Children Focus

'Absent breadwinners': father-child connections and paternal support in rural South Africa - Sangeetha Madhavan et al

2008-10-02T08:43:00.003+02:00

The sites for earning a living and for maintaining a family, of production and reproduction, remain geographically separated for many South Africans. Yet the common assumption that only fathers who live with their children provide support for them, substantially underestimates fathers' financial contributions to their children. In this article, we examine the association between children's connections to their fathers and paternal support. Using data on 272 children collected as part of a study of children's well-being and social connections in the Agincourt sub-district of Mpumalanga, South Africa, we identify three types of connection between children and their fathers and four levels of paternal support. We present empirical evidence on histories of children's residence and support to advance three propositions: first, that children's co-residence with their fathers is neither an accurate nor a sufficient indicator that they are receiving paternal financial support; second, thildren are as likely to receive financial support from fathers who are not even members of the same household as from fathers with whom they are co-resident and, finally that children who receive support from their fathers for any part of their lives are likely to receive support consistently throughout their lives. These findings underscore the importance of using a more nuanced conceptualisation and more inclusive measurement of father connection and support in order to determine the contributions that men make to their children. Children born since 1991 are significantly less likely to receive support from their fathers than are those born before. This difference is not a reflection of different levels of support for children of different ages but is due to real changes in paternal action.
From: Journal of Southern African Studies, Vol. 34 no. 1 (September 2008)

Buying innocence: child-sex tourists in Thailand - Heather Montgomery

2008-07-09T13:40:00.004+01:00

Based on ethnographic work in a small community in Thailand, this article looks at different categories of sex tourists, analysing what particular qualities they find attractive in Thai children and women. It will argue that the boundaries between tourists who have sex with children, and those who have sex with adults, are extremely permeable and that there may not always be a distinct difference between the two categories of men. Child-sex tourism does not occur in a vacuum and cannot be separated from more general social, economic and cultural concerns, which are often overlooked in analyses. There is a premium on youth among many clients of Thai prostitutes and the actual age of a child is usually irrelevant to all but a small minority of abusers. Instead a situation has developed in which women are infantilised while children are seen as precociously adult, and the distinctions between child and adult and innocence and experience are deliberately blurred.
From: Third World Quarterly, Vol. 29 no. 5 (2008)

Online "Predators" and their victims

2008-02-27T08:33:00.002+02:00

Myths, realities, and implications for prevention and treatment

Published in: American Psychologist, 65(2) 111-128, 2008
Via: Docuticker

Contrary to stereotype, most Internet sex offenders are not adults who target young children by posing as another youth, luring children to meetings, and then abducting or forcibly raping them, according to researchers at the University of New Hampshire who have studied the nature of Internet-initiated sex crimes.

Rather, most online sex offenders are young adults who target teens and seduce victims into sexual relationships. They take time to develop the trust and confidence of victims, so that the youth see these relationships as romances or sexual adventures. The youth most vulnerable to online sex offenders have histories of sexual or physical abuse, family problems, and tendencies to take risks both on- and offline, according to the researchers at the UNH Crimes against Children Research Center

(http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/amp632111.pdf)

State of the world's street children: violence

2008-02-19T11:05:00.002+02:00

Helping policy-makers, activists, community leaders and service providers to understand street children’s lives and needs

Authors: Sarah Thomas de Benitez
Publisher: Consortium for Street Children , 2007
Via: Eldis

This report aims to promote a better understanding of street children’s lives and encourage policy-makers, activists, community leaders and service providers to take effective actions to prevent and reduce violence experienced by street children.

(http://www.streetchildren.org.uk/reports
/State%20of%20the%20World's%20Street%20Children-Violence.pdf)

Climate change and children

2008-02-19T11:02:00.001+02:00

Examining the effects of climate change on young people and children

Authors: A. Veneman
Publisher: United Nations [UN] Children's Fund , 2007
Via: Eldis

This publication seeks to give children a voice on climate change, which has become a growing concern for them. This paper discusses the effects of climate change on children and young people focusing in particular on the following issues: Natural Disaster, Disease, Water, Food Security, Trees, Energy, Action and Advocacy.

(http://www.ecdgroup.com/docs/lib_004700305.pdf)

Adolescents and civil engagement: social engagement and young people

2008-02-19T09:13:00.002+02:00

Examining worldwide practices of youth social entrepreneurship

Authors: S. Maak
Published by: Child Rights Information Network , 2007
Via: Eldis

The term “social entrepreneurship” has emerged as a recognisable field in development work with young people. This growing interest began in the 1980s with the emergence of two schools of practice that aimed to invest in young people to promote positive social change and innovative solutions that can be sustained and replicated. This study aims to trace the origins of the concept of social entrepreneurship and how it has been applied in the work of the some of the key international agencies and NGOs that promote it, and to review its implications for the mandate and work of UNICEF with adolescents and young people.

(http://www.crin.org/docs/learning.pdf)

In the best interests of the child

2008-01-28T02:49:00.000+02:00

Harmonising laws in Eastern and Southern Africa

Published by: African child policy forum, 2007
Via: Eldis

This report reviews and analyses how far 19 Eastern and Southern African countries have gone in harmonising and implementing the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC, or 'the African Charter').

The report gives an overview of states' performance in all the general principles of the CRC and the African Charter. Issues addressed range from whether states have an overarching definition of a child to looking at provisions protecting children from violence and exploitation, and children's participation. It shows the progress that is underway, but also identifies the gaps that remain between aspiration and practice. This report identifies specific issues that need immediate attention and recommendations that need to be considered in order to address the gaps and challenges.

(http://www.africanchild.info/documents/Report%20(Harmonising%20Laws).pdf)

The impact of unconditional cash transfers on nutrition

2008-01-28T02:40:00.000+02:00

The South African Child Support Grant (CSG)

By: JM Aguero, MR Carter & I Woolard
Published by: UNDP International Poverty Centre, 2007
Via: Eldis

This paper estimates the impact of South Africa’s Child Support Grant (CSG) on child nutrition as measured by child height-for-age. It finds that large dosages of CSG treatment early in life significantly boosts child height. While income transfers such as those of the CSG should help immediately to redress poverty, the question remains whether they help facilitate a longer-term pathway from poverty.

One way that they might contribute to this goal is by enhancing the durable human capital stock of the next generation. These estimated height gains observed in the case of South Africa suggest large adult earnings increases for treated children and a discounted rate of return on CSG payments of between 160-230 per cent.

(http://www.undp-povertycentre.org/pub/IPCWorkingPaper39.pdf)

Child Protection Strategy

2008-01-25T11:10:00.000+02:00

Published by: UNICEF, 2008
Via: UNPulse

The Child Protection Strategy (E/ICEF/2008/5) defines the contribution of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to national and international efforts to fulfill children's rights to protection and to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, within the context of the UNICEF medium-term strategic plan for 2006-2009 (E/ICEF/2005/11). The strategy has been developed through intensive consultation with a wide range of key partners and UNICEF staff.

(http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=E/ICEF/2008/5)

State of the World's Children 2008

2008-01-25T10:19:00.000+02:00

Published by: UNICEF, 2008
Via: UNPulse

UNICEF has launched the 2008 State of the World's Children. The report provides an assessment of the current state of the child survival and primary health care for mothers, newborns and children and examines lessons learned in child health. In addition to the full report, the website has multimedia content, fast facts, and statistical data.

(http://www.unicef.org/sowc08/docs/sowc08.pdf)

Progress for children

2008-01-24T11:46:00.000+02:00

A world fit for children statistical review

Published by: UNICEF, 2007
Via: UNPulse

UNICEF has launched an interactive report, Progress for children: a world fit for children statistical Review. The report reviews world progress on meeting commitments for chiledern in four priority areas:

Promoting healthy lives,
providing a quality education,
combating HIV and AIDS, and
protecting against abuse, exploitation and violence

(http://www.unicef.org/progressforchildren/2007n6/files/Progress_for_Children
_-_No._6.pdf)

Gendered dimensions of obesity in childhood and adolescence

2008-01-24T11:28:00.000+02:00

By: Helen N Sweeting
Published in: Nutrition Journal 2008, 7:1
Via: Docuticker

This review suggests differences between males and females in exposure and vulnerability to obesogenic environments, the consequences of child and adolescent obesity, and responses to interventions for the condition. A clearer focus on gender differences is required among both researchers and policy makers within this field.

(http://www.nutritionj.com/content/7/1/1)

Ordinal proprotionality in punishment

2008-01-24T11:22:00.000+02:00

A case against capital punishment for child rape under the eighth amendment

By: Issa Kohler-Hausmann
Via: Docuticker

This article argues that various theories of justice in punishment adhere to a principle of ordinal proportionality - relative grading of penalties in measure to the relative severity of the crimes for which they are imposed. Ordinal proportionality is a demand of both deterrence and retributive theories of justice; in addition it is a tenet well entrenched in the Supreme Court’s current Eighth Amendment jurisprudence. Under this principle the state cannot subject the crime of child rape to capital punishment because even a crime as horrendous as rape is not on par with murder in terms of harm and blameworthiness

(http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1084871)

No easy answers

2007-10-04T00:10:00.000+02:00

Sex offender laws in the US

Published by: Human Rights Watch (HRW), 2007
Via: Docuticker

Laws aimed at people convicted of sex offenses may not protect children from sex crimes but do lead to harassment, ostracism and even violence against former offenders, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. Human Rights Watch urges the reform of state and federal registration and community notification laws, and the elimination of residency restrictions, because they violate basic rights of former offenders.

The 146-page report, “No Easy Answers: Sex Offender Laws in the United States,” is the first comprehensive study of US sex offender policies, their public safety impact, and the effect they have on former offenders and their families. During two years of investigation for this report, Human Rights Watch researchers conducted over 200 interviews with victims of sexual violence and their relatives, former offenders, law enforcement and government officials, treatment providers, researchers, and child safety advocates.

(http://hrw.org/reports/2007/us0907/)

Child-friendly standards & guidelines for the recovery and integration of trafficked children

2007-10-03T09:28:00.000+02:00

ILO Guidelines for the protection, recovery and integration of trafficked children

Published by: International Labour Organization, 2006
Via: Eldis

What different steps, procedures and services are needed for the protection, recovery and social integration of the child victims of trafficking? The standards and guidelines in this document are recommended for practical use by all practitioners, shelter managers, government officials and policy makers who are directly and indirectly involved in the process. They are also intended to influence future policies and policy reforms. Apart from suggesting what care providers must and must not do, the authors point out various responsibilities of the State. This includes, amongst other factors, that state departments responsible for child welfare should:

ensure that care and protection are in line with the standards and guidelines presented in this paper
provide an adequate legal framework for child protection or develop additional laws and policies to safeguard these rights
ensure care providers have adequate funds and resources to bring these standards and guidelines into practice
give technical assistance, such as training and information exchange, to assist care providers to meet the guidelines

In terms of monitoring and evaluation states should:

at the national level, ensure a respected independent body has the ability and authority to conduct unannounced visits to care-giving facilities and the ability to interview children
at the regional level, establish a task force to monitor compliance with these guidelines, consisting of government, non-government and child protection specialists

(http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/asro/bangkok/library/download/pub06-04.pdf)

Corporate social responsibility and children's rights in South Asia

2007-08-08T11:02:00.000+01:00

CSR initiatives focusing on children in South Asia

By: Godbole G
Published by: Save the Children, 2007
Via: Eldis

This document presents examples of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives within the context of children's issues in India, Nepal and Bangladesh. According to the study, CSR initiatives for children have a positive impact and in some cases can be more effective than Government or NGO led initiatives.

