SOCIO-ECONOMIC CORRELATES OF CHILD ABUSE AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN ZARIA

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CORRELATES OF CHILD ABUSE AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN ZARIA

Abstract:

Child abuse encompasses detrimental emotional and physical acts of commissions or omissions perpetuated by adults against children. A study of 152 children from three public, and three private schools in Zaria was conducted to find out the extent to which socio-economic status, family type and size, marital harmony and ethnicity are associated with child abuse. Eighty-five (56%) of the children were from high social class families while 24 (16%) and 43 (28%) were from middle and low classes respectively, From the Questionnaire administered to the children, 149 (98%) reported that they were physically abused indicating thai physical abuse occurs across all socio-economic and ethnic groups. Only three children, two from high and one from low socio-economic status were not abused. Physical abuse was however more severe in high class as indicated by report of more injuries sustained. The incidence of verbal abuse and neglect were also higher for high class children. Even though high class children were more frequently and severely punished, they interacted with greater ease with their parents and indicated absence of fear of parents more often than children from the lower class. Certain forms of punishment such as the use of horsewhip was however more1 prominent aiming lower social group children. With regards to family type, relatively fewer abuses were reported from monogamous families than from poiyg’ ions families. However, there was no significant difference in the occurrence of abuse between large and small families. Thus the hy pothesis that child abuse is caused by poverty was not confirmed, rather

SOCIO-ECONOMIC CORRELATES OF CHILD ABUSE AMONG PRIMARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN ZARIA

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