Socio-Demographic Determinants of Parental Attitudes and Practices Towards Violence Against Children in Nepal: An Analysis Using MICS 2019 Data

Violence Against Children (VAC) is a widespread global concern, affecting up to 1 billion children each year through physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. VAC is one of the harmful practices that affects children’s holistic development however it has been rooted as a way to make children disciplined. This study intends to explore the occurrence and determinants of violence against children in Nepal, emphasizing Physical and Humiliating Punishment (PHP) and caregiver views toward disciplinary attitude. This study utilizes data from the 2019 Nepal Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) to examine socio-demographic factors affecting child risk levels, caregiver acceptance of PHP, and children's exposure to violence. The study categorizes children into no-risk, moderate-risk, and high-risk groups based on exposure to violence and caregiver attitudes. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses reveal significant associations between child risk levels and factors such as age, region, parental education, and household wealth. Younger children (about 9 years) exhibit high-risk proportions compared to older children, while rural areas, lower wealth quintiles, and less educated households report higher risks. Maternal education emerges as a critical protective factor, significantly reducing the likelihood of children experiencing violence. Provincial disparities are stark, with Karnali and Sudurpashchim provinces showing the highest proportions of high-risk children. The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions addressing socio-economic disparities, enhancing parental education, and implementing region-specific strategies to mitigate violence against children.