Yet, children's issues often do not get sufficient consideration in the corporate agenda. Moreover, most of the CSR initiatives that do target children often follow the welfare approach. The programmes seldom involve children as social actors and partners in their own development. Also, more needs to be done to build partnerships with the government and civil society institutions to make the initatives more effective.

The document also make suggestion for Save the Children to consider while formulating a strategy for corporate sector engagement. This suggestions might be useful also for other civil society organsiations thinking about increasing corporate sector engagement. Suggestions include:

entering into a dialogue with some of the companies having a very progressive outlook both in its management philosophy and CSR initiatives
influencing public-private partnership for furthering child rights in the region
companies would always like to support good projects and may ask for good project proposals that could be supported. Save the Children should proactively develop a couple of such project proposals which could be submitted on demand
invite the corporate sector to seminars and events on relevant issues
arrange to disseminate literature on child rights periodically to CSR practitioners and keep tab on CSR conferences to attend and do advocacy work.

The appendix of the document includes a number of case studies of CSR initatives engaging children. They are CSR activities by the following companies and corporate foundations: Azim Premji Foundation, Chevron, Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Forbes Marshall, ICICI Bank, IKEA , Intel , NTPC, Naandi Foundation, Satyam Computers and Wipro.

(http://sca.savethechildren.se/upload/scs/SCA/Publications/Corporate%20social%20
responsibility%20and%20childrens%20rights%20in%20South%20Asia.pdf)

Factors affecting resilience in children exposed to violence - CL ward, E Martin, C Theron and GB Distiller

2007-08-08T08:02:00.001+01:00

Exposure to violence puts children at risk for developing a variety of problems, including depression, anxiety, and conduct problems. The extent to which children's individual, family, school, and peer group characteristics influence resilient responses to violence exposure was investigated amongst Grade 6 students living in a high-violence community in Cape Town. The majority (68.44%) reported both witnessing and being a victim of violence. Both witnessing and victimisation by violence were found to be positively associated with anxiety and depression, but only victimisation was positively found to be positively associated with anxiety and depression, but only victimisation was positively associated with conduct problems. Peer delinquency was positively associated with both depression and conduct problems. Involvement in conventional after-school activities was negatively associated with anxiety, and school support was negatively associated with both depression and conduct problems. No association was identified between parent support and any of anxiety, depression, or conduct problems. However, this latter finding may be related to measurement problems, or to participants' reports that they were most likely to be victimised in their homes (rather than at school or in the neighbourhood). While this study is limited by its cross-sectional nature, it implies that key studies for intervention are after-school activities, school support, peer delinquency, and home life.
From: South African Journal of Psychology, Vol. 37 (1), 2007, pp. 165-187

Patterns of childhood obesity prevention legislation in the United States

2007-08-01T10:15:00.000+01:00

By: Boehmer TK, Brownson RC et al
Published in: Preventing Chronic Disease (CDC), July 2007. 4(3)
Via: Docuticker

Because of the public’s growing awareness of the childhood obesity epidemic, health policies that address obesogenic environments by encouraging healthy eating and increased physical activity are gaining more attention. However, there has been little systematic examination of state policy efforts. This study identified and described state-level childhood obesity prevention legislation introduced and adopted from 2003 through 2005 and attempted to identify regional geographic patterns of introduced legislation.

(http://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2007/jul/pdf/06_0082.pdf)

Paying the price: violations of the rights of children in detention in Burundi

2007-07-25T11:51:00.000+01:00

Abusing children's human rights: interviews with child prisoners in Burundi Published by: Human Rights Watch, 2007
Via: Eldis

There is currently no juvenile justice system in Burundi, no alternatives to incarceration for children and no services to help children once they are released from prison. This report details the failings of Burundi’s criminal system and their impacts on children. The information is based primarily on interviews with 142 children in prison, lock-ups or demobilisation centres or who had been recently released from detention, as well as a survey of all 136 children incarcerated in the Mpimba central prison.

Interviews with the children and other stakeholders indicate that children’s rights are frequently abused by the criminal justice system, both in initial arrest, sentencing and during their incarceration
(http://hrw.org/reports/2007/burundi0307/burundi0307webwcover.pdf)

Legislative history on the convention on the rights of the child

2007-07-24T02:47:00.000+01:00

Published by: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2007
Via: UNPulse

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has launched a new publication which aims to serve as a research tool for children's rights advocates based on the major international treaty guiding their work. The two-volume Legislative History on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, lists among the many major advances ushered in by the Convention recognition, for the first time in a human rights treaty, of the differential and often discriminatory impact that national legislation, policies, attitudes and cultural traditions can have on girls.

(V1: http://www.ohchr.org/english/about/publications/docs/history_crc1.pdf
V2: http://www.ohchr.org/english/about/publications/docs/history_crc2.pdf)

Young children, HIV/AIDS and gender: a summary review

2007-07-17T07:15:00.000+01:00

To protect children, address gender and HIV and AIDS in early childhood

By: Bhana D, Brixen FF, MacNaughton G and Zimmerman R
Published by: Bernard van Leer Foundation, 2006
Via: Eldis

Gender discrimination and inequality is a key factor in the transmission of HIV and AIDS. Therefore, this paper argues, efforts to prevent AIDS through empowering girls and changing men’s behaviour should begin in early childhood, when beliefs about gender are formed.

The paper reviews evidence on the factors that contribute to the healthy development of children generally, the construction of gender and sexuality in childhood and adolescence, and indicates how gender identities and relations can make children and girls especially vulnerable to infection. It argues that children are most open to developing more positive gender identities and behaviours before the age of 8; further, it points out that children and young people may be sexually active or otherwise at risk of contracting HIV. Interventions in early childhood can teach children to adopt protective behaviours and reduce their vulnerability and risk.

Finally, the authors offers suggestions on the elements of early childhood education programmes that might assist young children in confronting gender discrimination and HIV and AIDS now or later in their lives:

effective education programmes that deal holistically with the development of the child
individualised approaches to meet the differing needs of children, especially children in the 0 to 8 age group
programmes that encourage discussion among girls and boys to raise boys’ awareness of the harmful nature of certain attitudes and practices
programmes that educate teachers and support parents and other primary caregivers, and encourage them to reflect critically together on their own investments in concepts of gender
to reach those children most at risk, programmes should not only be focused on schools
there is a need for many more programmes that focus on addressing gender discrimination as a cause of the spread of HIV and AIDS
education on gender discrimination and HIV and AIDS prevention in early childhood programmes

An appendix provides an overview of key conventions and declarations promoting children’s and women’s rights.

(http://www.bernardvanleer.org/publication_store/publication_store_publications/

young_children_hivaids_and_gender_a_summary_review/file)

An evaluation of infant immunization in Africa: is a transformation in progress?

2007-07-17T07:05:00.000+01:00

Immunisation coverage is improving dramatically in Africa

By: Arevshatian L, Clements CJ and Lwanga SK
Published in: Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2007;85:449-457
Via: Eldis

This paper, in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization, assesses the progress towards meeting the goals of the African Regional strategic Plan of the Expanded Programme on Immunisation between 2001 and 2005. These goals include: to interrupt the circulation of wild polio virus in all countries; eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus in all high-risk districts; 80 per cent of the countries to have reached at least 80 per cent diphtheria-tetanus-pertissus-3 (DTP-3) coverage; and measles to be controlled and eliminated in Southern Africa.

The paper finds that although more infants had been immunised by 2005, most of the targets had been missed by at least half of the region’s counties. The authors estimate that DTP-3 coverage increased from 54 per cent in 2000 to 69 per cent in 2004, and as a result the number of non-immunised children declined from 1.4 million in 2002 to 900,000 in 2004. Reported measles cases dropped from 520,000 in 2000 to 316,000 in 2005 and mortality was reduced by approximately 60 per cent. The paper concludes that the rates of immunisation coverage are improving dramatically in the WHO African Region. The huge increases in spending on immunisation and the related improvements in programme performance are linked predominantly to increases in donor funding.

(http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/85/6/06-031526.pdf)

The small hands of slavery: modern day child slavery

2007-07-16T02:59:00.000+01:00

From bonded child labour to child prostitution: an introduction to the most common forms of child slavery

Published by: Child Rights Information Network, 2007
Via: Eldis

Across the world, millions of children are currently being subjected to slavery. This report provides an introduction to the circumstances and abuses of children in the eight most prevalent forms of child slavery:

child trafficking
child prostitution
bonded labour
mining work
agricultural labour
child soldiers
forced child marriage
domestic slavery

Photographs, case study examples and direct quotes illustrate the experiences of enslaved children. The report presents recommendations for governments and international organisations on actions to combat child slavery through:

interventions to rescue and protect enslaved children
legislation to criminalise child slavery
the reduction of the supply of children for slavery, through measures such as working with communities and families to address poverty, provide them with access to credit, and offer education

(http://www.crin.org/docs/ChildSlaveryBrieffinal.pdf)

Realising rights for children - good practice in Eastern and Southern Africa

2007-07-12T08:14:00.000+01:00

Harmonisation of national laws with Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)-Country reviews

Published by: African Child Policy Forum, 2007
Via: Eldis

This is a regional examination of the extent of harmonisation of national laws relating to children under the umbrella of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). This report reviews and analyses how far countries in Eastern and Southern African have gone in implementing the principles of the CRC, and how well they have built the recognition of children's rights into their legal systems. It looks at different practices across six countries in East and Southern Africa with different legal systems and highlights good practices, their impacts, key actors and lessons learnt with the aim to offer models for comparison and possible replication to other countries in the region. The case studies are from Lesotho, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Madagascar and Uganda.

The report is designed for use by governments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and other interested actors in the field of children’s rights to help inform implementation of the CRC in their own countries.
(http://www.africanchildforum.org/Documents/Good_Practice.pdf)

The positices and negatives of children's independent migration: assessing the evidence and the debates

2007-04-25T09:33:00.000+01:00

Children's experiences of migration in Ghana

By: Hashim I
Published by: Development Research Centre (DRC) on Migration, Globalisation and Poverty, University of Sussex, 2006
Via: Eldis

This paper looks broadly at the positives and negatives of children’s experiences of migration. It focuses on the dangers and pitfalls that independent child migrants report, along with the perceived benefits and opportunities. It assesses the manner in which independent child migrants are positioned in social policy and legal discourse, in light of children’s own evaluations of their experiences. The paper is based on field research in Ghana.

It argues that the two primary categories utilised in considering children’s independent movement – fostering and trafficking – are not helpful in assessing the extent to which children are vulnerable, since these vulnerabilities emerge from the inherent insecurities, risks and dangers attached to the process of migration itself. In contrast, when assessing the costs and benefits of migration, it is important to listen to and take into account children’s own perspectives, but that in doing so consideration needs to be given to the broader context of the children’s situations that place constraints, at many different levels, on children’s choices.
(http://www.migrationdrc.org/publications/working_papers/WP-T16.pdf)

Sudan's children at a crossroads

2007-04-24T00:57:00.000+01:00

An urgent need for protection

Published by: Watchlist, April 2007
Via: IOL

The protection and well-being of children and youth in Sudan are at a crucial juncture. While children in the South are enjoying increased protection and access to services, those in Darfur and other areas of Sudan are enduring unspeakable acts of violence and abuse.

Humanitarian agencies in Darfur operate in an extremely volatile environment that poses significant operational challenges and threatens the security of civilians and humanitarian personnel. Government policies that restrict the movement of humanitarian workers and attacks and threats by armed forces and groups have stymied aid operations throughout Sudan, particularly in Darfur, in the East and around Khartoum.

