Child labour results in children working under dangerous and hazardous conditions, which affects their growth and development, as well as their health and safety. It also results in the abuse (physical and mental) and violation of the rights of a child. It is important to note that not all forms of work undertaken by a child are considered child labour. The highest incidence of child labour in the world is in Africa and, therefore, this requires better regulation and monitoring. It is argued that the banning of child labour in Africa currently is not achievable given the socio-economic factors, cultural perspectives and beliefs about childhood and the role of the child. This article looks at child labour in the African context and argues for the harmonisation of child labour laws, in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community and Southern African Development Community through regional integration. There are several benefits to the legal harmonisation of child labour laws: uniformity and certainty in the law, which facilitates better regulation; consistency in the interpretation and application of the law; and sharing of resources and capacity development, to highlight a few. The article concludes that the subregional integration of child labour laws through legal harmonisation currently is a viable option for these regions.
Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains a critical human rights issue affecting millions of girls and women. FGM is deeply rooted in cultural and religious traditions, posing significant challenges to its elimination. The trauma inflicted by FGM extends beyond physical pain, leading to severe psychological and emotional consequences. Addressing this complex issue requires a comprehensive approach that integrates legal, educational, medical, and community-based interventions. The paper examines the dynamics of FGM across multiple countries, utilizing third-party data from the United Nations Population Fund. By presenting a comprehensive analysis of these strategies, this paper aims to contribute to the fight against FGM, offering insights and recommendations for policymakers, activists, and practitioners dedicated to ending this practice. The eradication of FGM requires sustained, multi-dimensional efforts to ensure the protection and empowerment of girls and women.
Abstract Purpose Violence against women (VAW) and violence against children (VAC) tend to concurrently affect families and share a number of risk factors. Parenting programs are an evidence-based strategy for addressing VAC, and potentially a non-stigmatizing means of curbing VAW through teaching conflict transformation skills and emphasizing co-parenting. This study explored how the Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) for Parents and Teens program could be adapted to incorporate an explicit effort to prevent violence against women, including, necessarily, engaging fathers in the Zimbabwean context. Methods Participants were recruited from Mazowe, Zimbabwe, and included 20 mothers and teens who had previously completed the PLH program, as well as four people who had facilitated it; and 10 mothers, 10 fathers and 10 teens who had no PLH experience. Data were collected during COVID-19 lockdowns, and thus individual interviews with the facilitators were conducted on Zoom and focus group discussions with the other participants were conducted via WhatsApp. Results There was enthusiasm for such a program, with fathers emphasizing a desire to acquire better relationship skills and mothers emphasizing the need for income generation. Findings also pointed to the importance of taking a gender-transformative approach and purposely focusing on engaging fathers during recruitment and program sessions. Conclusion This study’s recommendations contribute to the broader effort to prevent VAW and VAC concurrently, offering a comprehensive strategy for creating safer and more resilient family environments.
Young children should be included in research that investigates their life experiences, as this honors their rights to inclusion and allows their voices to be heard. This paper summarizes key themes, takeaways, and recommendations gathered from a multi-year research study regarding how to include young children in violence against children research, where feedback on the scope, methods, and consequences was sought from child participants and study staff. Children (age 4–17 years) in South Africa were included as the youngest participant group in a multi-generational study that also included their parents and grandparents, though data here focus on children aged 4–10. Rigorous policies and safeguards were employed to prioritize the ethical inclusion of child participants. Following completion of a child-friendly questionnaire, qualitative data were collected from a sample of participating children, as well as study staff (fieldworkers; social worker), wherein they reported their views on including young children in violence research. Following thematic coding of this qualitative data, the study management team engaged in multiple reflection sessions to discuss the fieldwork challenges, solutions, best practice takeaways, training implications, and beyond with regards to conducting VAC research with young children. Key themes and takeaways included: the feasibility of young children’s participation and how they understood and responded to participation, the interviewer qualities that allowed for meaningful participation from young children, the role of play, arts, and fun in the interview space, and post-participation considerations and actions. The takeaways and recommendations pointed to how young children can be safely included in violence-focused interviews and research, while noting that careful attention must be paid to how they are invited to and engaged in the research, as well as the attentiveness and sensitivity of the interviewers and research team.
