he family and the household are socially and legally
conceived as spaces for protection and safety for children
and adolescents. In this regard, the CRC considers the
natural environment for child development to be the family,
while still recognizing that this can be a dangerous space.
While violence “behind closed doors” has been difficult to
detect and measure, perhaps the most complex aspect is
accepting that those who are expected to protect children
–generally the parents– are precisely the ones who strike,
assault, threaten, punish or abuse them.