Children’s exposure to domestic violence & its effects on them: implications for social work in Botswana

Abstract

Domestic violence is one of the causes of long-term problems faced by children, and has been found to adversely affect their wellbeing. This study explores the various ways in which children experience violence in the home; risk factors associated with such experiences; the effects of violence on children as well as the role of social work. To achieve this, the study used literature on children and violence internationally, regionally and nationally. In addition, the study used the ecological model to explain the experiences of children living in violent households. The findings suggest that domestic violence has significant implications for children’s wellbeing, and that early interventions by social workers would go a long way in either preventing children‘s exposure to domestic violence or cushion the effects of domestic violence on children.