Indicator 16.2.1 Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month

Indicator 16.2.1: Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month

Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Definition:

Proportion of children aged 1-17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month is currently being measured by the Proportion of children aged 1-14 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month.

Concepts:

In Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), psychological aggression refers to the action of shouting, yelling or screaming at a child, as well as calling a child offensive names, such as ‘dumb’ or ‘lazy’. Physical (or corporal) punishment is an action intended to cause physical pain or discomfort, but not injuries. Physical punishment is defined as shaking the child, hitting or slapping him/her on the hand/arm/leg, hitting him/her on the bottom or elsewhere on the body with a hard object, spanking or hitting him/her on the bottom with a bare hand, hitting or slapping him/her on the face, head or ears, and beating him/her over and over as hard as possible.

'Past month' typically refers to the 30 days prior to the interview/data collection (in other words, has the child experienced violent discipline at any point in the 30 days prior to data collection). 'Caregiver' refers to any adult household member with caregiving responsibilities for the child (not just the primary caregiver or the respondent to the questionnaire).

Percent (%) of children aged 1-14 years

Household surveys such as UNICEF-supported Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) and Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) that have been collecting data on this indicator in low- and middle-income countries since around 2005. In some countries, such data are also collected through other national household surveys.

MICS, the source of the majority of comparable data, includes a module on disciplinary methods. The module, developed for use in MICS, is adapted from the parent-child version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTSPC), a standardized and validated epidemiological measurement tool that is widely accepted and has been implemented in a large number of countries, including high-income countries. The MICS module includes a standard set of questions covering non-violent forms of discipline, psychological aggression and physical means of punishing children. Data are collected for children ranging from age 1 to age 14. Some DHS have included the standard, or an adapted version of, the MICS module on child discipline.

National Statistical Offices (for the most part)

In the third and fourth rounds of Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), the standard indicator referred to the percentage of children aged 2-14 years who experienced any form of violent discipline (physical punishment and/or psychological aggression) within the past month. Beginning with the fifth round of MICS (MICS5), the age group covered was expanded to capture children’s experiences with disciplinary practices between the ages of 1 and 14 years. Therefore, current data availability does not capture the full age range specified in the SDG indicator since data are not collected for adolescents aged 15-17 years and further methodological work is needed to identify additional items on disciplinary practices relevant for older adolescents.

Number of children aged 1-17 years who are reported to have experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month divided by the total number of children aged 1-17 in the population multiplied by 100

Proxy indicator:

Number of children aged 1-14 years who are reported to have experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month divided by the total number of children aged 1-14 in the population multiplied by 100

2024-09-27

United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

Not applicable

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