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Background <p>Child abuse and neglect represent critical public health challenges that threaten children’s safety, development, and overall wellbeing. Teachers play an important role in classifying and reporting such cases, yet their effectiveness depends on their awareness and the barriers they face within educational and social systems. This research aimed to assess the awareness of teachers and perceived barriers to reporting child abuse and neglect among primary school teachers in Kirkuk, Iraq.</p> Methods <p>A cross-sectional study was conducted among 225 employed teachers, randomly selected from 20 public primary schools in Kirkuk city, Iraq using a multistage sampling method. Schools been chosen proportionally from a list of 459 school. Data collected among December 2024 and May 2025 using a structured questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, awareness of abuse and neglect, and reporting barriers. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.</p> Results <p>Teachers showed a moderate overall awareness of child abuse and neglect (M = 12.73, SD = 7.90). Among participants, 30.7% exhibited high awareness, 45.3% moderate, and 24% low awareness. Awareness of sexual abuse was significantly lower than awareness of physical or emotional abuse. Awareness levels were significantly associated with teachers’ education (<i>p</i> = 0.002), years of experience (<i>p</i> = 0.004), and prior training on child protection (<i>p</i> = 0.001). Fear from parental reaction (68.0%) showed greatest barriers to reporting followed by lack of procedural clearness (61.8%), and institutional inadequate support (57.3%). Perceived barriers were significantly associated with gender (<i>p</i> = 0.009) and years of experience (<i>p</i> = 0.003).</p> Conclusions <p>Primary school teachers in Kirkuk demonstrated moderate awareness yet faced notable procedural and psychological barriers that impede timely reporting. Inclusive program training,protocols recording clearly, and strengthened institutional tools are crucial to empower teachers and safeguard children from abuse and neglect.</p>

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Awareness and barriers to reporting child abuse and neglect among primary school teachers

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月24日

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  • Huda Abdulsalam Abdulrahman,
  • Jenan Akbar Shakoor,
  • Faeza Fakhradeen Basas

摘要

Background

Child abuse and neglect represent critical public health challenges that threaten children’s safety, development, and overall wellbeing. Teachers play an important role in classifying and reporting such cases, yet their effectiveness depends on their awareness and the barriers they face within educational and social systems. This research aimed to assess the awareness of teachers and perceived barriers to reporting child abuse and neglect among primary school teachers in Kirkuk, Iraq.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 225 employed teachers, randomly selected from 20 public primary schools in Kirkuk city, Iraq using a multistage sampling method. Schools been chosen proportionally from a list of 459 school. Data collected among December 2024 and May 2025 using a structured questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, awareness of abuse and neglect, and reporting barriers. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.

Results

Teachers showed a moderate overall awareness of child abuse and neglect (M = 12.73, SD = 7.90). Among participants, 30.7% exhibited high awareness, 45.3% moderate, and 24% low awareness. Awareness of sexual abuse was significantly lower than awareness of physical or emotional abuse. Awareness levels were significantly associated with teachers’ education (p = 0.002), years of experience (p = 0.004), and prior training on child protection (p = 0.001). Fear from parental reaction (68.0%) showed greatest barriers to reporting followed by lack of procedural clearness (61.8%), and institutional inadequate support (57.3%). Perceived barriers were significantly associated with gender (p = 0.009) and years of experience (p = 0.003).

Conclusions

Primary school teachers in Kirkuk demonstrated moderate awareness yet faced notable procedural and psychological barriers that impede timely reporting. Inclusive program training,protocols recording clearly, and strengthened institutional tools are crucial to empower teachers and safeguard children from abuse and neglect.