“A report has detailed shocking levels of physical violence and neglect towards millions of Pacific Islands children, sparking calls for better-targeted aid programmes from countries like New Zealand and Australia.
“The report team, from combined aid agencies, investigated child-rearing practices in seven Pacific countries, as well as Timor-Leste.
“The report found as many as four million children experience violence at home across the Pacific - a staggering 2.8 million in Papua New Guinea alone.
“More than half of all sexual violence referred to medical clinics involves children in PNG, where almost one in three parents report beating children "as hard as they can".
“The research also outlines a range of factors that contribute to the abuse, including Pacific societies with high levels of gender inequality; social acceptance of physical punishment of children, weak governance, and growing poverty and inequality.
“The report's authors say the research shows the critical lack of overseas aid invested in programmes aimed at ending violence against children, and programmes by countries like New Zealand and Australia need to be more targeted.”
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