Prevalencija i incidencija nasilja nad djecom u obitelji u Bosni i Hercegovini: rezultati epidemiološkog istraživanja
Prevalence and Incidence of Violence against children in Family in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Epidemiological study results

Summary/Abstract: The study of the prevalence and incidence of violence against children was a topic of many international studies during the last decades. However, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, so far, there were no published data on the epidemiological study of this phenomenon. The first such study was conducted as part of an international research (EC FP7) in 2011, BECAN (Balkan Epidemiological Study on Child Abuse and Neglect) Project. This survey collected data on life-long prevalence and one-year incidence of all forms of violence against children in the family, as well as neglect. Stratified cluster sample included 2638 children aged 11, 13 and 16 of 55 primary and 56 secondary schools in B&H. The study used a modified and adapted version ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool (ICAST C). In this paper we will present the results of prevalence and incidence of physical and psychological violence against children in the family, and the differences with respect to age and gender. The results show that the lifetime prevalence of psychological violence was experienced by 72.51% and physical by 67.68% of the children. In 2010 psychological violence was experienced by 64.05%, and physical by 52.01% of children. Although we found no statistically significant differences with regard to gender, according to the results, girls often experience psychological violence in their families throughout their lives (73.36% CI 71.04% – 75.67%), and boys physical violence (68, 25% CI 65.64% – 70.86%). According to conducted research lifetime prevalence of psychological and physical violence was statistically most significant with 16 years old children (regardless to gender) comparing to the other two age groups (11 and 13 years children). In terms of experiencing violence with respect to age and gender, girls of 16 years have experienced more psychological violence during lifetime, and 13 years old boys have experienced more physical violence in the family in 2010. The results were discussed in the context of the results obtained in previous international researches, on prevalence and incidence of violence against children in the family, special overview of researches conducted in the Balkan region.

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