AFGHANISTAN: Domestic violence against children widespread

from IRIN

Corporal punishment of children by their parents is widely practiced across Afghanistan and is commonly accepted as a form of discipline, says a new study by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU), a Kabul-based think-tank.

“Violence towards children in the family is accepted as a normal part of parent-child relationships with little social judgment made toward the perpetrators,” says the study based on interviews conducted in Bamyan, Herat, Kabul and Nangarhar provinces.

The report, Love, Fear and Discipline: Everyday Violence toward Children in Afghan Families, said many Afghan families perceived corporal punishment as a good way to bring up their children.

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