Prevalence of Violence Against School Children in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Violence against school children is a pervasive problem that requires greater attention from educators, policy makers and researchers. This study examined prevalence of violence against school children in Imo State, Nigeria. Four research questions based on types and prevalence of violence, prevalence of forms of violence, prevalence of violence according to sex and level of school, and perpetrators of violence against school children in Imo State were raised and tested. The study employed descriptive survey research design and the population comprised pupils in upper primary schools, students in Junior Secondary School and teachers in primary and junior secondary schools in Imo State. Multistage sampling technique was used to select randomly a sample of 420 out of total population of 26,715. Two self-developed and validated questionnaires were used for data collection. The results revealed that physical and psychological violence were more prevalent than other types of violence. Sexual and gender-based violence were also fairly prevalent in schools. It was recommended that promotion of social skills and development of socially supportive learning environment should be encouraged.