Spotting abuse is child's play?

The Guardian reports on research by Action for Children who have found that 44% of children under 12 have seen other children who were dirty and smelly, while nearly two-thirds of children have seen suspected signs of neglect among their peers in classrooms, playgrounds, neighbourhoods and activity clubs. Its survey of over 3,000 eight to 12 year-olds revealed the scale of absenteeism. Just over 40% had noticed pupils being late or missing school, while 34% said they were aware of children not appearing to have friends. The charity has issued a press release and a media pack.