The Relationship between Economic Growth and Child Abuse in Malaysia

The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of economic growth on child abuse by introducing a Kuznets curve of abuse. This study employs the ARDL approach to analyse data on GDP per capita, inflation, unemployment, and the number of child abuse cases in Malaysia from 1988 to 2018. The study has several limitations to be taken into consideration. A lack of data on determinants such as divorce and poverty rates has limited this study in the scope of its analysis. Therefore, including these determinants in further research will build upon the findings of this study. The findings of this study are important for policymakers to formulate appropriate policies and approaches towards boosting economic growth, as higher GDP per capita in the final stages of the given timeframe, can reduce child abuse cases. Economic growth has not been considered by previous studies to be a factor in child abuse. This study introduces a Kuznets curve of abuse that seeks to explain the relationship between income per capita and child abuse cases.