Watchlist is concerned about apparent deliberate efforts by the Government to suppress information and prevent agencies from collecting and disseminating details on attacks against children and their protection needs, particularly in Darfur and the East. These efforts prevented many reliable experts working in Sudan from contributing information to this report, as they expressed concern about the safety of staff and beneficiaries of programs and potential retributive attacks or threats. As a result, some pertinent information related to the well-being of children in Sudan was not included.

Access to information on violations against children is also limited by chronic insecurity. As a result, some sections of this report may detail attacks perpetrated by only a few armed groups. This does not imply greater culpability but reflects instead the limited access to information. Many actors in Sudan have acknowledged that all parties to the conflict have violated children?s rights.

In this report, Watchlist has included information on violations against children in Sudan in each of the major categories identified by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1612 (2005) on Children and Armed Conflict. These violations include killing and maiming, rape and other forms of sexual violence, abduction, denial of humanitarian assistance, attacks on schools, and recruitment and use of children by armed forces and groups. In addition, various other violations, such as forced displacement and torture, also continue to be committed against children and their families.?

(http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWFiles2007.nsf/FilesByRWDocUnidFilename/0608733FE1
DA422D852572C10066929D-Full_Report.pdf/$File/Full_Report.pdf)

Children at the centre: a guide to supporting community groups caring for vulnerable children

2007-04-16T01:55:00.000+01:00

Empowering communities to take action for vulnerable children

By: Long S & Mudekunye L (eds)
Published by: Save the Children Fund (SCF), 2007
Via: Eldis

Child support organisations can help empower communities to demand services in children's best interests and to ensure that the appropriate groups, including government, provide such services. These guidelines aim to provide practical guidance to agencies supporting, or wishing to support, the establishment of community groups to support vulnerable children. It draws together experiences from children, community group members and staff of supporting organisations to provide suggestions that can be adapted to different contexts to deliver quality and long-term care for children. Authors identify key actions that organisations should consider to enable community groups to:

work with children as partners
ensure that all group activities protect children from harm
be transparent and accountable to children, and other members of the community
develop realistic and manageable plans that will benefit children
make the best use of resources that already exist within the group and the local community, and successfully access additional resources when necessary
identify successes and failures, and discuss potential improvements
advocate for changes within the community and with others at local and higher levels so that children's rights are realised.

Practical examples and useful resources in community-based child protection are also provided.
(http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0002413/Vulnerable_children_STC_2007.pdf)

Children's rights in Africa - Fabrizio Terenzio

2007-04-12T07:43:00.000+01:00

Fabrizio Terenzio shares his thoughts on how working children have been participating in African development over the last 20 years. He argues that the sheer number of children in Africa makes them key stakeholders in economic, social and political contexts in the continent. He underlines that the success and sustainability of children's livelihoods and development depends largely on their participation.
From: Development, 2007 Vol. 50 (pp. 68-71)

Understanding the obligations of non-state actors in the realisation of children's rights

2007-04-11T08:19:00.000+01:00

Not only states, but also corporations and NGOs have a legal obligation to protect children's rights

By: Dhliwayo, R
Published by: Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA), 2007
Via: Eldis

National and international laws and conventions have long declared the obligation of states to protect children’s rights. But what obligations fall on non-state actors such as NGOs and corporations, and what mechanisms exist to ensure they meet those obligations? This paper surveys the range of international and national mechanisms that assert and enforce the obligations of state and non-state actors to protect and realise children’s rights. Based on this review it argues that:

various treaties and conventions have established the obligations of non-state actors to respect, protect and fulfill children’s rights in their delivery of services
in order to fulfill its obligations under international laws, states must control non-state actors within their jurisdiction
in some cases non-state actors’ duties extend to taking positive steps to improve the realisation of children’s rights, and this may require providing services in areas where the state is not capable of providing them

The report then examines national approaches to establishing and enforcing non-state actors’ obligations, focusing on the South African constitution’s protection of socio-economic rights, and laws that enable prosecution of US parent companies whose subsidiaries or affiliates stand accused of directly committing human rights violations. Finally, the report considers the effectiveness of soft laws or non-binding mechanisms, such as market-based remedies and corporate social responsibility, and explores efforts to address some of the failings of voluntary codes of conduct for corporations. The paper concludes that there is no question that non-state actors have responsibilities to respect, and in some cases act to fulfill, children’s rights. While international human rights law is one means to try to force states to control non-state actors, domestic remedies should also be considered, which will require both legislation and awareness-raising.

(http://www.idasa.org.za/gbOutputFiles.asp?WriteContent=Y&RID=1791)

"Going to Kompienga": a study on child labour migration and trafficking in Burkina Faso's south-eastern cotton sector

2007-04-10T01:46:00.000+01:00

Child trafficking or a valuable educational experience for young boys?: experience from Burkina Faso

By: de Lange, A
Published by: Foundation for International Research on Working Children (IREWOC), 2006
Via: Eldis

In Burkina Faso, boys migrate willingly from northern rural areas to work in the expanding cotton-growing farms of the south-east, where they are commonly exploited. However, given that boys often reflect positively on their experience, should this be considered child trafficking?
Through interviews with migrating children and their parents, as well as with farmers who employ them, this report investigates the complex reasons for the occurrence and persistence of child labour migration in Burkina Faso, and reflects on the problematic definition of trafficking in this context. Throughout the report, existing anti-trafficking policies are briefly described and assessed by their impact on the actors under study. Though the report finds that boys are very often exploited by farmers and in some cases suffer abuse, many findings of the report raise questions, both about the characterisation of these practices as trafficking, and the strategies developed to prevent them. Contrary to the assumptions of much literature and policy on child labour and trafficking, the study finds that a large majority of the boys leave their villages out of their own free will and without the consent of their parents. Further, though their departure is largely motivated by individual, material wants, rather than household needs – especially the desire to obtain a bicycle – children themselves also see certain benefits in being away from home to work, including a sense of adventure, the autonomy and independence it gives them, as well as the socialising or educative value they attribute to the experience. These findings imply that efforts to address child migration practices, such as sensitization and livelihood alternatives, should not only be aimed at parents, but also at the minors themselves. Moreover, the benefits that children and parents recognise, besides the financial gains, should also be considered. In particular, given the view that migration prepares boys for farming, training in agriculture (cash crop-growing or husbandry) may prove a more effective preventive measure than the usual strategies of formal education or vocational training.

(http://www.childlabour.net/docs/albertinedelange_trafficking_burkina_FINAL_19-09.pdf)

Qualitative research report on orphans and vulnerable children in Palapye, Botswana

2007-04-10T01:33:00.000+01:00

Stigma reduces take-up of support services for orphans and vulnerable children in Botswana Edited by: Tsheko, GN
Published by: Human Science Research Council (HSRC), 2007
Via: Eldis

Through a snapshot view drawn from interviews and focus groups in the town of Palapye, this book examines the situation of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Botswana. Part of a wider project to improve support for OVC in Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe, the research sought the views of OVC, carers of OVC, NGOs and community-based organisations, community leaders and government officials to identify the extent of the problem, key and potential supports for OVC and the quality of life for OVC. Quotes from respondents Illustrate research findings throughout the book.

Issues identified include:

the traditional extended family system in the town is breaking down and becoming focused around care for the immediate nuclear family
OVCs and their households are often not accessing government-provided services designed to assist them because of difficulties in registering, reluctance to due to the stigma involved in having orphans, or shame due to their inability to provide for them
due to the failure to register for support, many children were not attending school
many OVC lived in poor households with several dependents where shelter was inadequate and overcrowded
additional barriers to access include a lack of transport, funding and staff in delivering services
community- and faith-based organisations’ ability to provide services is limited by a lack of funds
in some poorer households, food provided for orphans and vulnerable children in their care is instead being consumed by other household members, or female carers’ male partners
many OVC experience physical, economic, sexual and mental abuse from parents, relatives and others
stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS and a poor understanding of the modes of transmission of the virus continue to be a major problem

Suggestions from respondents included the need for:

improved information about the services available and community education about caring for OVC
monitoring of OVC’s situation by the authorities
support for OVC to gain an education and qualifications
psycho-social support for OVC, as well as counselling and guidance for both OVC and guardians
efforts to encourage communities to take over the care of OVC
government support for NGOs to establish orphanages or community care centres for OVC, especially street children, to ensure that they receive adequate care and are not forced to either accept abuse at home or become street children

(http://www.hsrcpress.ac.za/full_title_info.asp?id=2198)

New in the Library

2007-03-28T08:18:00.000+02:00

Inheriting poverty?
The link between children's wellbeing and unemployment in South Africa
Edited by: Paul Graham
Published by: IDASA, 2006
This study on the interface between unemployment, poverty and children's wellbeing in South Africa arose out of a seminar, hosted by the Children's Budget Unit of the Institute for Democracy in South Africa, the Children's Institute of the University of Cape Town and Save the Children Sweden, to identify research gaps in the connection between child wellbeing and poverty

Our children our future
From vission to innovative impact community responses to orphans and vulnerable children
Edited by: GN Tsheko
Published by: HSRC, 2007
Qualitative research report on orphans and vulnerable children in Palapye, Botswana

Our children our future
From vision to innovative impact community responses to orphans and vulnerable children
By: Harriet Deacon and Inez Stephney
Published by: HSRC, 2007
HIV/AIDS, Stigma and Children. A literature review

Youth and labour markets in Africa. A critical review of literature

2007-03-15T09:08:00.000+02:00

African countries lack the information they need to tackle youth unemployment

By: Bossuroy T, Cling J, De Vreyer P & Durand M et al.
Published by: Développement, Institutions & Analyses de Long terme (DIAL), 2007
Via: Eldis

What are the trends in African youth unemployment? This review of the literature concludes that, though it appears to be a growing problem, the serious lack of labour market data across Africa means that we simply cannot be certain. As a result, we also lack the information we need to address the problem. This paper presents a review of available literature on the characteristics of youth unemployment, and the determinants of youth labour market participation and unemployment across Africa. It also presents some new evidence based on the 1-2-3 Surveys recently conducted in ten African countries, which provide a consistent and comparable picture of the situation of youth employment in urban labour markets in these countries. Separate chapters of the report present:

the main stylised facts concerning youth employment in Africa, using both international statistics and existing survey data
the supply-side of the youth labour market the characteristics of young people in the labour market; changes in labour force composition; the extent of upgrades on labour force education; returns to education and training; and the relative disadvantage of young people in terms of access to social capital, land and capital
the role of labour demand, in particular the impact of labour standards and regulations, commonly considered a major obstacle to creating jobs in Africa, with a case study from Francophone Africa
a review of recent employment policies and practices in a number of African countries, which attempts to identify possible lessons from their successes or failures

(http://www.dial.prd.fr/dial_publications/PDF/Doc_travail/2007-02.pdf)

Child safety and free speech issues in the 110th congress

2007-03-06T09:41:00.000+02:00

CDT Analysis of Child Protection Bills pending in Congress

Published by: Center for Democracy & Technology, 2007
Via: Docuticker

Already in the new Congress, Senators and Representatives have introduced a wide range of proposals intended to protect children in the online environment. CDT strongly believes that protecting kids in the online environment is an important goal, and there are significant measures that Congress could enact that would further that goal. Many of the child protection proposals now pending in Congress, however, would not be effective at protecting kids, and raise serious policy and constitutional problems. Leading panels of experts have concluded that the most effective way to protect kids online is to educate them about how to use the Internet and what types of content to avoid, and to promote the voluntary use of technology tools such as filtering software that parents can install on computers in the home. Direct attempts to regulate content on the Internet, in contrast, are seldom effective, in part because of the fact that more than half of the sexual content that Congress seeks to regulate is overseas, outside the reach of a U.S. criminal law or regulation. Proposals that would mandate that web sites must “label” undesired content provide a clear example of an approach that would be ineffective (because of the overseas content problem and the simple fact that the web sites that are the purported target of the proposal can already be easily filtered) and would be clearly unconstitutional (under the “compelled speech” doctrine of the First Amendment). In contrast, Congress can take concrete actions to promote broad education of children about the rules and risks of using the Internet, and to educate parents about the use of filtering tools.
(http://www.cdt.org/speech/20070215freespeechincongress.pdf)

