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Children
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Children’s Issues
Fifty percent of the population of Africa is under the age
of 15. The wide range of
children’s problems is reflective of the development issues that affect adult,
but some are more specific. HIV/AIDS has resulted in close to ten million
orphans across the continent. Wars
have not only created orphans (Morah), but also proved to be particularly
damaging to children’s health (Boyden) and psychosocial development (Chauvin). Since the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of
the Child by all countries in Africa (except Somalia which does not have a
government), child rights issues have become increasingly important. Prominent
among these is the incarceration of children with adults in prison (Nzeyimana)
and child soldiers. Author(s):
Boyden, J. Title:
Children's experience of conflict related emergencies: some implications
for relief policy and practice Source:
Disasters, 18 (3): 254-67, 1994 Keywords:
war, children, emergency Reviewer:
MEDLINE Abstract Description:
This paper challenges the limited models of childhood,
conflict and relief which determine most humanitarian interventions targeting
children in conflict related emergencies. In particular, it notes the tendency
of relief programmes to focus on "spectacular" groups of children
(orphans, child combatants and refugees) at the expense of larger child
populations indirectly affected by conflict. This relief bias is attributed to
an inappropriate 'apocalypse model' of conflict which sees relief interventions
only as repair. The bias also lies in a mistakenly universalistic model of
childhood and a medical paradigm which pathologizes children's experience in
conflict and characterizes children as passive victims rather than active
survivors. The paper argues for greater recognition of the wider social
experience of children in conflict, and for relief practice which takes account
of childhood resilience and children's different roles and capacities in coping
with conflict. Appropriate interventions must engage with the wide variety of
indigenous coping mechanisms involving children and not simply replicate a
standard package of relief interventions in every emergency, based on simplistic
and universalistic interpretations of children's experience of conflict. Authors:
Chauvin, L., Mugaju, J., and
Comlavi, J. Title:
Evaluation of the Psychosocial Trauma Recovery Programme in Rwanda Source: Evaluation and
Programming Planning, 21 (4), 385-392, 1998 Key words:
psychosocial, war, children, Rwanda, UNICEF Reviewer:
Jacqueline Aligula, UNICEF, Kenya Description: After the genocide that occurred in Rwanda between April
and July of 1994, a Joint Rwanda and UNICEF Psychosocial Trauma Recovery
Programme was set up to address issues arising from the crisis of the genocide.
The Authors address the psychosocial needs of traumatized children and
their caregivers in conformity with Article 39 of the Convention on the
Child’s Rights (CRC). Their objective was to collect information to facilitate
decision-making for the next phase of the Trauma Recovery Programme and to
address other crises in Rwanda. The Authors give background information of the programme
and the method used to conduct surveys for research. The evaluation methodology was developed bearing in mind the
peculiarities in the situation in Rwanda. As
there was no baseline data to work with, the Authors focused mainly on
comparison of stated objectives with implementation plans, examining the
efficiency and effectiveness of the programme.
Both qualitative and quantitative analyses are used.
Epidemiological surveys covering a group of 3030 children aged between
8-19, conducted over a period of eight months focused mainly on children’s
exposure to traumatic experiences during the genocide and the extent of their
“stress reactions“. Results from a second survey carried out representing a
sub-sample of the 3030 children showed that the majority of the children had
been exposed to multiple traumatic events during the genocide. This resulted in
the establishment of a National Trauma Center in 1995. The Authors faced serious obstacles during the evaluations,
which limited the availability of baseline data, for example, killing of skilled
personnel, extensive looting and damage of infrastructure during the war.
This led them to focus on available information from a desk-top review,
from semi-structured interviews, direct field observations, development of pilot
testing monitoring tools and consultations /seminars with key stakeholders. The Authors concluded by pointing out lessons learned and
recommendations that they coined as the optic “5C’s”. These were: Capacity building - to support and continue
training in this area. Clinical Support: - to ensure proper support through
Health Centers. Collection of Data
- to integrate activities with the Ministry of Public Health efforts.
Community-oriented approach – to sensitize the community through
education and Coordination - for
the National Trauma Centre to assume a strong role in coordination of the
“5C’s” Authors:
Morah, E., Mebrathu, S., and Sebhatu, K. Title: Evaluation
of the orphan reunification project in Eritrea Source: Evaluation and
Programme Planning, 21 (4): 437-448, 1998 Key words:
war, orphan, programme evaluation, Eritrea, UNICEF Description:
There are multiple theaters of war in Africa and several
children are left orphaned in the process, through indiscriminate war tactics.