Hannabeth Franchino-Olsen, Pamela Maluleke, Nicola Joan Christofides et al.
South Africa is experiencing a scourge of violence against women and children, with alarming levels of violence, and as such, juvenile cases are sometimes encountered in a forensic anthropological setting. The aim of this research was to assess the cases of juveniles (under 20 years) presenting at the Human Variation and Identification Research Unit (HVIRU) for a 6-year period (2016-2022), in order to assess patterns and types of cases referred. A total of 19 cases were assessed, of which 10 were 16-20 years old, 3 between the ages of 5 and 15 years and 6 less than 5 years old at the time of death. Of the 14 children with known sex, 12 were female with features suggesting that they fell prey to sexual violence. Many of the individuals were either known (and referred for trauma analysis) or identified following investigation. Of the 19 juveniles, 11 (58 %) had evidence of perimortem trauma (sharp and/or blunt), attesting to the violent nature of their deaths. Two cases had both sharp and blunt force trauma, of which one is a possible case of dismemberment. The remains of two individuals showed signs of perimortem burning, which may or may not be related to the cause of death. Three individuals had signs of antemortem (healed) trauma, which may suggest a longer period of abuse. Five of the individuals showed signs of disease - two had cribra orbitalia, while two others had various porous lesions indicative of chronic disease or malnutrition. One individual had advanced osteomyelitis, suggesting a natural cause of death. Some of these cases had unusual trauma and pathology, highlighting the contribution of forensic anthropologists.
Background : Violence against children is a global public health crisis and is associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes. Childhood violence may also increase the risk of subsequent violence revictimization by an intimate partner. We aimed to understand cycles of violence among adolescent girls and young women in Namibia to inform violence prevention and treatment interventions. Methods : The 2019 Namibia Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (VACS) examined the prevalence of childhood violence and intimate partner violence among 18–24 year old adolescent girls and young women ( N = 2434). Using the data, we assessed the prevalence of childhood violence, defined as any physical, sexual, or emotional violence victimization prior to age 18, and estimated the prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) after age 18. We used a weighted logistic regression to assess whether childhood violence exposure was associated with subsequent experience of IPV after age 18. Results : Adolescent girls and young women in Namibia had a statistically significant higher odds of experiencing IPV if they had experienced any childhood violence including physical, sexual, and/or emotional violence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.93; 95% Confidence Interval [95% CI: 1.64–5.23). IPV was also significantly associated with childhood physical (aOR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.07–3.05), sexual (aOR: 3.79; 95% CI: 2.54–5.67), or emotional (aOR: 2.39; 95% CI: 1.18–4.86) violence when each were considered separately. We also observed a dose-response relationship between the number of types of childhood violence and IPV experience as a young adult. Conclusions : Childhood violence is a significant predictor of subsequent violence revictimization by an intimate partner. This analysis provides unique insights on cycles of violence among adolescent girls and young women in Namibia and points to the need for interventions during childhood to prevent violence against children and break this cycle among young women in sub-Saharan Africa.
Jennifer Velloza, Luke D. Davies, Alison L. Ensminger et al.
BACKGROUND: Frontline practitioners play a crucial role in the implementation and enforcement of child protection laws. Yet, studies on how they experience applying those laws are scarce, not least in the sub-Saharan Africa region where rates of violence against children are persistently high. OBJECTIVE: This study provides an insight into the views of frontline practitioners in the implementation and enforcement of child protection laws, with a focus on what they experience as barriers and facilitators. METHODS: Interviews were conducted with 17 frontline practitioners from child protection services in Maputo City, Mozambique's capital. The interviews addressed barriers, facilitators, gender norms and attitudes and forms of violence. Audio recorded interviews were transcribed, translated, and thematically analysed. RESULTS: The results resolved around two overarching themes: 1) barriers to the implementation and enforcement of child protection laws, including system-related deficiencies (material, human and organizational); Law related shortcomings (gaps in the content and constraints); and sociocultural norms and attitudes perpetuating violence. 2) facilitators to the implementation and enforcement of child protection laws, including access to resource support from non-governmental organisations and newly established multisectoral mechanism for responding to violence. CONCLUSION: Effective implementation and enforcement of child protection laws in Mozambique requires adequate resource allocation and funding to strength child protection services. It may also be necessary to enhance multisectoral coordination and harmonization of child protection laws. Furthermore, adapted evidence-based interventions from the WHO INSPIRE framework may help to improve both the prevention and response to violence against children.