Building resilience: a rights-based approach to children and HIV/AIDS in Africa

2007-03-05T03:45:00.000+02:00

Supporting caregivers and communities is the most effective way to protect HIV and AIDS affected children in Africa
By: Richter LM & Rama S
Published by: Child Rights Information Network (CRIN), 2006
Via: Eldis

This paper sets out the situation facing children affected by HIV and AIDS in Africa, assesses the responses to date, and offers recommendations for effective approaches. It finds that efforts have so far been generally piecemeal and inadequate to the size of the problem, and government efforts have been weak. To better protect children, the paper emphasises the importance of strengthening caregivers’ and households’ commitments to the well-being of children. This requires that, instead of delivering uncoordinated – and often unsustainable – external programmes and projects that attempt to reach children directly, interventions should instead be directed at the concentric circles of care and influence that surround children, such as families, schools, neighbourhoods, and extending outwards to the media, legislative frameworks, and policies that have a bearing on children’s lives. The paper recommends that responses to HIV and AIDS-related issues should:

be holistic and lie along a "response-continuum" from government interventions to the support of informal networks
engage with all stakeholders, including consulting and involving children
be based on an in-depth analysis of the situation and be strategic
recognise the root causes of the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS, including gender inequality and must address both men and boys, and women and girls
support family-based care initiatives while avoiding, as much as possible, residential and institutional care for children. Responses should therefore focus on mitigating parental death and should enable caregivers to secure economic and social resources to provide for children’s protection and care.

(http://www.crin.org/docs/save_children_hiv.pdf)

Inequalities and equity in Africa

2007-02-21T00:38:00.000+02:00

A comparative study of African inequality

By: Cogneau D, Mesplé-Somps S, Hiller V, Bossuroy T, De Vreyer P, Guénard C, Leite P, Pasquier-Doumer L & Torelli C
Published by: Développement, Institutions & Analyses de Long terme (DIAL) , 2006
Via: Eldis

What is the extent of inequality in Africa? This comparative study of five African countries focuses on inequalities of income, land, education and health. Analysis of both cross-sectional and longitudinal inequality confirms the existence of wide disparities in Ghana, Uganda, Ivory Coast, Guinea and Madagascar. Other findings from the study indicate that:

causes of inequality differ considerably from one country to the next
social mobility is inversely related to levels of inequality
disparities between agricultural and non-agricultural income accentuate broader inequality
unequal distribution of education combined with high returns to education reinforce this wide income gap

(http://www.dial.prd.fr/dial_publications/PDF/Doc_travail/2006-11_english.pdf)

Children, war and world disorder in the 21st century: a review of the theories and the literature on children's contributions to armed violence

2007-02-21T00:21:00.000+02:00

Is violent conflict more likely in countries with more young people?

By: Boyden J
Published by: Queen Elizabeth House Library (QEH), University of Oxford , 2006
Via: Eldis

The notion that young people, specifically young males, are inherently more inclined towards aggression and unrest has led some to claim that armed conflict is more likely in a society with a high proportion of young people. This paper evaluates this claim through a review of different literatures concerning young people, aggression and conflict, particularly focusing on findings from Africa. The paper observes that there are a variety of problems with much of the literature:

definitions of "youth" vary
while there may be correlation between youth and other factors, many of the analyses fail to establish causality
data is not adequately disaggregated by age and gender
there is a tendency to impose Western or adult conceptions of children to interpret their actions.

The analysis then considers the contributions of numerous different theoretical frameworks to understand youth violence. These include naturalist ideas of young humans’ innate aggression and cognitive incompetence, as well as environmentalist ideas of environmental stimuli, processes of socialisation, and the interaction between structural conditions and human agency.
The paper concludes that the literature suffers from the fact that most analyses tend to utilise the insights of only one of these perspectives. The author suggests that understanding of the relationship between young people and violence might be advanced through the development of theories that are able to draw these theories together to take account of social power, ideational and structural forms, and emotional and cognitive processes.(http://www3.qeh.ox.ac.uk/RePEc/qeh/qehwps/qehwps138.pdf)

"As if they were watching my body": pornography and the development of attitudes towards sex and sexual behaviour among Camobdian youth

2007-02-15T09:55:00.000+02:00

Does pornography affect children’s gender identity?

By: Fordham G
Published by: Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) , 2006
Via: Eldis

Pornography is directly implicated in issues such as gender-based violence, the use of commercial sex workers, the spread of HIV/AIDS and the rape of children. This report explores how representation of the sexual practices, as depicted in pornographic media, affects Cambodian children and the development of their gender identities. To avoid adverse effects of pornography on the lives and development of young people, policy recommendations include:

develop a programme to inform parents how they can protect their children through education and vigilance
utilise media and discussion-style programmes to open up the issue of pornography in the Cambodian community
organisations working at district and village levels should make staff aware of pornography and how it is linked to social problems such as HIV/AIDS, sexual assault and domestic violence
motivate police and village chiefs to mobilise against pornography

(http://www.crin.org/docs/wv_watching_my_body.pdf)

Child poverty in perspective

2007-02-15T03:51:00.000+02:00

An overview of child well-being in rich countries

Published by: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2007

Via: UNPulse

The UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre released the seventh report in its Report Card series: Child Poverty in Perspective: An Overview of Child Well-Being in Rich Countries (full text). The report is the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive assessment on the well-being of children and young people in the world’s advanced economies (21 selected OECD member countries), focusing on six dimensions: material well-being, health and safety, education, peer and family relationships, behaviours and risks, and young people’s own subjective sense of well-being. The landmark report shows that among all of the countries studied, there are improvements to be made and that no single country leads in all six of the areas. Previous Report Card publications and other studies are available online via the Centre's publications page.

(http://www.unicef-icdc.org/presscentre/presskit/reportcard7/rc7_eng.pdf)

New in the Library

2007-02-05T03:49:00.000+02:00

Children, family and thes tate
By: David William Archard
Published by: Ashgate, 2005
This book critically examines the moral and political status of the child by consideration of three interrelated questions: what rights if any does the child have? What rights over and duties in respect of a child do parents have? What rights over and duties in respect of a child does the state have? The author adopts two areas for particular discussion on the practical implications of the general theoretical issues: education within a multicultural context, and the medical treatment of children. Providing a clear legal context and a sharper, contemporary discussion of the question of rights, this book presents a clear introduction to key issues in the moral and political status of children

Haraka, Haraka… Look before you leap
Youth at the crossroad of custom and modernity
Edited by: Magdalena K Rwebangira & Rita Liljeström
Published by: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, 1998
When members of the Reproductive Health Study Group at the University of Dar es Salaam conducted their first set of studies, they focused on the plight of teenage girls. In undertaking this second set of studies they have widened their focus to include the social institutions that regulate reproduction, initiation into adulthood, marriage, and parental obligations. In order to understand change to these institutions over time they have engaged in fieldwork in the villages and towns of Tanzania and have interviewed women and men of different generations. They have included potential boyfriends, husbands, and runaway fathers. When politicians, political scientists, and economists analyze change, they tend to neglect the long-term impact of the erosion of previous moral orders and the loosening of these mutual human bonds that protect women, children, and aged people. The authors report on single mothers, grandparents who take care of their daughters’ out-of-wedlock children, generational alienations, young men refusing to marry yet repeatedly conceiving and abandoning children, sexually transmitted diseases as proof sof manhood, and on girls generating money through sexual services. Differences in social and economic assets, in worldview and aspirations, in the perception of modernity and its offerings in the rate at which traditional life collapses and the demands of modernity assert themselves, result in social conflict and ambiguity. These are the main themes addressed by the authors of Haraka, Karaka… Look before you leap.

Defining children's constitutional right to social services
A project 28 working paper
By: Mira Dutschke
Published by: Children's Institute, University of Cape Town. July 2006

The consequences of child soldiering

2007-02-01T10:11:00.000+02:00

Training and employment more important than psychosocial rehabilitation for former child soldiers in Uganda

By: Blattman, C.
Published by: Households in Conflict Network (HiCN) , 2006
Via: Eldis

What are the long-term effects of child soldiering? This study of northern Uganda finds that only a small percentage of ex-child soldiers experience ongoing psychological trauma. Instead, it suggests that the primary disadvantage these young people face compared with their peers are impediments to employment – especially physical disabilities, and deficits in education and training resulting from interrupted schooling. The study is based on interviews conducted in northern Uganda with more than 1000 households and 741 young people, including 462 of whom had been abducted to serve as child soldiers in the civil war. The analysis presents qualitative and quantitative findings on the long-term psychological, economic and political effects of child soldiering.

World report on violence against children

2007-02-01T09:10:00.000+02:00

What governments can and must do to prevent violence against children

By: Pinheiro PS

Published by: Child Rights Information Network (CRIN) , 2006

Via: Eldis

This book documents the findings and recommendations of the process of the United Nations Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children. It describes the nature and extent of violence against children, the impacts of the violence, and contributing factors. The report also discusses practical examples of responses to each form of violence, highlighting good practice and key elements of effective programmes. The book presents its findings in separate chapters addressing the following topics:

international instruments and mechanisms applicable to violence against children

violence in the home and family

violence in schools and educational settings

violence in care and justice institutions

violence in places of work

violence in the community.

Recommendations outlining the responses required of governments highlight that violence against children is preventable, that states bear primary responsibility for preventing and responding to violence, and that children should never receive less protection than adults. Among the overarching recommendations are that states should:

develop national strategies and frameworks for implementation

prioritise prevention

promote non-violent values and awareness raising

enhance the capacity of all who work with children

provide recovery and integration services

ensure the integration of children

create accessible and child-friendly reporting systems and services.

Joint review of the maternal and child survival strategy in China

2007-02-01T08:12:00.000+02:00

China is on track to reaching the MDGs to reduce child mortality and improve maternal health

Published by: UNICEF / United Nations [UN] Children's Fund (UNICEF) , 2006
Via: Eldis

This UNICEF report reviews maternal and child health (MCH) strategies in China. It analyses the factors that affect maternal and child mortality, recent trends and the impact of health related interventions on mortality rates. The report finds that between 1996 and 2004 there was a significant reduction in maternal mortality, child mortality and malnutrition. Neonatal mortality has also been reduced but at a slower pace. However, national figures for maternal and child mortality and malnutrition mask large disparities between urban and rural populations and between the different regions in China – in remote rural areas mortality rates are 4-6 times higher than the national average. Large disparities in maternal and child mortality are attributed to poverty and income inequalities, and disparities in access to basic services. The report concludes that China is on track for reaching Millennium Development Goals 4 (to reduce child mortality) and 5 (to improve maternal health), however there remain large geographical disparities in mortality. The authors make several recommendations for improving MCH. Suggested actions include: giving priority to people living in rural areas and migrants living in urban areas; universal access to an essential package of quality antenatal, obstetrical and neonatal care and integrated childhood care and development; and increase funding for health services in poor areas.

Report on internet usage and the exosure of pornography to learners in South African schools

2007-02-01T02:21:00.000+02:00

Published by: Film and Publication Board, 2006

This survey of Internet usage and the exposure of learners to pornography is part of the Film and Publication Board’s response to concerns expressed by Government, teachers, parents and child protection practitioners about the exposure of children in South Africa to objectionable materials, particularly on the Internet. The aim of this survey, conducted among learners in the 13 to 17+ years age-group in randomly-selected schools in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, to provide an informed basis for the establishment and implementation of public policy initiatives and other measures not only to minimise children’s exposure to such materials but also to empower them with the necessary skills to cope with any distress that they might suffer from involuntary exposure to disturbing, harmful and objectionable materials both online and offline.

