Child Abuse and Neglect in Children under Five Years of Age: Parents and Child Caregivers' Perspectives

This ethnographic qualitative research explored child abuse and neglect in children under five years of age from the perspectives of parents and child caregivers in a village in northeastern Thailand. The key informants were 65 parents and child caregivers from 24 families. Data were collected from January 2007-May 2008 via participatory observation, in-depth interviews, and informal conversational interviews. Thematic analysis was used to evaluate the data. The findings revealed that the informants perceived these issues as "uncommon and unseen phenomena." The term "child abuse and neglect" was unfamiliar and unclear to the informants. They perceived abusive behavior to be irrational acts that were intended to directly cause severe harm, and which resulted in a child's disability, death, or disturbed ways of living and growth. Child abusers were parents, child caregivers, and others whose characteristics included: mental problems, substance abuse, and/or lack of consciousness and awareness. With perceptions of what constituted child abuse limited to only the most severe acts by the most troubled individuals, many behaviors that constitute child abuse and neglect from the formal and legal Thai perspective were considered non-abusive within the local context by the study participants. The behaviors were perceived to be normal methods of child rearing according to their traditional way of life, and necessary for their own and their children's survival. The study results pinpointed this gap in parents and caregivers' perceptions of the issue, which could result in under-reports of child abuse and neglect among Thai families. Parents and child caregivers should be made more sensitive to the perceptions of child abuse and neglect to prevent their continued occurrence and adverse consequences for Thai society.