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Child maltreatment is an issue for which there are limited data from the Pacific region.

This study aimed to describe caregiver and teacher viewpoints regarding child maltreatment in Tonga.

A survey that investigated the health of primary school children in Tonga was developed. Items on child maltreatment and parenting in Tonga were answered by 143 caregivers of children attended three Tongan primary schools and 20 teachers at these three schools.

Within this survey, we investigated parenting, exposure of children to violence, and whether child neglect and abuse were considered a problem in Tonga using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Sixty-one percent of caregivers (35/57) and 65% of teachers (13/20) felt that children are exposed to violence in Tonga. Seventy-nine percent of caregivers (41/52) and 70% of teachers (14/20) felt that child …