ABSTRACT Child rights are a core component of human rights, yet child abuse and neglect remain underrecognized and represent a public health concern in Nepal. This study assessed the knowledge, awareness and attitudes of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals involved in childcare regarding child abuse and neglect and examined training adequacy and application in practice. A descriptive cross‐sectional study was conducted among 370 healthcare professionals. Data were collected between September and November 2024 using a structured, pretested questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 20 with descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that 56.2% of participants had a high level of knowledge of child abuse, while 87.3% demonstrated positive attitudes toward child protection. Practical application was limited: Only 13.5% had ever reported a suspected case, 5.1% felt confident in recognizing abuse and standardized screening tools were used by 36.5%. Training was significantly associated with positive attitudes ( p = 0.001), and higher knowledge correlated with favourable attitudes ( p = 0.001). Despite good knowledge and attitudes, gaps persist in confidence, reporting and implementation. Strengthening training, standardized screening, reporting awareness and interprofessional collaboration are essential to improve child protection practice in Nepal.
Chapagain et al. (Thu,) studied this question.