Child rights at the core: the use of international law in South African cases on children's socio-economic rights - S Rosa & M Dutschke

2007-01-22T11:22:00.000+02:00

The constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, explicitly protects the socio-economic rights of children and adults. When interpreting theses provisions in the Bill of Rights, the Constitution states that international law ‘must be considered’. This refers to binding and non-binding international legal instruments such as the treaties and the General Comments made by the supervisory bodies. This article argues that the courts have an essential role to play in the realization of international human rights law. Analysis of the judgments of the South African courts shows however that there are flaws in their use and enforcement of international and regional human rights law. In general, the courts tend merely to mention some of the applicable international law provisions without considering them in sufficient detail. Binding international law relevant to the rights of children is not given the same attention as non-binding international law. It is argued that the courts have not properly defined the scope and content of children’s socio-economic rights. Recommendations are made as to how the courts could strengthen their role in promoting the socio-economic rights of children through the considered use and enforcement of international law.
From: South African Journal on Human Rights 22(2). 2006, pp. 224-260

Pre-recorded videotaped evidence of child witnesses - Joanna Simon

2007-01-22T11:14:00.000+02:00

The South African Law Commission recently rejected the proposal that pre-recorded videotaped evidence of child witnesses be used in the trial process as a way of protecting the child from further trauma and assisting the court in its truth seeking function. This article examines whether the Law Commission’s position is well founded. It analysis the problems attendant on the present system with regard to child witnesses, arising chiefly from its adherence to the adversarial system and the focus on aggressive cross-examination of the child witness, and suggests videotaped evidence as a possible solution. The main potential barriers to implementing such a procedure, namely the traditions of orality and the rules against hearsay, as well as the Constitutional argument regarding the right to a fair trial, are examined. It is concluded that such issues could be successfully overcome, provided the necessary safeguards are in place in order to protect the rights of the accused. The only real problem attendant on this procedure seems to be one of implementation and lack of resources. However, it is questioned whether this is a sufficiently strong argument against allowing a procedure that could potentially hold such significant benefits.
From: South African Journal of Criminal Justice 19(1). 2006, pp. 56-78

A measure of last resort? Child offenders and life imprisonment - Carina du Toit

2007-01-22T00:43:00.000+02:00

The main principle when sentencing children is that imprisonment should be a measure of last resort and only for the shortest appropriate period of time. However, contrary to international and foreign law in this regard, South Africa continues to sentence children to life imprisonment. The aim of this article is to contrast our current sentencing practices with regard to life imprisonment for children, with the sentencing principles set out in South African common law and in international law. Furthermore, the article sets out the negative effects of a mandatory life sentence in terms of the minimum sentences legislation.
From: SA Crime Quarterly 17, September 2006, pp. 13-18

What happened to the Child Justice Bill? The process of law reform relating to child offenders - Jacqui Gallinetti

2007-01-22T00:38:00.000+02:00

Children who are accused of crimes in South Africa are governed by the same legislation as adults. The urgent need to develop a separate child justice system culminated in the release of the draft Child Justice Bill in 2000 by the South African Law Reform Commission (SALRC). A product of thorough research and consultation, the revised Bill was introduced to Parliament in August 2002. The changes made after public hearings and debates in Parliament in 2003 saw the whittling away of the overall child rights nature of the Bill. To add insult to injury, the legislation has, since that year, not been debated again before the portfolio committee and the legislature has provided no explanation for this state of affairs.
From: SA Crime Quarterly 17, September 2006, pp. 7-12

When do parents go too far? - Bernard Bekink

2007-01-22T00:25:00.000+02:00

Are South African parents still allowed to chastise their children through corporal punishment in their private homes?

With the commencement of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996, the focus of the private law has increasingly shifted from parents to children. This has not only been the case under South African law but also according to International Law. According to this new legal paradigm, many calls have been made to abolish all forms of corporal punishment by parents of their children. There seems to be wide consensus that the common law authority of reasonable and moderate chastisement has become irreconcilable within a modern value orientated constitutional dispensation. Notwithstanding the fact that political powers are undecided on whether to prohibit all forms of corporal punishment on children and that society is not informed or trained on alternative educational measures, it is submitted that the application of corporal chastisement, even in the private family environment, has become unconstitutional. Such a form of punishment should thus be declared invalid and relegated to a relic of our legal past.
From: South African Journal of Criminal Justice 19(2). 2006, pp. 173-191

Assistance needed for the integration of orphaned and vulnerable children - views of South African family and community members - M Freeman & N Nkomo

2007-01-22T00:21:00.000+02:00

Guardianship within families is often regarded as the most viable and preferred option for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC). However, this will place a considerably increased burden on the new caregivers of these children. This study examines whether assistance to prospective families would incline them towards incorporating children and, it so, what would act as ‘threshold’ incentives for them. Adults (N=1 400) in diverse locations and of various ‘relational proximity’ to children were interviewed in three high HIV/AIDS prevalence provinces in South Africa. Close relatives were more inclined to take in children and would generally require lower levels of assistance than more distanced adults. Nonetheless, for most poor families, no matter their relation to the child, help is critical. More distanced families, friends and strangers also showed a strong willingness to incorporate children – provided they receive sufficient help. For all categories, the greater the assistance the more likely they would be to take in children. While direct financial assistance was important, assistance with education related costs and having a trained and caring person come in ‘now and then’ to help were also significant factors. The age and HIV status of the child were viewed as important intervening factors in deciding whether or not to take in a n additional child/ren by some people.
From: Journal of Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS 3(3). November 2006, pp. 503-509

Children and AIDS: a stocktaking report

2007-01-18T08:50:00.000+02:00

Actions and progress during the first year of Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS

Published by: United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), January 2007
Via: Docuticker

A global campaign to put children at the heart of the fight against AIDS is gathering momentum but much, much more needs to be done, according to a stocktaking report on the initiative’s first year. The campaign, UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS, was launched by UNICEF, UNAIDS and many other partners at the United Nations in New York on 25 October 2005, aiming to highlight the missing face of children in the world’s response to the AIDS pandemic. A report released today on year one of the five-year campaign finds that some countries have achieved breakthroughs in preventing HIV transmission from mothers to their children and in providing treatment for children living with HIV

Childhood poverty in Mozambique: a situation and trends analysis

2007-01-17T10:03:00.000+02:00

Almost half of Mozambican children still live in poverty

Published by: UNICEF Maputo / United Nations [UN] Children's Fund (UNICEF) , 2006
Via: Eldis

Mozambique has made significant progress since the end of the civil war, particularly in terms of post-war reconstruction, macroeconomic stabilisation, economic recovery and the rapid reduction of poverty. Despite notable improvements in child development, in addition to these other positive changes, the depth of poverty from which the country is emerging means that most children are still living in poverty. This report, from UNICEF in Maputo, provides a comprehensive overview of the socio-economic situation of the ten million Mozambican children, especially with regard to childhood poverty. It combines the official consumption-based measure with a deprivations-based measure of childhood poverty, which examines access to water, sanitation, shelter, education, health, nutrition and information. Some key findings include:

49 per cent of children face severe water deprivation, having access to only surface water for drinking or living more than 30 minutes away from a clean source
47 per cent of children face severe sanitation deprivation, meaning they have no access to a toilet of any kind
39 per cent of children are facing severe information deprivation, therefore have no contact with newspapers, radios or televisions
24 per cent of children between 7 and 18 years are severely deprived of education
17 per cent of children under five years are experiencing severe health deprivation - meaning they have never had any immunisations
6 per cent of children suffer from shelter deprivation, defined as living in conditions of severe overcrowding.

Strengthening national responses to children affected by HIV/AIDS what is the role fo the state and social welfare in Africa?

2007-01-17T09:17:00.000+02:00

Challenging the neo-liberal consensus: strong social welfare system essential for children affected by HIV/AIDS

By: Green, M
Published by: United Nations [UN] Children's Fund (UNICEF) , 2005
Via: Eldis

This paper from UNICEF provides an overview of the situation of children affected by HIV and AIDS, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. It assess the current policy directed at responding to these children’s needs and the role of different institutions in implementing this policy. The report also explores the opportunities for children affected by HIV and AIDS presented by recent innovations in social welfare policy in some developing countries. The report analyses the estimates for the number of children orphaned by AIDS and explains how the responsibility for caring for these children falls most heavily on women and poorer households. The 2004 Framework for the Protection, Support and Care of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS is also assessed and a number of critical weaknesses are identified. Specifically, the Framework says nothing about how the strategies which it recommends are to be put in place or about the institutional support that needs to be provided to families and communities caring for children. The report argues that there is an urgent need to shift the burden of caring for children affected by HIV and AIDS away from poor families and communities and towards the state and the social welfare system. It points to recent innovations in social welfare policy in Latin America which could provide a potential model for adaptation by countries in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this would initially require a change in commitment from state dismantling to state building policies among donor countries and international agencies.

Child health inequities in developing countries

2007-01-11T09:18:00.000+02:00

Malnutrition among the urban poor in sub-Saharan Africa

By: Fotso, JC
Published in: International Journal for Equity in Health , 2006. 5:9
Via: Eldis

This paper, in the International Journal for Equity in Health, compares the magnitude of inequities in child malnutrition across urban and rural areas in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and investigates the extent to which disparities within urban areas are accounted for by the characteristics of communities, households and individuals. The paper finds that across countries in SSA, there are inequalities between socioeconomic groups in the likelihood of children having low height for their age – an indicator of malnutrition. Though these inequalities exist in both urban and rural areas, they are larger in urban areas. The levels of education of a child’s parents, and the socioeconomic status of the community, account for some of these inequalities, but household wealth is the most important factor.

The paper concludes that there are enormous disparities between the poor and the non-poor in urban areas of SSA. The authors recommend that specific policies geared at preferentially improving the health and nutrition of the urban poor should be implemented. To successfully monitor the gaps between urban poor and non-poor, existing data collection programmes such as the Demographic and Health Survey and other nationally representative surveys should be re-designed to capture the changing patterns of the spatial distribution of population.

Holliday Season!

2006-12-15T09:10:00.000+02:00

Dear Readers

Yet another year has flown by. And it was a busy year indeed! I am going to take a well-deserved break, and will start posting again at breakneck speed in the New Year.

I hope that Gender Focus and its sister blogs have been of some help to you, and will continue to do so in the future. So look forward to a bumper crop of posts early in January 2007, as I will endeavor to bring you all up to speed with what has been happening over the holiday season.

Have a great time, and a Happy New Year!

Child vulnerability and HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa: what we know and what can be done

2006-12-12T09:20:00.000+02:00

Understanding and responding to the needs of children made vulnerable by the HIV epidemic

By: Gillespie S, Norman A & Finley B
Published by: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) , 2005
Via: Eldis

This report from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) examines the available evidence on the children in developing countries who have been made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS. As well as analysing the multiple aspects of these childrens’ vulnerability, the report also brings together evidence from successful projects aimed at responding to these children’s needs. Using this, the report highlights some key principles in developing policies directed at helping these children and also highlights some important areas where further research is required.

The report finds that the well-being of children affected by HIV and AIDS is closely tied to the levels of poverty in their family and community. Polices aimed at responding to these children’s needs should start at the local level and work through supporting and strengthening the capacity of the extended family and the community. These polices should take a broad, multisectoral approach, but should also adopt a ‘child’s eye’ view of poverty. This involves recognising that discrimination, along lines of age for instance, may mean that not all polices aimed at helping the family will benefit the child. The report calls for more research to identify children made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS, and to understand the psycho-social, as well as material, aspects of their vulnerability.

