director of the Haruv Institute. “This innovative and pioneering seminar aims to train these pediatricians with the necessary skills and knowledge to detect when a child is in danger and, furthermore, have the resources and wherewithal to take the appropriate action.”

According to Schmid, the Chinese invitation is evidence of the Haruv Institute's growing international influence as leaders in providing knowledge and training in the prevention and treatment of child abuse. “Our goal is to expand our reach and to deepen our collaboration with the professional community in China to share with them the knowledge and skills we obtained in Israel to fight this phenomenon,” Schmid added.

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