Gender disparity in post-primary education is a global issue in developing countries and particularly, it is a cause for concern in Cameroon. Promoting girl-child participation in post-primary education largely depend on parental perception on gender disparities. There is compelling evidence that parental perception on gender disparity significantly impact girls’ participation in post-primary education. The purpose of present study was to analyse and identify the impact of parental perception on gender disparity and girl-child participation in post-primary education in Priority Education Zones of Cameroon. A conceptual framework which encompasses the major variables and their influence on girl-child education was developed. In order to dwell on this, the study reviewed literature based on six specific objectives namely; parenting practices towards girl-child education, parenting styles on girl-child education, parents’ skeptical behaviour on girl-child education, parents’ stereotype socio-cultural beliefs, as well as parents’ educational background and parents socio-economic/professional status which significantly impact girls’ participation in post-primary education. In respect to this study, we examined Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, Abraham Maslow’s theory of hierarchical needs, Ruth Pearson’s gender relation theory, Thomas Aquinas ‘natural law theory and John Rawl’s social justice theory. These theories do bring out ideas and opinions on how to organize, predict and explain facts on human behavior, human growth and personal development. Descriptive research design was used for the study. The population for the study was public secondary schools in Priority Education Zones of Cameroon. The target population for the study was only for girl-students and their parents. Systematic random sampling technique was used to sample the schools and the respondents for the study. A total of 64 schools were sampled for the study in nineteen divisions found in these Priority Education Zones of Cameroon. A total of 625 respondents were targeted and 50 parents interviewed. Questionnaires and interview guide were used as instruments for data collection. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics while content analysis technique was used to analyse the interview guides. Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) was used to analyse the quantitative data. In this case, The Simple Linear Regression was employed to explore whether there was a significant relationship between parental perception on gender disparity and girls’ participation in post-primary education. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to describe the data. The results obtained from the findings revealed that parental perception on gender disparity significantly affects girls’ participation in post-primary education. Based on the discussions, conclusion drawn and suggestions made on ways of bringing education to the doorstep of the girl-child in Priority Education Zones of Cameroon. It is hoped that the findings of this present study will provide a body of literature that will help parents, teachers, policy makers and other educational stakeholder in education sector to mitigate parental misconception towards girls’ education. It was also recommended that parents should be sensitise and learn about how they could overcome the barriers that hinder girls’ education. Girls should be given legal support which will enable them have equal access as boys to education.
This paper considers the surprising, tentative emergence of the London Metal Exchange as a quasi-labour regulator following persistent scandals over cobalt mined by child labour in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It argues that this case offers us a useful window into the limits to financialization. The ‘financialization’ of cobalt here refers to the process by which cobalt has come to be traded as a speculative asset. Such processes have often been understood in terms of a ‘divorcing’ of value from the underlying material form. The persistence of controversies around child labour and cobalt highlights clearly how fraught a process any such divorce is. Theoretically, the paper develops these arguments through engagements with Marxian and science and technology studies (STS) literatures on commodification.
Abstract This article contributes to the stock of scientific knowledge by showing the effect of orphan status on child labour and school attendance in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). While the abolition of child labour is undeniably one of the major tasks assigned to the International Labour Organization (ILO) when it was founded, child labour remains a severe problem worldwide. In many parts of the world, especially in developing countries, children do not have access to school. Instead of ending up in school, millions of children are forced to engage in child labour in income-generating and non-income-generating activities. Little researchers have yet made it possible to obtain simultaneous information on child labour, school attendance and orphaned children. This paper describes the research that tries to make such a connection. Data used is from the out-of-school children and adolescents (OOSC-DRC-2012) survey organised by the Ministry of Primary, secondary and Vocational Education. Using a bivariate probit econometric model and testing the endogeneity with an instrumental variables approach, funding of the analysis supports the assumption of a significant negative relationship between child labour and school attendance. The result shows also that being orphaned reduces a child's likelihood of school attendance and increases the probability of entering the labour market. It is underlined that most children are present in non-income-generating than income-generating activities.
Isidore Murhi Mihigo, Guillaume Vermeylen, Déogratias Bugandwa Mungu Akonkwa
The purpose of this article is to highlight the determinants of child labour for children aged 5 to 17 in Cameroon. The study uses microeconomic data from the third Cameroonian household survey (ECAMIII). The bivariate probit model reveals that the risks for a child who works are high if he does not go to school, he is fatherless or both parents are dead, the head of the family is not educated, he works in the agricultural sector, the standard of living of the household is low and he resides in rural areas. The study suggests that the issue of child exploitation in Cameroon is more global and necessarily falls within an economic and social development policy. From this perspective, the strategy to fight the particularly harmful exploitation of child labour should be cross-sectional because of the various dimensions of the phenomenon.
