This paper examined the strategies for preventing and responding to sexual violence against children in Rombo district, Tanzania. Sexual violence against children (SVAC) remains a major concern in many countries across the globe and in developing countries such as Tanzania. The SVAC encompasses a range of offenses such as completed non-consensual sex acts such as rape, attempted non-consensual sex acts, abusive sexual contacts such as unwanted sexual touching and non-contact sexual abuse. Studies have been conducted to assess strategies to prevent and respond to sexual violence against children. However, studies that focus on examining the strategies and how they are used by Community Based Child Protection Mechanisms (CBCPMs) are still limited in Tanzania. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the strategies used by CB-CPMs to prevent and respond to sexual violence against children in Rombo District, Tanzania. A mixed methods study was conducted involving 158 members of CBCPMs. A total of 108 responded to a questionnaire, 4 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) were conducted involving 40 members of CBCPMs and 10 Key Informant Interviews(KIIs) were conducted to complement data collected through questionnaire. Descriptive data analysis was conducted with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS) version 23. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The study concludes that awareness raising, provision of advice, communication, identification of children, referral of abused children, mapping and monitoring of children had effects on combating SVAC. The study revealed that CBCPMs have improved situation of SVAC and child protection environment in Rombo district. Therefore, study recommends that, the government should support CBCPMs through funding, monitoring and capacity building in order to strengthen their skills to combat SVAC. The study also recommends that more awareness raising should be carried out to the community in order to address sexual violence against children.
INTRODUCTION: National data on children affected by violence are critical in preventing violence against children. Rwanda conducted its first cross-sectional national survey on violence against children in 2015. This study used data from the Rwanda Survey to describe the profile of children affected by emotional violence (EV) and to assess factors associated with it in Rwanda. METHODS: A sample of 1,110 children (618 boys and 492 girls) aged 13-17 from the Rwanda Survey was analysed. Weighted descriptive statistics were applied to describe the prevalence of EV and the profile of children affected by it. In addition, factors associated with EV were investigated using logistic regression. RESULTS: Male children were more likely to experience EV than female children. Nine percent (8.87%, 95% CI [6.95-11.25]) of male children versus five percent (5.17%, 95% CI [3.79-7.03]) of female children reported having experienced EV in their lifetime. Seven percent (6.77%, 95% CI [5.15-8.84]) of male children versus four percent of female children (3.97%, 95% CI [2.83-5.54]) reported having experienced EV in the last twelve months before the survey. Fathers and mothers were the top two perpetrators of EV against children. Seventeen percent of male children (17.09%, 95% CI [11.06-25.47]) and 12 percent of female children (11.89%, 95% CI [6.97,19.55]) reported EV by their fathers. Mothers were responsible for nineteen percent (19.25%, 95% CI [12.94-27.65]) of EV reported by male children and eleven percent (10.78%, 95% CI [5.77-19.25]) of EV reported by female children. Female children (OR = 0.48, 95% CI [0.31-0.76]) and children with some trust in people from their communities (OR = 0.47, 95% CI [0.23-0.93]) were less likely to report EV. Factors associated with risk for EV were not attending school (OR = 1.80, 95% CI [1.10-2.92]), living with father only (OR = 2.96, 95% CI [1.21-7.85]), not feeling close to biological parents (OR = 7.18, 95% CI [2.12-24.37]), living in a larger household (OR = 1.81, 95% CI [1.03-3.19]), not having a friend (OR = 2.08, 95% CI [1.02-4.11]), and not feeling safe in the community (OR = 2.56, 95% CI [1.03-6.38]). CONCLUSION: EV against children was pervasive in Rwanda, with parents topping the list of its perpetrators. Children from unsupportive socioeconomic family environments, i.e., children without a close relationship with biological parents, children not attending school, children living with their fathers only, children from larger households of five people and more, children without a friend, and children who reported not feeling safe in their communities, were identified as groups of children vulnerable to emotional violence in Rwanda. A family-centred approach, focusing on positive parenting and protecting vulnerable children, is needed to reduce emotional violence against children and the risk factors associated with it in Rwanda.
