NEW data on the context, magnitude, and impact of violence on Jamaican children and youth have left researchers with a surprising contrast showing that while children have identified their parents, adult relatives and peers as “common perpetrators of lifetime physical violence”, they, at the same time, say they are highly monitored and supervised by their parents.

According to the data, contained in the Jamaica Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) 2023, unveiled on Thursday, “physical violence, often from parents and caregivers, is common and affects one in three children” while “emotional abuse, as well as community violence, is widespread, affecting 31 per cent males and 37.8 per cent females”.

According to the study, which is a nationally representative household survey that measures physical, emotional and sexual violence in children ages 13 to 24, nearly one in two females (45.3 per cent) and about two in five males (37.9 per cent) witnessed physical violence in their homes and over half witnessed it in their neighbourhoods, leaving lasting emotional scars.

On Thursday, Dr Kelly-Ann Gordon Johnson, senior public health specialist, strategic information with the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC), in examining the key findings and major takeaways of the survey, described the data collection process as “hard”.

“Females reported emotional violence the most [while] males reported physical violence the most. Parents or adult relatives and peers are common perpetrators of lifetime physical violence,” Gordon Johnson said, noting that interestingly, “despite our rate of physical violence our children reported that they had high levels of parental monitoring and supervision — 94 per cent for females and 90 per cent for males”.

“It’s less in terms of their report for close relationship to their mother, but still high — 90 per cent for females and 95 per cent for males,” she said, adding that 70 per cent of girls said it was easy to talk to their mothers compared to 88 per cent of boys.

She said use of positive parental discipline over the last 12 months stands at 42 per cent for females and 30 per cent for males.

In the meantime, she said “more than half of children and youth who experienced physical violence had the first incident at ages 12 to 17 years”, while “around half of children and youth experienced an injury due to physical violence” with the most injury to females being from ‘intimate partners’ and males, their peers.

Representative for UNICEF Jamaica Olga Isaza, who said the “groundbreaking report is a ratification of what we all are seeing”, pleaded with parents to soften their approach.

“Let me make an appeal to parents; we know that the vast majority of you are trying your best to raise your children in the best way possible, but studies have shown that a successful parenting process is possible without violence,” she said.

Noting that the “findings are concerning”, Isaza said “the data tell us that three out of every four adolescent and youth, aged 13 to 24, have experienced violence in their lifetime. Three out of every four persons between 13 and 44 years of age have experienced violence in this short lifetime. This is not just an individual problem, but a societal one that requires urgent attention, not only because it has critical consequences for each child’s life, but also for the families, communities and the development of the country as a whole”.

In the meantime, the study showed that sexual violence in childhood is “common” and that girls are more vulnerable with almost one in four females or 23.7 per cent and more than one in 10 males or 11.7 per cent experiencing it.

“Many victims first experienced sexual violence at age 13 or younger, while nearly one in five females had a first sexual experience that was physically forced or pressured. When we looked at the 13 to 24 age group we found that female orphans, youth who had experienced food insecurity and females with severe functional disabilities were significantly more likely to experience sexual and physical violence,” Gordon Johnson said.

She said among the 18 to 24 year olds, females who had to work for money or payment experienced more physical and sexual violence than those who did not, and females who attended or completed secondary school were more susceptible to sexual and physical violence.

“One thing that stood out for us in the data is that for most victims, it’s someone they know and it happens in familiar locations; so at home, in the neighbourhood,” she said, noting that friends and neighbours as perpetrators were the highest for both males and females with 46 per cent of females saying friend and neighbour and 50 per cent males saying friend or neighbours committed the acts against them.

In addition, 52 per cent of females said the violations occurred at home compared to 57 per cent of males, while 29 per cent of females said it happened at an outside location, compared to 27 per cent of males who said it happened at school.

The 2023 Violence Against Children and Youth Survey was led by the Planning Institute of Jamaica with funding from the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The survey was coordinated by the CDC as a part of its Together for Girls Partnership. UNICEF supported the data to action process through a cooperative agreement with the CDC.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and the The University of the West Indies, Mona, executed the survey.

The report will be officially handed over by the CDC to the PIOJ and the minister of education, skills, youth and information.

UNICEF has pleaded with parents to soften their approach when they discipline children.