Violence against children: a painful issue

Practical programmes to encourage positive non-violent behaviour towards children

By: Moreno T & Jan van Dongen J (eds)
Published by: Bernard van Leer Foundation , 2006
Published in: Early Childhood Matters, nr. 106 June
Via: Eldis

This edition of Early Childhood Matters examines initiatives to discourage parents, teachers and others from using violence against children and encourage more positive strategies.

The edition begins with an interview with Jaap Doek, the Chairperson of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. The following articles discuss initiatives from various developing countries:

• If smacking works, why are the prisons so full?: describes a community intervention initiative in a poor area of Brazil that aims to discourage parents from using violence, using group education focusing on critical reflection combined with community campaigns
• Addressing violence in schools through transforming their organisational culture: presents a project to encourage respectful relationships and discourage violent punishment in schools in Israel
• Protecting children from violence and abuse: describes the work of the Oak Foundation to support NGOs to prevent sexual abuse of children and to assist children who have been abused
• Bulgaria: Big Brothers Big Sisters: presents the key elements of a project aimed at preventing violent behaviour among children living in institutions
• Ethiopia: the love for children organization: describes a pilot programme that aims to build resilience and train former street children to communicate with vulnerable children about sexual abuse and the risks of living on the streets
• El Salvador: joining forces, opening spaces: documents the development of a range of initiatives, including the formation of mothers’ circles, that emerged from the challenges faced in addressing impoverished single mothers’ violent behaviour towards their children
• Kenya: making parents and teachers think about the effects of corporal punishment: presents the efforts to reduce violence through community awareness raising, and the provision of training in more positive discipline techniques
• Colombia: treatment and prevention for child victims of domestic violence: describes the psycho-social characteristics of child victims of domestic violence, and outlines a programme of therapy and support that addresses the children’s problems primarily through art and play activities
• Jamaica: hope for children: describes efforts to reduce violence through workshops for parents
• Conflicts and togetherness in child daycare centres: deals with the ways in which children’s behaviours can be influenced through interactions with other children in daycare, and describes strategies that staff can use to encourage non-violent socialisation between children.

The edition concludes with an annotated bibliography of relevant resources.