Alypio Nyandwi, Cyprien Munyanshongore, Laetitia Nyirazinyoye et al.
BACKGROUND: Violence against children at home and at school is particularly prevalent in Africa and is associated with adverse and persistent health effects on children. The violence prevention intervention Interaction Competencies with Children - for Teachers (ICC-T) is an effective tool to reduce violence against children by fostering teachers' non-violent communication and interaction skills. To enhance these effects, in the present study, ICC-T will be extended to parents (ICC-P) aiming to increase children's experience of consistent behavior and application of non-violent discipline strategies between teachers and parents. METHODS: To investigate the effectiveness of the school-based combined implementation of ICC-T and ICC-P, a cluster-randomized controlled trial with 16 primary schools in the urban district of Morogoro in Eastern Tanzania will be conducted. Both quantitative (structured interviews) and qualitative (focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, evaluation forms) methods will be used to investigate the effects on teachers' and parents' violence against children in home and school settings. The intervention implementation will be accompanied by a comprehensive process evaluation to assess the implementation quality of and participants' engagement with ICC-T and ICC-P. Potential downstream effects of violence reduction will be investigated by assessing the children's mental health and well-being. DISCUSSION: The present study aims to provide evidence for the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of the school-based combined implementation of ICC-T and ICC-P to reduce teacher and parental violence against children and contribute to children's well-being in home and school settings. TRAIL REGISTRATION: The clinical trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ClinicalTrials.gov, 2024) under the identifier NCT06369025 (Hecker, Preventing Physical and Emotional Violence by Parents and Teachers in Public Schools in Tanzania (ICC-T/ICC-P_Tanz) (PreVio), 2024) on April 17, 2024.
Katharina Mattonet, Eliud Kabelege, Getrude Mkinga et al.
This paper aimed at examining the effects of community-based child protection mechanisms on sexual violence against children in Rombo District, Tanzania. Little research has been conducted using robust methodologies to investigate the effects of community-based child protection mechanisms in Tanzania. Thus, a mixed-method study design using interviews and focus group discussions were conducted to collect data on the effects of community-based child protection mechanisms in Rombo District in Kilimanjaro region. The region has been implementing community-based child protection mechanisms interventions to end sexual violence against children. One hundred and fifty-eight (158) participants were involved in the study. A hundred and eight (108) respondents participated in a survey, forty participated in focus group discussions and ten participated in interviews. Data were analysed quantitatively using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23 and qualitatively using thematic categories to facilitate interpretation. The study finding indicated that Community-based Child Protection Mechanisms have a contribution towards ending sexual violence against children. The interventions have made parents more vigilant, willing and ready to report sexual violence against children to community-based child protection mechanisms, have improved access to services on sexual violence against children, have increased proper handling of cases reported to community-based child protection mechanisms and have improved reporting of sexual violence against children cases to the Police and Social Welfare Officers. Furthermore, the interventions have improved case management and have strengthened collaboration between actors in Rombo District. However, lack of funds and inadequate knowledge and skills have constrained the implementation of community-based child protection mechanisms interventions in Rombo District. Therefore, the study recommends that the government and Civil Society Organizations should invest in community-based child protection mechanisms in terms of the provision of financial resources and skills development in order to combat sexual violence against children.
BACKGROUND: Violence against children (VAC) remains an urgent global dilemma and researchers and policymakers alike continue to work tirelessly to devise strategies aiming to end VAC. However, the perspectives and expertise of children themselves remain underrepresented in the drafting and implementation of these strategies against VAC. This paper draws attention to the marginalization of children living outside of family care and centers their perspective. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to characterize the forms of violence experienced by children living outside the family setting in Uganda, from the perspective of children themselves. The paper seeks to position the voicing of this perspective as a form of resistance against VAC from a decolonial perspective. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The participatory research process included a total of 94 participants in various urban study sites in Kampala, Uganda. METHODS: The research team completed this qualitative study within a youth-driven participatory action research (YPAR) framework. Data collection techniques included interviews, focus groups, participatory visual methods and social cartography. RESULTS: Children living outside of family care experience grave forms of emotional, physical and sexual violence. Child participants present survival strategies that can inform future research and policies on violence prevention practice. CONCLUSIONS: The illustration of explicit violence outlined in this study represents a form of resistance children take against their perpetrators. The participatory youth researcher team urges future research and policy addressing VAC in Uganda to center these perspectives and expertise of children and adolescents in both programmatic and research initiatives aiming to end violence against children.
