30% of Panama kids beaten at home
An official study found that 30% of children in Panama are beaten in their homes. The figure comes from the same report that revealed that 62,000 women in Panama justify a man beating his wife or partner.
The study was conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) l and the Technical Fund United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).
Pollsters found that the number of parents or relatives who use violent methods of discipline with children grows to 45% if you include those who attack minors psychologically.
To reach these conclusions interviewers used an extensive questionnaire to 882 people in 9000 households across Panama, a sample considered by Unicef as representative of the entire country.
Within the 30% using corporal punishment, a figure equivalent to 316 000, children 93% reported applying some kind of physical punishment. While the remaining 7% said that children get the most severe physical punishment possible.
The regions where more the most violent discipline methods were applied were Ngäbe Bugle (65.2%), Bocas del Toro (50.1%) and Panama (46.9). The regions country with the lowest percentage of violent discipline methods were Cocle (24.4%) Embera Wounaan (30.1%) and Veraguas (33.2%)