Sergio Nhassengo, Stela Ocuane Matsinhe, Eunice Jethá et al.
Effective transition of youth out of care has been a concern for social workers, policymakers, residential facilities, and other related stakeholders. This paper reports on the livelihood strategies and transition experiences of adolescent girls in and out of two institutions in Harare, Zimbabwe. Using the sustainable livelihood approach, this qualitative research explored and compared the livelihood strategies of 16 girls still in care with 16 who had exited. Framework analysis was used to interpret the data. The findings show that girls in institutions mainly rely on institutional support for their livelihoods, while those who leave employ a wider range of strategies including support from relatives, foster parents, institutions, and spouses. Social networks emerged as a key strategy for both financial and social security. However, differences in the resources available through these networks significantly impacted the girls’ livelihood outcomes, either positively or negatively. Overall, many adolescent girls remained unable to sustain themselves or cope with the challenges of transitioning to adulthood and life beyond institutional care. The study recommends that transition programmes that address early marriage as a means of security, expanding family and fostering care options, reducing institutional dependency, tackling economic exclusion and unemployment be developed.
OBJECTIVE: We evaluate whether community norms, caregiver beliefs, and adolescents' own beliefs and perceptions, focused on early marriage, predict adolescent marriage aspirations in a low-income context. BACKGROUND: The processes that contribute to adolescent marriage aspiration formation have received little attention in low-income contexts, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding how marriage aspirations are formed is important because they are associated with critical education and health outcomes. METHOD: Using data that links Malawian adolescents (N=2,089) with their caregivers (N=1,452), we analyze gender stratified ordered logistic regression models to examine key relationships. RESULTS: We show that community norms for youngest acceptable marriage age predict when boys want to marry, but do not find conclusive evidence that they predict when girls want to marry. We also show that adolescents who believe it is acceptable to marry at an early age are more likely to want to marry early themselves. CONCLUSION: Both community norms and adolescents' own beliefs are central to the formation of their marriage aspirations. IMPLICATIONS: We recommend that programs incorporate adolescent beliefs and perceptions when designing child marriage interventions and measuring their impact. We also recommend theory-driven measurement of community norms to better evaluate their impact on both marriage aspirations and marriage age.
Fatima Tu Zahra, Rachel C. Kidman, Hans‐Peter Kohler
Adolescents and young women in Mozambique experience high levels of unintended pregnancies, with induced abortion being a common outcome. Stigma and gender norms are likely to negatively impact experiences of pregnancy and abortion, and hamper access to information and services. We assessed knowledge, attitudes, practices, and experiences around pregnancy and abortion in six communities in Nampula and Zambézia provinces. We conducted 19 triad interviews with young women and girls, 19 focus group discussions with male and female adult community members, and 15 in-depth interviews with young women with abortion experience. Participants described how gender values, norms, and practices affect girls’ risk of unintended pregnancy and their experiences of pregnancy and abortion. The drivers of adolescent pregnancy included transactional sex and gender-based violence, including early marriage, and gender roles and expectations that lead parents and others to oppose contraception. Stigma around abortion, early or unintended pregnancy, and adolescent sexuality is fueled by gender norms and contributes to girls seeking unsafe abortions. Pregnancy and abortion decision making often involves male partners and family members. In conclusion, gender norms strongly influence the occurrence and outcome of unintended pregnancies and abortion in Mozambique. While abortion legislation was recently liberalized, gender values, norms, and practices inhibit young women’s and girls’ access to services and need to be addressed in policy and programming.
Sally Griffin, Malica Sofia Ismael de Melo, Joelma Joaquim Picardo et al.