Amy E. Ritterbusch, Laura Liévano-Karim, Rachel Budker et al.
BACKGROUND: Evidence shows that parenting behaviours, including the use of violent discipline, can be changed through programmatic interventions. This study seeks to examine how policymakers and service providers in Tanzania perceive the provision of parenting support as a strategy to prevent violence against children and what the enabling and hindering factors are for the scale-up of existing evidence-based parenting supports. It does this by applying Daly's analytical framework for parenting support. METHODS: Qualitative research was undertaken, with interviews conducted with 20 key informants consisting of purposively sampled policymakers and service providers. The interview data were analysed using inductive and deductive coding and analysis. RESULTS: The most prominent enabling factors noted for the scale-up of parenting support interventions in Tanzania include the existing supportive political commitment, the interventions currently on offer at the programmatic level, and the perceived understanding of Tanzanian caregivers of the importance of parenting and, thereby, a willingness to change. Current factors hindering the scale-up include the lack of a common understanding of what evidence-based parenting programmes entail, inadequate provision of human and financial capital to implement the programmes using community resources and deeply engrained social norms around adultism and gender. CONCLUSION: Daly's analytical framework allowed us to examine barriers and facilitators to scale-up the provision of parenting support to prevent violence against children, based on the viewpoints of policymakers and service providers. Understanding these barriers and facilitators will allow Tanzanian policymakers and service providers to further close the gap between the policies and the actual implementation of evidence-based parenting support programmes aimed at preventing violence against children.
Sabine van Tuyll van Serooskereken Rakotom, Kija Nyalali, Joyce Wamoyi et al.
BACKGROUND: Despite their right to protection, children in refugee settings face various forms of violence, including physical, sexual, and emotional violence. OBJECTIVE: This study examined the factors associated with childhood violence (before turning 18) in refugee settings of Ethiopia, guided by the socioecological framework. METHODS: The study used data from the 2024 Ethiopia Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Survey (HVACS). This cross-sectional survey included females and males aged 13-24 years. We estimated a mixed-effects regression model to examine the correlates associated with experiencing violence in childhood in the refugee camps by taking into account camp-level clustering. RESULTS: The study involved a total of 3473 respondents (1937 females and 1536 males) and revealed that about one in three (33.3%; 95% CI: 27.5, 39.6) had experienced childhood violence; the highest proportion 29.1% [23.1,35.9] reported experiencing physical violence, followed by emotional violence (12.4% [8.5,17.8]) and sexual violence (6.6% [5.3,8.1]). Correlates of experiencing childhood violence included being an orphan, having any form of disability, witnessing intimate partner violence against women, and having family members who were killed or died unnaturally. In contrast, households headed by women and children living in families with two or more rooms, had a lower likelihood of experiencing childhood violence. At the community level, witnessing violent attacks in the village was associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing childhood violence. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood violence is prevalent in refugee settings in Ethiopia and is associated with factors occurring at multiple levels, suggesting for individual-, household-, and community - level prevention and response strategies.