Ending child marriage: a guide on global policy action

2006-12-11T15:13:00.000+02:00

Supporting child protection frameworks

Published by: International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) , 2006
Via: Eldis

This action paper calls on policy makers to improve the quality of life of girls and young women forced into child marriages. The particular needs of child brides are documented and the nature of the economic and social factors that reinforce the practice are outlined. Advocating a child protection framework, the priority areas for policy and programme development outlined in the paper include:

promoting the right to education for all children - introducing scholarships and other incentives to encourage female inclusion
improving support for girls who escape child marriages through the creation of safety nets
ensuring that child brides living with HIV are able to access new technologies for care and treatment - in addition to securing access to reproductive and maternal health services
supporting grassroots advocacy that targets males within the community
encouraging families and communities to delay their children's marriage, and document and share community-based individual and collective interventions to end child marriage.

The state of the world's children 2007

2006-12-11T14:47:00.000+02:00

Women and children: the double divided of Gender Equality

Published by: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 2006
Via: UNICEF

The State of the World’s Children 2007 examines the discrimination and disempowerment women face throughout their lives – and outlines what must be done to eliminate gender discrimination and empower women and girls. It looks at the status of women today, discusses how gender equality will move all the Millennium Development Goals forward, and shows how investment in women’s rights will ultimately produce a double dividend: advancing the rights of both women and children.

Child Justice

2006-12-05T11:34:00.000+02:00

Comparing the South African child justice reform process and experiences of juvenile justice reform in the United States of America

By: Ehlers, Louise
Published by: Open Society Foundation for South Africa (OSF), 2006
Via: OSF

In this paper the author seeks to examine some debates that have shaped the contours of the Child Justice Bill in Parliament. It reflects upon these against the backdrop of legislative and policy trends in juvenile justice in the United States and attempts to locate the future of the Child Justice Bill in current socio-political context. It notes that, historically, there has been a tendency by South African law and policy makers when seeking solutions to the crime problem to look to US models for guidance. This is illustrated by, for example, the modeling of the Scorpions on US equivalents, the introduction of privatized prisons and the development of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act.

The paper goes on to argue that while the parliamentary deliberations concerning the Bill have not overtly adduced or cited US models of juvenile justice in support of particular positions, there is some evidence that the changes may result in a system in which protection is selectively provided to deserving cases, whilst a punitive response is obligatory where serious crimes are involved, or where the children are regarded as undeserving of the protection of childhood. The paper concludes by stating that South Africa still has the opportunity of reversing some of the adverse changes to the Bill before it is voted into law. In its original form, the Bill has already served as a model law elsewhere in Africa, and it would be unfortunate indeed if regressive measures, such as bifurcation, mandatory sentencing and pretrial detention of children aged below 14 in prisons, where allowed to survive.

New in the Library

2006-12-05T09:46:00.000+02:00

Children and the Human Rights Act
By: Drew S
Published by: Save the Children, 2002
The Human Rights Act is a major landmark in the Birtish legal system. It will have a profound effect on services for children. This book is an accessible and practical introduction to the act. It sets out the main articles and describes how they can be used to benefit children and young people. It also provides relevant links with other legislation and conventions.

Rights of passage
Harmful cultural practices and children's rights
Published by: Save the children, 2003
Accross the world, different ceremonies and rituals are practised to mark the passage from childhood into adulthood. These range from tattooing and scarring to enforced early marriage and female genital mutilation. This book examines the root causes and consequencees of these practices. Through case studies based on research with Save the Children projects in eight countries, it enables young people to give their own views on these practices. Recommendations in the final section suggest ways in which development and advocacy work can begins to address harmful cultural practices. Examples of good practice are included.

Children, torture and power
The torture of children by states and armed opposition groups
By: Man N
Published by: Save the Children, 2000

Children's rights: equal rights?

Diversity, difference and the issue of discrimination

Published by: Save the Children, 2000

Children's rights

A second chance

Published by: Save the Children, 2001

Children affected by HIV/AIDS

Rights and responses in the developing world

By: Grainger C, Webb D & Elliott L

Published by: Save the Children, 2001

Street and working children

A guide to planning

By: Ennew J

Published by: Save the Children, 2000

Children and armed conflict

2006-11-30T15:57:00.000+02:00

Report of the Secretary-General

Published by: General Assembly Security Council, 26 October 2006
Via: UNPulse

The latest report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Confict reviews developments related to child victims of violence in the Middle East and other regions, the spreading recruitment and use of child soldiers especially in Africa, and the special concerns of girl combatants and girls associated with armed groups

Global employment trends for youth 2006

2006-11-30T14:46:00.000+02:00

Improving labour market conditions for young people

By: Elder S & Schmidt D
Published by: International Labour Organization (ILO) , 2006
Via: Eldis

This report analyses labour market conditions for young people and identifies barriers that can stand in the way of realising global commitments to improving youth employment options. It highlights the importance of focusing on youth and provides the ingredients from which strategies can be developed to tackle one of the most urgent and widely recognised global challenges.

This second Global Employment Trends for Youth updates the world and regional youth labour market indicators presented in the first Global Employment Trends for Youth (2004) report. However section two of the report goes beyond this to investigate the relationship between the lack of decent employment opportunities and poverty to explain why many young people remain poor despite the fact that they work. Section three of the report also offers a more in-depth analysis of factors that explain one of the worrying indicators ? inactivity ? and the reasons for its increase in recent years. This section also offers a framework for identifying youth who are more vulnerable to getting stuck in labour market situations that will be detrimental to their own future development and to that of the economy at large.

Section five focuses on the school-to-work transition to help countries pinpoint the specific challenges that young men and women face when entering the world of work so that the most appropriate policy mix can be determined to redress the situation within countries.

Victims, perpetrators or heroes?: child soldiers before the International Criminal Court

2006-11-28T08:39:00.000+02:00

How should the International Criminal Court protect the rights of former child soldiers?

By: Goetz M
Published by: Redress Trust , 2006
Via: Eldis

The International Criminal Court broke new ground by charging Ugandan and Congolese warlords with recruiting or using children in hostilities. This report provides analysis of the context of child recruitment in Northern Uganda and Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and examines how the Court can best face the challenges of ensuring child-sensitive investigations, trials and reparations. The report's recommendations emphasise the need specific training for all those who may enter into contact with former child soldiers and adequate provisions for long-term assistance and support for victims and witnesses.

Violence against children: a painful issue

2006-11-23T08:49:00.000+02:00

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.

Opportunities for Africa's newborns

2006-11-23T08:35:00.000+02:00

Paractical data, policy and programmatic support for newborn care in Africa

Edited by: Lawn J & Kerber K
Published by: The Parnership for Maternal Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH), 2006
Via: WHO

Each year at least 1.16 million newborn babies die in sub-Saharan Africa. This region has the highest risk of newborn deaths and the slowest progress in reducing mortality. More than two thirds of these babies could be saved with low cost, low tech interventions, most of which are already in policy but do not reach the poor. Countries are finding that addressing newborn health is a catalyst to strengthening existing health packages and other programmes. This publication has grown out of a wide partnership to seize this opportunity and promote investment in Africa's future.

Under the umbrella of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH), 9 organizations, 60 authors and over 40 reviewers, drawn from policymakers and programme leaders for MNCH in Africa, have been involved and contributed to this publication. The book provides an overview of the continuum of care through the lifecycle and opportunities to address gaps at all levels - family and community care, outreach services and health care facilities. Case studies are analysed in order to learn the practical steps for phasing interventions, strengthening and integrating service provision, and providing every mother, newborn and child in Africa with essential care.

New in the Library

2006-11-17T12:20:00.000+02:00

The political economy of new slavery
Edited by: Christien van den Anker
Published by: Palgrave, 2004
This volume combines chapters containing a multidisciplinary academic analysis of the causes of the continued existence of contemporary forms of slavery, such as globalization, poverty and migration, with specialist empirical chapters on specific forms of contemporary slavery, such as trafficking, domestic migrant workers, bonded labour and child labour in Asia, latin America and Africa.

Child pornography
An Internet crime
By: Max Taylor and Ethel Quayle
Published by: Brunner-Routledge, 2004
The availability of child pornography on the Internet has become a cause of huge social concern in recent years. This book considers the reality behind the often-hysterical media coverage of the topic. Drawing on extensive new research findings, it

Examines how child pornography is used on the Internet
Identifies the social context in which such use occurs
Develops a model of offending behavior to help better understand and deal with the processes of offending

Making HIV and AIDS financing work for children

2006-11-06T08:58:00.000+02:00

Governments must track aid to ensure it reaches children affected by HIV and AIDS

Published by: Save the Children UK, 2006
Via: Eldis

In this briefing, Save the Children analyses the performance of child-specific HIV and AIDS spending targets. It raises concerns about the scarcity of data regarding: the overall allocation of funds targeted to combat HIV and AIDS; how much of these funds are targeted towards children; and, the actual expenditure that directly benefits affected children. As a result, even where donors have committed funds for the prevention and treatment for children affected by HIV/AIDS, they lack the mechanisms to ensure that these resources are actually reaching and benefiting children.

Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conclict in Burundi

2006-11-03T09:00:00.000+02:00

Children and Armed Conflict

Published by: United Nations (UN) Securty Council, 2006
Via: UNPulse

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of Security Council resolution 1612 (2005). It is presented to the Security Council and its Working Group on children and armed conflict as the first report on Burundi from the monitoring and reporting mechanism referred to in paragraph 3 of that resolution. The report, which covers the period from August 2005 to September 2006, provides information on compliance and progress in ending the recruitment and use of children and other grave violations being committed against children in armed conflict situations in Burundi and outlines progress achieved in that regard.

Despite the substantial progress achieved in addressing the grave violations of children’s
rights detailed in resolution 1612 (2005), violations are still occurring and the competent authorities have not always conducted criminal investigations nor punished those responsible. Violations of children’s rights were reported in the provinces where there was armed conflict during the reporting period. The report explicitly identifies the parties to the conflict responsible for serious violations, including the Parti pour la libération du peuple hutu-Forces nationales de libération (PALIPEHUTU-FNL), the Burundi National Defence Force (FDN), the National Intelligence Service (SNR) and the Burundi National Police.

Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conclict in Côte d'Ivoire

2006-11-03T08:20:00.000+02:00

Children and Armed Conflict

Published by: United Nations (UN) Security Council, 2006
Via: UNPulse

The present report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of
Security Council resolution 1612 (2005). It is presented to the Council and its
Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict as the first country report from Côte
d’Ivoire from the monitoring and reporting mechanism referred to in paragraph 3 of
that resolution. The report, which covers the period from January 2005 to
September 2006, specifies the grave violations perpetrated against children in Côte
d’Ivoire, particularly the killing and maiming of children, rape or other instances of
grave sexual violence, especially against girls, and the abduction of and trafficking in
children.

The report highlights in particular ongoing conflict among ethnic groups
and communities, which is having a severe impact on the lives and well-being of
children and preventing the voluntary return of internally displaced persons to their
homes. The report also highlights the progress made in dialogue with parties to the
conflict and outlines the consequent action plans of the Forces nouvelles and four
pro-Government militia groups in western Côte d’Ivoire to end the use of child
soldiers and release all children associated with their forces. The report stresses the
responsibility of the Government and the Front populaire ivoirien to support the
United Nations in the identification and establishment of similar dialogue with all
other militia groups. It also highlights the follow-up and programmatic response to
violations.

