Protecting Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries from Abuse and Neglect: Critical Challenges for Successful Implementation of Parenting Programmes

Child maltreatment in low- and middle-income countries overburdens health systems, compromises education, perpetuates gender inequalities and slows down development. Research suggests that parenting programmes are effective for the early prevention of child maltreatment. However, wide deployment in LMICs where violence towards children is high is yet to take place. In this overview article, we identify some critical challenges that LMICs currently face in ensuring the sustained implementation of parenting programmes for the early prevention of child maltreatment. The article is structured in three main sections: (1) a brief review of the effectiveness of parenting programmes for preventing child maltreatment; (2) a discussion of the critical challenges in LMICs for the widespread and sustained implementation of parenting programmes; and (3) we propose recommendations to promote effective implementation in these countries. We also suggest a series of steps to overcome these challenges, such as investing on capacity-building for sustainability.