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Perceived Deterrence Among School Teachers Against Child Abuse
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| Author:
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MONICA ANTONY, SUJATHA SOMASUNDARMA, MAHESH RAMAKRISHNAN
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| Abstract:
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Child abuse or child maltreatment is the physical, sexual or psychological maltreatment or neglect of children, especially by a parent or a caregiver. Child abuse and neglect are one of the most serious social problems present. In the most severe cases, child abuse and neglect results in the mental breakdown and tragic death of a child. The general objectives of this survey is to determine the number of reports of abuse made by teachers, their knowledge of child abuse laws and reporting procedures, their perceived deterrents in reporting abuse cases and evaluate the responses of teachers to case vignettes. An online survey was conducted in google forms for this study that contained 10 questions and were distributed among 100 school teachers of both government and private schools. The questionnaire was based on teaching experience, teachers knowledge about child abuse and there attitude towards reporting child abuse. The results were collected and pie charts were obtained. The results showed that majority of the teachers, though they had knowledge about child abuse and were aware of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and child neglect, they failed to report these cases due to fear and lack of concern. According to the survey 36% were government school teachers, 21% were in the private sector CBSE and 43% were teachers in the private matriculation. 53% of the teachers agreed to child abuse being a serious problem in our society. 65% of the teachers managed to report child abuse cases if seen and 71% of the teachers have made child abuse reports. 70% insist that it is mandatory to make it an obligation for teachers to report cases of abuse. 53% had inadequate pre service training while 68% had adequate post service training to report against child abuse. 95% of the teachers were aware of the schools procedures to report cases while 18% thought it was not mandatory to report because 71% believed that the parents had the right to discipline their kids in the form they liked. Teachers are the next person they are in daily contact with after their guardians. This study clearly outlines the need for enhanced training in child abuse reporting laws and procedures for school teachers. There is a definite need for more thorough training for teachers on child abuse reporting.It can be concluded that teachers should have knowledge about child abuse.
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| Keyword:
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Perceived Deterrence, Child Abuse, Teachers, Knowledge, Awareness
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| EOI:
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| DOI:
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https://doi.org/10.31838/ijpr/2020.12.03.382
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| Download:
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Request For Article
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