Safer in School? The Impact of Compulsory Schooling on Maltreatment and Associated Harms
利用南澳大利亚教育改革（离校年龄从16岁提高到17岁）和行政记录，发现义务教育减少了首次向儿童保护服务报告的虐待案例，并降低了有虐待史青少年的急诊医疗使用，表明上学能提升儿童安全。
Abstract Abused and neglected children are at extreme risk of school dropout, poor health, and destructive behaviours, yet evidence on interventions that prevent maltreatment and its harms is limited. We use a South Australian education reform to examine whether extending the school-leaving age from 16 to 17 improves maltreatment-related outcomes. Using administrative records and regression-discontinuity techniques, we find that the reform reduced first-time cases of maltreatment reported to Child Protection Services (CPS). Among adolescents with past CPS involvement, it also reduced emergency healthcare utilisation. Our findings suggest school attendance can improve child safety, with an incapacitation effect as the likely mechanism.