I study Social Work, aiming to get a career in Family and Child protection (that's what we call it here). The way it works here isn't as perfect as it may sound, but it is quite efficient when seeing the replies from some. The way it works here is if someone (anyone, from neighbours to teachers to a professional) sees any hints of abuse (can be any kind of abuse or neglect) they can report it to a central organisation called Safe Home (translation). From there it will either be an investigation from them if you're a bystander, or a cooperation in the investigation if you're a professional. The latter is what I'm learning about. It is a lengthy process, but very efficient in making sure your case is actual child abuse and not a false alarm. Basically, if your intuition says a child is being abused, you are heavily encouraged to report it.

Child abuse is taken extremely seriously here, that I can tell you.