This paper looks at one solution to support the successful integration of
orphans into an extended family by supporting economic survival of these
families. Included too, is a follow
up on the psychosocial status of the orphans. In this evaluation, the Authors study the impact of the
main strategic intervention alternative of direct economic support to target
families, the psychosocial status or outcome of the reintegrated orphans, the
outcome of the project’s capacity building component and the
cost-effectiveness of the project. The Authors identified evaluation questions and objectives
from policy documents, project write up, and the understanding of implementers
without the need to translate project goals into more precise terms.
While not a hypothesis-testing evaluation as such, the Authors
constructed a possible impact model to identify the chain of reasoning and
assumptions that led to the adoption of courses of action under the project. To determine effectiveness of the project, the Authors
selected indicators to measure output, outcome and impact.
Examples of the different types are: output performance, (number of
orphans and host families reached by the project relative to set objectives);
outcome (what changes, if any, exist in the current economic capacity of host
families and how this affects care of orphans) and impact (the adequacy and
sustainability of the income stream generated by host families through the
assets provided). As the orphan reunification project made use of a mix of
quasi-experimental designs, it lent itself well to evaluation.
The projects had used three basic designs: a one-group pre-test and
post-test design, the post-test-only with non-equivalent groups, and the
one-group pre-test-post-test design with non-equivalent groups.
The Authors recommended the third design, which subsumes the first two
and offers control for threats to validity.
The main problem they faced was separating out the effects of
intervention from those due to initial non-comparability of the intervention and
control groups. The key findings were that the project implementation was
both timely and in conformity with the intended standards, especially with
respect to participation by all stakeholders and transparency in the procurement
and transfer of the economic assets to target host families. The project was found to have been successful in
reintegrating orphans who expressed no unusual health problems or involuntary
physical conditions associated with traumatized, withdrawn or neglected children
when compared to non-orphans. The
Authors concluded that this method of reintegration is sustainable and
cost-effective. The local capacity
of implementers was increased over the period covered by the evaluation.
However, the Authors note that human resources were inadequate and the
success needed to be oriented to deal within a wider framework of vulnerable
children. Given the heavy external
financial input, the Authors wonder how this intervention can be replicated and
made more local. Authors:
Nzeyimana, P. C.,and Nyamoya,
F. Title:
Situation analysis of children in prison, Burundi
[in French] Key Words:
children, prison, Burundi Source:
UNICEF, Burundi, 1998 Reviewer:
Goran Mateljak, Liliane Bigayimpunzi, UNICEF Description:
This document provides an idea of the situation of minors
in African prisons. The objective of the situation analysis was to get better
information on the situation of minors in prison in Burundi.
Specifically, how many there are, what ages they are, the period of
detention, on what grounds, the rate at which their cases are heard and the
observance of procedure in the process. The method employed was a site visit to each of the 11
prisons in Burundi. Key informants
such as the penal officers at the central level and local administration
officials were interviewed. Relevant
documentation available on site at the respective Burundi detention centres was
also reviewed. Key findings were that 115 children were incarcerated with
adults in these 11 prisons in difficult conditions (lack of adequate nutrition
and access to health care and education). There
were a total of 58 who were accompanying mothers serving sentences.
Nine of the prisons were overpopulated; none had a system of
rehabilitation for the young. About 89 percent of the minors who were incarcerated were
in pre-trial detention of which the longest duration was three and a half years.
There was evidence of violation of rights in the legal process for arrest
and imprisonment. Half of the infractions were related to theft, about a
quarter to murder, 20 percent to armed robbery, 4 percent to traffic in narcotic
substances and 3 percent various infractions such as rape. The quasi totality of the legal process takes place without
any legal assistance for several reasons: there is often lack of financial
support, very few lawyers and general lack of knowledge of the written law. The author(s) recommend that detention of minors should be
only the exception, not the norm. Legal
texts have to be simplified to lay language.
Social workers need to be trained on a regular basis.
Officials in the relevant government Ministries be sensitized to the need
to spend some time on incarcerated children.
Prisons should have special sections for children apart from adults.
Inspection of prisons should be reinforced, and children allowed to
follow a normal school curriculum. The
conditions of incarceration should be improved (nutrition, hygienic care of the
body and of clothes). Finally,
children should not be sentenced to death or to life imprisonment. |