New in the Library

2006-11-02T10:37:00.000+02:00

Sexual abuse
Dynamics, assessment & healing
Editor: GM Spies
Published by: Van Schaik, 2006

How rich the rewards?
Results of the 2005 National Youth Victimisation Study
Monograph Series no. 1
By: Lezanne Leoschut & Patrick Burton
Published by: Centre for justice and crime prevention

Recent media reports have highlighted the plight of many young South Africans as victims of violent attacks and crime. However, information on the criminal victimisation of South Africans has largely excluded the experiences of South African youth. A recent survey conducted by the Centre for Justice and Crime Prevention has bridged this gap. The CJCP's youth victimisation survey, the first of its kind conducted in South Africa, indicates that youth are victimised at almost double the rates of adults, and have few places in which they can feel safe.

This monograph presents the findings of the survey, including an analysis of young poeple's experiences of crime and violence in school, the home and the broader communities in which they live, their perceptions of safety in these environments, and their knowledge of support structures available to them.

ILO Global employment trends for youth 2006

2006-11-02T09:48:00.000+02:00

Published by: International Labour Organization (ILO), 2006
Via: UNPulse

According to the new International Labour Organization (ILO) report on Global Employment Trends for Youth:

unemployed youth make up almost half of the world’s total unemployed.
One in three is either seeking but unable to find work, has given up the job search or is working but living on less than US$2 a day.
While youth population grew between 1995 and 2005, employment among young people did not keep up.

The report provides youth labour market indicators. It also offers analysis of the relationship between the lack of employment opportunities and poverty, explains causes of inactivity and pinpoints challenges of school-to-work transition.

Violence against children

2006-10-18T08:18:00.000+02:00

Study on violence against children

Published by: United Nations
Via: UNPulse

The United Nations Secretary-General's Study on Violence against Children has been a global effort to paint a detailed picture of the nature, extent and causes of violence against children, and to propose clear recommendations for action to prevent and respond to it. This is the first time that an attempt has been made to document the reality of violence against children around the world, and to map out what is being done to stop it. Since 2003, many thousands of people have contributed to the study in consultations and working groups, through questionnaires and in other ways. Children and young people have been active at every level. On 11 October 2006, the UN General Assembly will consider the study's findings and recommendations.

Health consequences of child marriage in Africa

2006-10-12T08:25:00.000+02:00

By: Nawal M. Nour
Published in: Emerging Infectious Diseases (EID) Journal; 12(11) November 2006
Via: Docuticker

Despite international agreements and national laws, marriage of girls <18 years of age is common worldwide and affects millions. Child marriage is a human rights violation that prevents girls from obtaining an education, enjoying optimal health, bonding with others their own age, maturing, and ultimately choosing their own life partners. Child marriage is driven by poverty and has many effects on girls' health: increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases, cervical cancer, malaria, death during childbirth, and obstetric fistulas. Girls' offspring are at increased risk for premature birth and death as neonates, infants, or children. To stop child marriage, policies and programs must educate communities, raise awareness, engage local and religious leaders, involve parents, and empower girls through education and employment.

Progress for children

2006-10-02T09:15:00.000+02:00

A report card on water and sanitation. Nr 5

Published by: UNICEF, 2006
Via: UN Pulse

Unsafe water and the lack of basic sanitation and adequate hygiene contribute to the leading killers of children under five, including diarrhoeal diseases, pneumonia and undernutrition, and have implications for whether children, especially girls, attend school. This means that achieving Millennium Development Goal 7 and its 2015 targets of reducing by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation are of vital relevance for children and for improving nutrition, education and women's status. Progress for Children: A Report Card on Water and Sanitation will report on whether the world is on course to reach MDG 7 – and where efforts are falling short.

New in the Library

2006-09-22T08:26:00.000+02:00

The end of child labour: within reach
Global report under the follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work 2006
Published by: International Labour Office (ILO), 2006
This second Global Report documents the fact that for the first time, there has been a world-wide decline in child labour, with the worst forms of child labour decreasing fastest. The report reviews the ways in which this has been accomplished. (Online)

World Development Report 2007

2006-09-19T08:07:00.000+02:00

Development and the next generation

Published by: The World Bank, 2006
Via: UNPulse

The theme of the World Development Report (WDR) 2007 is youth, aged 12 to 24. It focuses on decisions concerning the five phases with the biggest long-term impact on how human capital is kept safe, developed, and deployed. For each phase (continuing to learn, starting to work, developing a healthful lifestyle, beginning a family, and exercising citizenship) governments must increase investments directly and cultivate an environment for young people and their families to invest in themselves. The WDR suggests that a youth lens on policies affecting the five phases would help focus on three broad directions: expanding opportunities, enhancing capabilities, and providing second chances. Each pathway (opportunities, capabilities, and second chances) is applied to each of the transitions, generating reform suggestions.To mobilize the economic and political resources to stimulate such reforms, countries must resolve three issues: better coordination and integration with national policy, stronger voice, and more evaluation. In addition, the WDR examines both youth migration, and their increasing use of new technologies.

Making children's rights work: country profiles on Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, and Vietnam

2006-09-18T13:27:00.000+02:00

Protecting and promoting the rights of the child in Asia

Published by: International Bureau for Children?s Rights (IBCR) , 2006
Via: Eldis

This report summarises country profiles on children?s rights in Cambodia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Timor Leste, and Vietnam. The report aims to highlight the existing challenges and gaps in the progress and at implementing the Convention of the Rights of the Child and its Optional Protocols. The report notes that there was a lack of synergy with the benchmarks of the Convention and no streamlining of activities of various organisations in these countries.

Child and youth participation resource guide

2006-09-18T13:02:00.000+02:00

Annotated bibliography on child and youth participation

Published by: UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office / United Nations [UN] Children's Fund (UNICEF) , 2006
Via: Eldis

This guide presents resources, in the form of an annotated bibliography, on child and youth participation from Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, Australia and the Pacific. It also provides information about key websites on children's participation.

The document includes key English language documents on children’s participation grouped in four parts and 27 chapters:

Part One: Introduction to child and youth participation
Part Two: Children involved in research, analysis, planning, implementation and evaluation
Part Three: Children’s participation in programme areas
Part Four: Children involved in political decision making

The CD-ROM accompanying this guide contains full-text electronic versions of many of the resources included in the annotated bibliography. (available in the library)

After the storm: economic activities among children and youth in return areas in post war Liberia

2006-09-14T08:49:00.000+02:00

Returnee children in Liberia

By: Boas M & Hatloy A
Published by: Institute for Applied Social Science (Fafo), 2006
Via: Eldis

This report documents the kinds of formal and informal work that children and youth may be involved with in the context of a return situation in a fragile or a post conflict environment. Concentrating specifically on the experiences of Liberian refugees returning to Voinjama in Lofa Country the paper considers the following:

the children living in Voinjama
displacement patterns and refugee experiences
perceptions of the future
current activities of returnees.

The paper concludes that children in the area of Voinjama have faired relatively well during the period of war in Liberia, many still have their families which increases their levels of security. A relative under-employment has allowed children to devote more time to their education.

Curbing teen dating violence

2006-09-14T08:42:00.000+02:00

Evidence from a school prevention program

Published by: Rand Corporation, 2006
Via: Docuticker

This research brief summarizes a survey about the effectiveness of programs from Break the Cycle, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing and fielding dating-violence prevention programs.

Child morbidity and treatment patterns

2006-09-01T07:44:00.000+01:00

Which population groups suffer most from childhood illness?

By: Stallings RY
Published by: Measure DHS Deomographic and Health Surveys , 2004
Via: Eldis

This Measure DHS report on childhood illness and how it is treated focuses on three of the leading causes of death in early childhood: diarrhoea; acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI); and fever. It draws on District Health Surveys (DHS) in 52 developing countries. It reveals that, in most cases, living in an urban area, belonging to a wealthier household, and having a better-educated mother, all lower the chance of childhood illness. Urban residence, greater household wealth, and higher level of mother’s education are all associated with a greater probability of seeking advice or treatment from a health care provider for a child with fever or symptoms of ALRI.

Other findings include that children with diarrhoea in urban areas are more likely than their rural counterparts to be taken to a health care provider; and antibiotics continue to be widely used to treat diarrhoea, even though their use is usually not warranted and is discouraged because of concerns about increasing antibiotic resistance. The report suggests that the data discussed could inform and guide national and international efforts to reduce childhood illness by highlighting which countries, and groups within countries, would benefit most from health care interventions and extra resources.

Does child abuse cuase crime?

2006-08-31T08:31:00.000+01:00

By: Tekin E & Currie J
Published as: Andrew Young School of Policy Studies Research Paper no. 06-31, April 2006
Via: SSRN

Child maltreatment, which includes both child abuse and child neglect, is a major social problem. This paper focuses on measuring the effects of child maltreatment on crime using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). We focus on crime because it is one of the most socially costly potential outcomes of maltreatment, and because the proposed mechanisms linking maltreatment and crime are relatively well elucidated in the literature. Our work addresses many limitations of the existing literature on child maltreatment. First, we use a large national sample, and investigate different types of abuse in a similar framework. Second, we pay careful attention to identifying the causal impact of abuse, by using a variety of statistical methods that make differing assumptions. These methods include: Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), propensity score matching estimators, and twin fixed effects. Finally, we examine the extent to which the effects of maltreatment vary with socio-economic status (SES), gender, and the severity of the maltreatment.

We find that maltreatment approximately doubles the probability of engaging in many types of crime. Low SES children are both more likely to be mistreated and suffer more damaging effects. Boys are at greater risk than girls, at least in terms of increased propensity to commit crime. Sexual abuse appears to have the largest negative effects, perhaps justifying the emphasis on this type of abuse in the literature. Finally, the probability of engaging in crime increases with the experience of multiple forms of maltreatment as well as the experience of Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation.

The importance of realizing 'Other Rights' to prevent sex trafficking

2006-08-31T07:14:00.000+01:00

By: Todres J
Published in: Cardozo Journal of Law and Gender. Vol. 12, 2006
Via: Docuticker

International law has long prohibited sex trafficking. The current international legal framework on sex trafficking sets forth a three-pronged approach to anti-trafficking efforts: (1) criminalization of acts of trafficking, (2) trafficking prevention programs, and (3) aid for victims of trafficking. To date, efforts undertaken by various countries have focused primarily on the first component, with comparatively minimal resources being allocated to prevention or victim assistance programs. Those countries that have initiated prevention measures tend to adopt a narrow view of "prevention programs" – focusing on activities such as public awareness campaigns warning of the penalties associated with such crimes or informing children and their families of the dangers of sex trafficking.

This Article calls for a much broader conception of prevention programs in order to address systemic issues (e.g., racism, sexism, and poverty) that allow trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of poor and marginalized individuals to continue. Human rights law offers valuable guidance in developing more comprehensive strategies for preventing sex trafficking. Sustainable solutions require greater attention to "other rights" embodied in human rights law, which can supplement the legal provisions covering trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of persons. The author examines selected other rights including those that cover gender-based violence, various forms of discrimination, birth registration, health, and education, with a view to addressing systemic issues that foster the current climate in which sex trafficking thrives. Ensuring these other rights will help states fulfill their obligations under international law to prevent sex trafficking. Moreover, these individual rights, when fully ensured, will strengthen communities by improving health and education standards and reducing discrimination and marginalization of certain populations. Such improvements will help promote sustainable economic development, which in turn will reinforce respect for human rights.

Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conclict in the Sudan

2006-08-28T09:23:00.000+01:00

Published by: United Nations Security Council, 2006
Via: Docuticker

This report reviews the status of children in wartorn regions of the Sudan. Covering May to July 2006, it reports incidents of killing, abductions, child recruitment for use as soldiers, sexual violence and other serious abuses. It identifies specific parties responsible for these abuses and discusses the lack of government accountability.

