The Reporting Gap in Violence Against Children: Evidence from Italy

Violence against children is a largely under-documented phenomenon, as systematic data sources and dedicated sample surveys remain scarce. Direct violence against children and exposure to violence as witnesses are the main areas of concern, due to the significant psychological and developmental impacts of such experiences. This paper focuses on the under-reporting of violence against children in Italy between 2013 and 2023. To address the intrinsic unobservability of under-reporting, complaints initially filed and then withdrawn are used as a proxy for non-reporting. This operational definition enables the phenomenon to be modelled as a binary outcome and analysed using logistic regression to identify individual and contextual factors associated with reporting behaviour. The analysis is based on administrative service information that has been integrated, and which relates to calls made to the national anti-violence helpline 1522. This data was developed in cooperation with ISTAT within the framework of the European project DORA (Data integratiOn for acknowledging Risks And protecting children from violence). Furthermore, reasons behind withdrawn complaints are analysed to illuminate obstacles to reporting and to provide evidence for prevention strategies and child protection policies.