Child Abuse and Neglect: A Survey on Primary School Teachers of Kanpur City

Background: A major public concern in today’s world is child abuse and neglect (CAN). Teachers are in unique position to detect possible cases due to their daily contact with children. To assess the knowledge and awareness on recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect among primary school teachers of Kanpur city. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 220 primary school teachers in 19 randomly selected schools of Kanpur city, Uttar Pradesh, India. A structured close ended questionnaire prepared in two languages (English and National language Hindi) comprising of 19 questions was used. Results: CAN was either never or rarely noticed among 47.3%. The criteria of recognizing the CAN was known by 57% and 90% felt comfortable considering an expert opinion in their schools and so can report confidently. Training to identify CAN was provided by school administration (36.4%) and was done on monthly basis (34.5%). Conclusion: Findings highlight the need for enhancing teacher’s education in CAN, as by reporting suspected CAN, teachers can make an important contribution to the early detection and prevention of child abuse.