An overview of selected data on children in vulnerable families

2006-08-28T09:11:00.000+01:00

By: Macomber, J
Published by: The Urban Institute and Child Trends, 2006
Via: Docuticker

This paper presents trends over time in the number of children in particularly vulnerable families, including families facing such risks as domestic violence, child maltreatment, substance abuse, depression, and childhood disabilities. These families are of particular importance to policymakers given the considerable risk to children’s safety and development, the challenges to parents’ ability to support a family as well as raise children when they are facing these major stressors, and the potential requirement for strong public or community roles to meet children’s needs when parents cannot.

Exposure to degrading versus nondegrading music lyrics and sexual behavior among youth

2006-08-28T08:59:00.000+01:00

Published in: Pediatrics 118(2) August 2006
Via: Docuticker

Listening to music with degrading sexual lyrics is related to advances in a range of sexual activities among adolescents, whereas this does not seem to be true of other sexual lyrics. This result is consistent with sexual-script theory and suggests that cultural messages about expected sexual behavior among males and females may underlie the effect. Reducing the amount of degrading sexual content in popular music or reducing young people’s exposure to music with this type of content could help delay the onset of sexual behavior.

Neonatal mortality in the developing world

2006-08-22T11:21:00.000+01:00

Much progress needed on neonatal mortality to reach the child mortality MDG

By: Hill, K & Choi Y
Published in: Demographic Research, 2006
Via: Eldis

This paper examines age patterns and trends of early and late neonatal mortality in developing countries, using birth history data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS). Data quality was assessed both by examination of internal consistency and by comparison with historic age patterns of neonatal mortality from England and Wales. The median neonatal mortality rate (NMR) across 108 nationally-representative surveys was 33 per 1000 live births. NMR averaged an annual decline of 1.7 % in the 1980s and 1990s. Declines have been faster for late than for early neonatal mortality and slower in Sub-Saharan Africa than in other regions. Age patterns of neonatal mortality were comparable with those of historical data, indicating no significant underreporting of early neonatal deaths in DHS birth histories.

Sticks and stones and brutal words: the violence against children in Ethiopia

2006-07-25T09:01:00.000+01:00

Violence against children in Ethiopia

Published by: African Child Policy Forum, 2006
Via: Eldis

This paper reports on a study to generate national information on violence against children in Ethiopia. It targeted Addis Ababa and the regional states of Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS). The research focused on physical, psychological and sexual violence against children at home, in schools and in the community

New in the Library

2006-07-24T13:21:00.000+01:00

Youth and identity politics in South Africa
1990-1994
By: Sibusisiwe Nombuso Dlamini
Published by: University of Toronto Press, 2005
This book examines the ambiguities, contradictions, and negotiations involved in the participation of Zulu youth in the anti-apartheid struggle and their role in the formation of post-apartheid social identities.

Youth and violent conflict: society and development in crisis?

2006-07-13T08:07:00.000+01:00

International governmental policy and youth and violent conflict

By: Ebata M, Izzi V, Lenton A, Ngela E & Sampson P
Published by: United Nations (UN) Development Programme (UNDP) , 2006
Via: Eldis

This review explores the intersection between youth and violent conflict, with a view to enhancing policy and offering programming guidance. The review identifies key issues related to youth and violent conflict, explores how the issue of youth and violent conflict is currently address in key policy frameworks, and offers an overview of current programmes put in place by UNDP and other key international actors. Findings of the review include:

the "problem" of youth and violent conflict is a serious concern to many international actors, and this has led to a myriad of different responses. However, there is an absence of a working framework for youth and violent, conflict, reflecting a lack of consensus on how to understand the issue
UNDP and other actors in the UN system, along with donors, have been trying to address some of the challenges of the situation of youth. Activities have ranged from traditional and special education measures, volunteering and peace training to youth employment schemes and reintegration of ex-combatants. For the most part, these efforts have been small scale, time-limited and under-resourced
a more comprehensive freamwork is needed with urgency. Above all, such a framework for youth and violent conflict should stress the importance of "doing no harm".

Social protection mechanisms in Southern Africa

2006-07-10T08:35:00.000+01:00

Southern African experience and lessons in social safety net mechanisms

By: Devereux S
Published by: Wahenga.net, Regional Hunger and Vulnerability Programme (RHVP) , 2006
Via: Eldis

Social protection is a relatively new concept in southern Africa. Regular, predictable and guaranteed transfers to the vulnerable in most countries have yet to be integrated into existing policies safeguarding lives following livelihood shocks such as drought and conflict. This study reviews existing knowledge of social protection practices and lessons in Lesotho, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Swaziland. Although numerous advancements have been made in the thinking and practice of social protection in this region, some significant challenges emerge from this study:

Gaps in social protection: many vulnerable people are inadequately protected via existing measures - these gaps can be filled through efforts protecting consumption by promoting production, such as facilitating access to markets and making farm inputs more accessible, and addressing the seasonality of food prices either by direct control or through strategic buying and selling decisions
Programming challenges: attemps to establish long-term social protection mechanisms in addition to emergency responses require the scaling-up, institutionalisation and co-ordination of existing programmes - political will and efforts to strengthen various markets
Learning opportunities: the cases examined highlight the need for wider access to farmer inputs, stabilisation of the food price, and unconditional cash transfers - additionally, failures of some social protection schemes in the region are useful in the development of more successful ones.

The report also outlines some examples of successful social protection mechanisms from other countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The end of Child Labour

2006-07-07T09:13:00.000+01:00

Within Reach

Published by: International Labour Office, 2006
Via: DocuTicker

This second global report on child labor documents the progress being made in countering child labor, describes the International Labour Office’s (ILOs) action against child labor, identifies global challenges that remain, and presents a global action plan for combating child labor

Child pornography on the Internet

2006-07-07T09:03:00.000+01:00

By: Wortley, Richard & Smallbone, Stephen
Published by: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Service, 2006
Via: DocuTicker

As the use of computers has increased, so have crimes involving online child pornography. Accordingly, police departments must develop strategies for dealing with the problem. This guide describes the problem and reviews the factors that increase the risks of Internet child pornography. It then lists a series of questions that may assist in the analysis of the problem and reviews responses based on evaluative research and police practice.

Research with children living in situations of armed conflict: concepts, ethics and methods

2006-07-05T07:12:00.000+01:00

Importance of participatory research on children in conflict situations

By: Hart J & Tyrer B
Published by: Refugee Studies Centre (RSC), Oxford , 2006
Via: Eldis

Research about children’s lives conducted in the volatile setting of armed conflict places particular demands upon researchers. The suggestion that researchers should, whenever possible and appropriate, involve children as meaningful participants in that research may seem unreasonable or inappropriate. However, this paper argues that participatory research for children in conflict situations is especially valuable because of the emergency context.

The authors emphasise that firstly, such an approach is likely to yield richer and more detailed data than a conventional, adult-led approach. These data can be invaluable to the design of interventions. Secondly, engagement in well-planned research activities can offer direct benefits for young participants by enhancing their skills and awareness. In settings of conflict where the young may be required to play an expanded role in their own protection and in the care of others, their personal development is especially important.

The aim of the paper is to equip researchers to most safely and profitably pursue participatory research with children and, to that end, this paper explores the specific conceptual, ethical and methodological issues concerned.

The non-government organisations'report on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in Tanzania

2006-07-04T08:09:00.000+01:00

The progress and level of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Tanzania

Published by: Consortium for Street Children (CSC) , 2005
Via: Eldis

This report discusses the progress and level of implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in Tanzania and how the whole process has and is affecting children and young people in both human and child rights. The report consist of eight clusters:

general measures of implementation
definition of a child
general principles
civil rights and freedoms
family environment and alternative care
basic health and welfare
education, leisure and cultural activities
special protection measures.

Listen, secret!: issues and research by children affected by HIV/AIDS in Xinjang and Yunnan, China

2006-07-04T07:32:00.000+01:00

HIV/AIDS and children in China

Published by: Save the Children Fund (SCF) , 2006
Via: Eldis

This report presents the findings of a research programme in two locations in China that are heavily affected by HIV/AIDS; Yining City in Yili Prefecture and Yingjiang County in Dehong Prefecture. This report from focuses on the main concerns of children in these areas: the definitions of children in difficulties, their difficulties and expectations, and particularly, the impact of HIV/AIDS upon children.

High HIV-prevalence in both areas stems from intravenous drug use, and their proximity to drug production areas in the `Golden Crescent’ and the `Golden Triangle’. These circumstances have tended to result in a focus on issues related to adults, with less attention paid to children, hence this research. Children are not a single, stereotypical group, and their circumstances, ideas and issues vary by location as well as age, gender and other aspects of human diversity.

Mkombozi Census 2005: a comparative analysis of Tanzania's most vulnerable children

2006-06-28T13:58:00.000+01:00

Overview of vulnerable children in Tanzania

By: McAlpine K
Published by: Mkombozi Centre , 2005
Via: Eldis

Since the early 1990s Tanzania has witnessed a visible increase in the number of children living and working on the street. This census was conducted as a follow-up to June 2003, and provides a comparative picture of how the situation of the most vulnerable children has altered over an 18 month period. It also looks at whether the efforts of Mkombozi’s projects in 4 target communities are having a positive impact in reducing the number of children coming to the streets from these areas

Child labour, gender inequality and rural/urban disparities

2006-06-28T13:46:00.000+01:00

How can Ethiopia's national development strategies be revised to address negative spill-over impacts on child education and well-being?

By: Woldehanna T, Tefera B, Jones N & Bayrau A
Published by: Young Lives , 2005
Via: Eldis

This paper examines the Ethiopian Government's emphasis on the intensification of agricultural activities in order to increase livelihood options and provide better safety nets for the poor (e.g. through food or cash-for-work programmes). The report explores the impact on child labour and child schooling of public policy interventions formulated within the PRSP, and looks at how changes are mediated through gender and rural/urban differences.

A costing analysis of community-based programs for children affected by HIV/AIDS: results from Zambia and Rwanda

2006-06-28T13:32:00.000+01:00

How to make sustainable community-based programmes for children affected by HIV/AIDS

By: Dougherty L, Forsythe S, Winfrey W, Buek K & Chatterji M
Published by: US Agency for International Development (USAID) , 2005
Via: Eldis

This paper analyses the programmatic costs of CARE Rwanda’s and Bwafwano Zambia’s two community-based programmes for children affected by HIV/AIDS in Rwanda and Zambia in order to provide information on the current costs of the two programmes. The paper also discusses additional costs related to scaling up the existing programmes and outlines issues relating to long-term sustainability of programmes for children affected by HIV/AIDS. The paper argues that estimating the costs associated with delivering services to orphans and children with chronically ill care givers can provide policymakers and programme managers with information essential for successfully managing programmes and ensuring programme sustainability. The paper outlines some points considered important when using costing analyses to inform programme expansion and sustainability.

Saving lives: children's right to HIV and AIDS treatment

2006-06-27T09:25:00.000+01:00

Call for action to protect and invest in children in the context of HIV and AIDS

Published by: Global Movement for Children , 2006
Via: Eldis

This report makes a call to action on the right of children to receive treatment for HIV and AIDS. It argues that the human rights of children are severely threatened by HIV and AIDS - stigma and discrimination, economic insecurity and growing burdens of care on families and communities all increase the vulnerability of children. Children also find themselves taking on care giver roles, losing their childhood under the burden of HIV and AIDS. The invisibility of HIV-positive children dramatically increases their vulnerability. The report therefore calls for coordinated action to be taken now to protect the rights of children infected with HIV and to invest in their future.