Violence Against Children (VAC) is a growing public health and social development problem recognized globally and specifically in Uganda. The general research objective of this study was to examine how the community formal and non-formal systems and practices are functioning to prevent and respond to Violence against Children in Uganda, based on the lived experiences and perceptions of children. The study adapted a Participatory Action Research (PAR) methodology of social inquiry that produced unique, in-depth, multi- faceted investigation of the phenomena and allowed for knowledge integration and personal understanding of individuals and society. The study focused on a general epistemology of the lived experiences of children, most especially girls, that allowed us to learn more about the inward and outward consciousness of children based on memory, image and meaning in understanding children’s perceptions in preventing and responding to violence. The study was conducted in Nabukalu community, Bugiri District in Eastern Uganda. A total of 140 respondents who included children ages 12 to17 years of age and adults (protection committees, civil society agencies engaged in child protection work and local government authorities) participated in the study. Findings indicate that the forms of violence that were predominant in this community include: child marriages, child labour; sexual abuse, defilement, child neglect and child sacrifice/murder for ritual purposes. While girls were found to be at more risk of defilement and child marriages, boys were more at risk of child labour and corporal punishment. Children cited the lack of basic needs such as sanitary pads for girls, food, shoes, clothing, books and decent school uniform as a predisposing factor to sexual abuse, because such needs compelled the girls to accept gifts from potential abusers. Overall, the common impacts of violence against children cutting across different ages and sexes were: emotional distress, poor performance in school, dropping out of school, injury, unwanted teenage pregnancy and child marriages. The most common risk factors identified by the children include: harmful social norms and practices (especially towards girls), domestic violence, lack of parenting and communication skills, leading to poor parenting; household poverty, leading to failure to provide basic necessities for children; child neglect and peer influence. The leading protective factors mentioned by both children and adults include presence of the Child Protection Committee (CPC), positive parenting, positive social norms and beliefs, presence of religious institutions, access to education and children’s self-protection. A majority of the children knew where to report in case of violations of their protection rights but were not satisfied with quality of services they were receiving. There is strong collaboration and coordination of child protection efforts in the community through the child protection committee, but lack of capacities and resources undermined the committees’ efforts. I recommended that capacities and interventions that will lead to positive parenting, transforming social norms, life skills for children and economic empowerment for families, among others, be strengthened to ensure that children are protected and thrive in a safe and secure environment in order for them to fulfil their rights. I contend that to achieve meaningful and sustainable outcomes to violence reduction, agencies will need to adapt integrated and comprehensive interventions in a single community based on a social ecological model as opposed to isolated and stand-alone interventions scattered in many communities with limited or no sustainable outcomes. Key words: Violence against children, Child protection, Risk factors, Protective factors, abuse, Child protection system, referral
Early pregnancy is a challenge for girls in Kenya that often has immediate effects on their educational opportunities, future implications for their social, health, and economic outcomes, and negative impacts on their children. For girls to achieve well-being in early and late adolescence, no single-sector intervention—whether education, health, wealth creation, or prevention of violence—will be adequate. The Adolescent Girls Initiative–Kenya (AGI-K) delivered multisectoral interventions to over 6,000 girls aged 11–15 in two marginalized areas of Kenya: the Kibera informal settlement in Nairobi and Wajir County in Northeastern Kenya. These interventions were carried out for two years (2015–17) and comprised a combination of girl-level, household-level, and community-level interventions. The two-year follow-up results largely confirmed the AGI-K theory of change and held up the view that an investment in early adolescents among the right groups of marginalized girls would have short-term benefits on asset accumulation, educational attainment, and household economic status that translated into longer-term impact on delaying childbearing. This report describes the intervention and research design of AGI-K, and presents the impact findings from the two-year follow-up data.
Karen Austrian, Erica Soler‐Hampejsek, Beth P. Kangwana et al.
In Silale Ward, Tiaty Sub-County, early marriage continues to affect many girls. Data shows that about 27% of girls aged between 13 and 17 years have entered into marriage before the legal age. This situation often exposes them to emotional pressure, stress, and other psychosocial challenges. This study therefore sought to examine the association between faith-based coping and the psychological well-being of girls affected by child marriage in Silale Ward, Baringo County. The study was guided by Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. The study targeted 530 girls aged 13-17 years who were in education or rehabilitation programs. Using snowball sampling, 106 girls took part in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data. It included adapted items from Ryff’s Scales of Psychological well-being and questions on faith-based coping. Ethical procedures were observed. The study got approval from the relevant authorities. Participation was voluntary while assent and consent were also sought. Girls who needed further support were linked to counseling and child protection services. The findings of this study may help mental health workers, NGOs, and religious leaders to design support programs that fit the local context. The study also supports efforts toward SDG 3 on good health and SDG 5 on gender equality. It recognizes that child marriage is a violation of children’s rights.