Background: Infectious diseases are frequent and sometimes deadly in sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. Some of these infectious diseases could be avoided through immunisation, but an immunisation schedule for children with SCD is not available in Gabon. Aim: This study looked into the determinants of immunisation in children with SCD in Libreville. Setting: This work was performed in five healthcare facilities in Libreville. Methods: A cross-sectional study on knowledge, attitudes, and practices was conducted from February 2019 to September 2019 in Libreville healthcare facilities, targeting children under 18 years with SCD. Results: A total of 172 parents of children with SCD participated. The average age of children was 7.1 ± 4.2 years, with a sex ratio of 1:36. Immunisation status was considered complete for 87.9% (95% CI = 79.8–93.1) according to the Expanded Programme of Immunisation (EPI) schedule. Only 49 (28.5%) parents understood SCD complications, and 39 (22.7%) knew how to prevent them. Immunisation coverage was better for children near public health centres (p = 0.008). For non-EPI vaccines, coverage improved for children of married parents (p = 0.041) and those seen by paediatricians in private facilities (p = 0.046). Multivariate analysis indicated that marital status, a lack of knowledge, facility access, and high vaccine costs predicted immunisation coverage. Conclusion: Immunisation coverage of children with SCD was better than the national immunisation coverage in Gabon. Contribution: This study unravels the need for Gabon to improve its immunisation programmes in public healthcare facilities.
Edgard Brice Ngoungou, Ulrick Bisvigou, Jean Engohang‐Ndong et al.
OBJECTIVE: The prevention of malnutrition in children under two approach (PM2A), women's empowerment and agricultural interventions have not been widely evaluated in relation to child diet and nutrition outcomes. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of PM2A, women's empowerment groups (WEG), farmer field schools (FFS) and farmer-to-farmer training (F2F). DESIGN: Community-matched quasi-experimental design; outcome measures included children's dietary diversity, stunting and underweight. SETTING: Communities in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.ParticipantsA total of 1312 children from 1113 households. RESULTS: Achievement of minimum dietary diversity ranged from 22·9 to 39·7 % and was significantly greater in the PM2A and FFS groups (P<0·05 for both comparisons). Fewer than 7·6 and 5·8 % of children in any group met minimum meal frequency and acceptable diet targets; only the PM2A group differed significantly from controls (P<0·05 for both comparisons). The endline stunting prevalence ranged from 54·7 % (PM2A) to 69·1 % (F2F) and underweight prevalence from 22·3 % (FFS) to 34·4 % (F2F). No significant differences were found between intervention groups and controls for nutrition measures; however, lower prevalences of stunting (PM2A, -4 %) and underweight (PM2A and FFS, -7 %) suggest potential impact on nutrition outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Children in the PM2A and FFS groups had better child diet measures and nutrition outcomes with the best results among PM2A beneficiaries. Interventions that address multiple aspects nutrition education, health, ration provision and income generation may be more effective in improving child diet and nutrition in resource-poor settings than stand-alone approaches.
Shannon Doocy, Jillian A. Emerson, Elizabeth Colantouni et al.
Inspired by the UN Charter on the Rights of the Child, educational policy makers in Africa are requesting schools to implement democratic practices in the classroom. This study attempts to shed light on the effects of classroom democratic practices on cognitive and non-cognitive learning outcomes using cross-sectional data from Francophone African countries. To simultaneously account for endogeneity and the nested nature of the data which are issues inherent in the schooling process, use is made of the error components-two stage least squares estimator. The results confirm the endogenous nature of learning outcomes and indicate that teachers and parents are the most important stakeholders in the process of having children internalize democracy in the classroom. It is recommended that teachers develop skills to assign and supervise pupils work in small groups in the classroom. Education stakeholders should take measures to preserve and promote indigenous cultural values because they facilitate learning achievements.
The paper is part of a collaborative research organized by the International Association of Youth and Family Judges and Magistrates (AIMJF/IAYFJM) on child participation in juvenile justice. The article explains the legal, institutional and procedural aspects of child participation in the Justice System in Sao Tome and Principe
Child labour is a critical issue in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The case of Kolwezi in Lualaba is of interest because the area is known as the capital of cobalt, a strategic mineral for the transition to a low-carbon economy. Since 2017, global demand for cobalt has been soaring and this raises the question of working conditions in the ASM. This paper attempts to provide a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of child labour in artisanal cobalt mining. The objective is to analyse the political and socio-economic drives of child labour in Kolwezi. By drawing on the current state of the literature and reports on child labour in the mines, as well as field survey, we investigate the social, political, and economic causes of child labour. Results suggest that children's involvement in the artisanal labour market is caused by poverty status, parental conceptions, income inequalities and market imperfections. The implication is that a holistic approach is required to effectively address the problem of child labour. Such an approach must consider both the situation of the child and the household where child labour occurs. The study emphasizes the importance of sensitization of parents and a holistic approach in all initiatives to eradicate child labour in ASM. Key words: child labour, ASM, critical modern slavery, pivotal child.
Kusimwa Batano Godelive, Martin Doevenspeck, Morisho Mwanabiningo Nene
ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of women's empowerment and access to infrastructure on the well‐being of children. Specifically, it analyzes how access to infrastructure influences the well‐being of children and assesses the role of women's empowerment in this relationship. The methodology employed is the two‐stage least squares method on a comprehensive sample of 30 sub‐Saharan African countries from 2000 to 2020. The findings of the study indicate that access to education, healthcare, electricity, and sanitation significantly contributes to reducing child mortality rates and the prevalence of anaemia. Furthermore, when combined with women's empowerment, access to infrastructure exponentiates in a pivotal role in substantially decreasing child mortality and anaemia rates, thereby enhancing overall well‐being. Consequently, the article strongly encourages the construction and expansion of essential infrastructure. Additionally, public policies should improve access for children to infrastructure, including those with special needs and those residing in rural areas and underprivileged communities.
