Indian Girls Likely Face Violence from Mothers: Unicef

NEW DELHI: Indian mothers and step-mothers are those mostly likely to subject their daughters to "physical violence," according to a UNICEF report that raises the issues of corporal punishment and discipline.

Among Indian girls 15 to 19 years of age, 41 percent experienced physical violence at the hands of their mothers or step-mothers, while only 18 percent from their fathers or step-fathers, said the report.

The report, "Hidden in Plain Sight: A Statistical Analysis of Violence Against Children", released was based on surveys among children and covered 190 countries.

The reason for the controversial statistic about mothers is that physical violence is defined to include corporal punishment, "however light."

Even forcing a child to eat or stay in uncomfortable positions comes under its description of "physical violence" along with "all other forms of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment". The broad statistics about Indian parents do not give a breakdown of the severity of the violence or what proportion of the action involved disciplining children.

Among Indian girls, 15 to 19 years, 25 percent were subjected to "physical violence" by brothers and sisters, the report said.

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