Characteristics of Households - Childinfo.org

ut it was noted that psychical punishment is almosttwice as common in households whose head has onlyprimary education (45 percent) compared with heads ofhouseholds with higher education (26 percent).•In Roma settlements, 86 percent of children aged 2–14years were subjected to at least one form of psychologicalor physical punishment by their mothers/caretakers orother household members and 6 percent of childrenwere subjected to severe physical punishment. On theother hand, 23 percent of mothers/caretakers believethat children should be physically punished.Early marriage•The proportion of women aged between 15 and 49 whogot married before the age of 15 is very low (1 percent).Around 5 percent of women aged 15 to 19 are currentlymarried or in union. This practice is more commonin rural areas, among the less educated and especiallyamong Roma (44 percent). Early marriage seems to bemore common among women than men aged 15 to 29.•Eight percent of young women aged 15 to 19 are marriedto a man 10 or more years older. The percentage issimilar (9 percent) among married women aged 20 to 24.Domestic violence•3 3 percent of women in Serbia feel that a husband/partner has a right to hit or beat his wife or partnerfor at least one of a variety of reasons. Women whocondone husband/partner violence, in most casesjustify violence when women neglect the children(2 percent), or if women demonstrate their autonomy,e.g. go out without telling their husbands or arguewith them (1 percent).•Domestic violence is more accepted in Roma settlementswhere 20 percent of women feel it can be justified. Themost common reasons given are the same: when theyneglect the children (18 percent) or demonstrate theirautonomy, e.g. argue with their husband (12 percent) orgo out without telling him (11 percent).Knowledge of HIV transmission•In Serbia, 53 percent of women aged between 15–49years had a comprehensive knowledge of HIV, whilethis was the case for 54 percent of young women and48 percent of young men (15–24). This percentagewas lower among the population of Roma settlementswhere there were only 13 percent of women between15–49 years with comprehensive knowledge. In the15–24 age-group it went down to 12 percent for womenand 11 percent for men.•99 percent of young women and men aged 15–24 hadheard of AIDS. However, only 72 percent of youngwomen and 86 percent of young men from Romasettlements had heard of AIDS. Women and menfrom Roma settlements living in rural areas, with noeducation and from the poorest quintile were muchless aware of AIDS.•A A high percentage of women aged between 15–49years knew that HIV transmission can be preventedby having only one faithful, uninfected sexual partner(88 percent) and by using a condom every time (91percent). Eighty percent of women knew that a healthylooking person can have the AIDS virus and 75 percentthat HIV cannot be transmitted by mosquito bites orby sharing food with someone with AIDS.•Half of the women between 15–49 from Romasettlements knew that transmission can be preventedby having only one faithful, uninfected sexual partner(53 percent) and by using a condom every time (52percent). However, only 44 percent of them knew thata healthy looking person can have the HIV virus whilearound one third knew that it cannot be transmittedthrough mosquito bites or by sharing food withsomeone with AIDS.•In total, 13 percent of women aged between 15–49years expressed accepting attitudes on all fourindicators towards people living with HIV. The resultsare similar among young people (15–24) where 12percent of women and 9 percent of men had acceptingattitudes. Acceptance was higher in urban areas and itincreased with education and wealth index. Acceptingattitudes were shared by only 4 percent of women aged15–49 living in Roma settlements.•Three out of four women (15–49) knew a place to gettested for HIV, but only 10 percent of them have everbeen tested, with almost the same values for bothindicators for young men (15–29). Only 4 percent ofMONITORING THE SITUATION OF CHILDREN AND WOMEN 21