CAMEROONCAMEROONA 2010 African Child Policy Forum report on violence against children with disabilities in Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia documented a very high level of violence. Nearly a thousand 18-24 year olds took part in the study across the five countries, reporting on their experiences as children. In Cameroon, over 50% of respondents had been hit, punched, kicked or beaten, over 25% of respondents had been made to eat hot chilli, pepper or very bitter food or drink, and over 25% of respondents had been choked, burnt or stabbed. Across the five countries, 23% of the young people said that they had experienced physical violence which was “mostly discipline, reasonable and justified” and 27% said that they had experienced physical violence which was “mostly discipline but not reasonable or justified”. Twenty-six per cent said that they had experienced emotional violence which was “discipline, but not reasonable or justified”, and 22% that they had experienced emotional violence that was “disciplinary, reasonable and justified”. Across all five countries, more than half (54%) of those who had been physically beaten said they had suffered broken bones, teeth, bleeding or bruising; 2% had been permanently disabled; 21% required medical attention; 13% had to miss school or work; and 20% had needed rest at home. For all five countries, the majority of respondents with physical, visual and intellectual disabilities experienced physical violence more than 10 times. The report recommends prohibition of all corporal punishment, including in the home, as a way to minimise the risk of violence against children with disabilities.
(The African Child Policy Forum, 2010, Violence Against Children With Disabilities in Africa: Field Studies from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal, Uganda and Zambia, Addis Ababa: The African Child Policy Forum)
A UNICEF report published in 2010 states that 93% of children aged 2-14 experienced violent discipline (physical punishment and/or psychological aggression) in 2005-2006. Nearly eight in ten experienced physical punishment, while a smaller percentage (44%) of mothers and caregivers thought that physical punishment was necessary in childrearing, and non-violent discipline was also widely used: experienced by 82% of children. Nearly three children in ten experienced severe physical punishment (being hit or slapped on the face, head or ears or being hit over and over with an implement) and 87% experienced psychological aggression (being shouted at, yelled at, screamed at or insulted). Children engaged in child labour experienced violent discipline more than those who were not engaged in child labour: 96% compared to 93%. No significant differences in children’s experience of violent discipline were found according to sex, age, household size or level of education of adults in the household.
(UNICEF, 2010, Child Disciplinary Practices at Home: Evidence from a Range of Low- and Middle-Income Countries, NY: UNICEF)
A study by the African Child Policy Forum in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Senegal found that hitting, beating and forced hard work were the most prevalent forms of violence against girls, and that most of the physical violence experienced by girls was corporal punishment. The study involved a survey of 3,025 young women (nearly 600 per country) aged 18-24 about the violence they had experienced in their childhood. In Cameroon, 43% of respondents had been hit during their childhood, 66% had been beaten, 21% kicked, 31% denied food, 7% choked or burned and 18% forced to do hard work. Parents and close relatives were the most common perpetrators of physical violence.
(The African Child Policy Forum, 2010, Childhood Scars in Africa: A Retrospective Study on Violence Against Girls in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria and Senegal, Addis Ababa: The African Child Policy Forum)
According to statistics from UNICEF on violence in the family, in 2005-2006 children with disabilities were more likely to experience severe physical punishment: 30% of disabled children aged 2-9 were hit or slapped on the face, head or ears or hit over and over as hard as possible with an implement, compared with 24% of non-disabled children. Fifty-six per cent of girls and women aged 15-49 thought that a husband is justified in hitting or beating his wife under certain circumstances.
(UNICEF, 2009, Progress for Children: A report card on child protection, NY: UNICEF)
A study of children who had lost their parent(s) due to HIV-related illnesses exposed a high level of physical violence and corporal punishment in the home. The study involved 180 children: 70% of boys without a mother reported experiencing physical violence in the month before the study, as did 62% of non-orphan boys. Between 60% and 70% of non-orphan girls reported suffering physical punishment during the same period.
(Morgan, J. and Behrendt, A., 2007, Silent Suffering: The psychological impact of war, HIV and other high-risk situations on girls and boys in West and Central Africa: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Dakar: Plan West Africa)