Views on corporal punishment, sexual abuse and juvenile offending
Research carried out across eight Caribbean countries
Highlights
UNICEF’s Office for the Eastern Caribbean Area (ECA) is committed to advocating positive forms of discipline and child rearing as
strategies for addressing violence against children. These interventions must be evidence-informed, reflective of reality on the ground
and adjusted to mirror any changes in public perception over time if they are to be persuasive and effective.
This study seeks to chart and understand attitudes and changes in perception, so that strategies can be designed to address the issue. In 2024, UNICEF ECA commissioned Caribbean Development Research Services Inc (CADRES) to complete a study comparing findings on violence against children and sexual abuse with similar studies conducted in 2014 and 2019.
The scope has now been broadened to include some of the newer threats to children, such as grooming, stalking and cyberbullying. In addition, the perceptions of the public on children in conflict with the law are explored for the first time. (The latter replaces a previous section on domestic violence).
