Strengthening Child Protection Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Call to Action

CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEMS IN AFRICA

Child Protection

• Child protection seeks to guarantee the right of all children to a life free from violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect in both emergency and non-emergency settings

Systems • The best way to achieve that right

Actors• Children and youth, families,

communities, government, civil society, and private organisations

INTRODUCTION: GLOBAL AND REGIONAL CONTEXT

• Significant changes in how the global community is approaching child protection

• Higher income countries– increasing focus on cost-effective early intervention, prevention and family support

• Middle and low-income countries – moving from single issue approaches to a comprehensive systems strengthening approach

• Partners in West & Central Africa start a group to discuss the mapping of child protection systems in their region. They are later joined by partners in East & Southern Africa for the preparation of the conference. Progressively, it is hoped the group is joined by North African partners in order to establish a Pan-African mouvement

High prevalence rates of violence, exploitation and

abuse across the continent

This is correlated with poor physical and mental health,

including HIV-incidence, and lower educational

participation and performance

Investments in child protection can accordingly strengthen human capital

and increase national income over the medium

to long term – protection is not solely a ‘rights’ issue.

IMPORTANCE OF CHILD PROTECTION

Projects – focus on a narrow activities

Focus on categories of

children – vertical

approaches

Focus on services/case

management for individual children

Short term planning – 1-2 year project

cycles

Duplication, Waste, Missed Opportunities

Programmes – coordinated

activities with a more coherent, ambitious vision

Focus on all vulnerable

children – not just categories –

move toward horizontal

programming

Family-centred approach -

strengthening families and

communities

Long term planning – 5 to 10 year vision

Coordination, Efficient and

Effective use of limited

resources

THE SYSTEMS APPROACH

WHERE WE ARE HEADING…WHERE WE ARE COMING FROM…

1999: African Charter on the

Rights and Welfare of the

Child

2006: African Youth Charter; UN Secretary

General’s Study on Violence

Against Children

2008: UNICEF’s Global Child Protection

Strategy

2009: Countries in sub-Saharan Africa launched

processes to map and

understand the systems in place and decide on key priorities

for action

2010: Chapin Hall Paper –

Described key elements that every system –

including a child protection

system - should have

2012: Dakar Conference – to

reinforce, support and

sustain national efforts to

improve the impact of child

protection systems on

children

2012: Delhi Conference – A better way to

protect all children

2013: Joint Statement

meetings and preparation

KEY EVENTS AND DOCUMENTS

WHY A JOINT INTER-AGENCY STATEMENT?

(i) To present our common understanding of child protection systems in sub-Saharan Africa and why they are important and worthy of investment

(ii) To issue a call to action to governments, the African Union, regional economic communities, multilateral agencies, donors, the private sector, academia, civil society organisations, communities and organised children’s and youth groups.

Children

THE ACTORS

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ELEMENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM

i. Appropriate policies, legislation and regulationsii. Well-defined structures and functions and adequate

capacitiesiii. Supportive social normsiv. Effective promotion, prevention and response actionsv. High quality evidence and data for decision-makingvi. Efficient fiscal management and sufficient resource

allocation.

When these elements and actors work together, they create a system that is better able to protect all children.

The systems approach to child protection

acknowledges that children face complex problems that require a multi-disciplinary

response.

A single child might suffer from severe

neglect, exploitation, family separation, and

sexual violence.

Exposure to multiple risks can greatly

increase the likelihood of harm to the

individual child.

WORKING SYSTEMICALLY IN AFRICA

Mapping the system – nearly half the countries

have completed or launched exercises to map

and assess their system

Developing national policies and coordination mechanisms

Including protection in national budgets and

medium term expenditure frameworks

Integrated Service Models at the decentralized level –

that rely heavily on community-based child protection mechanisms

Social Service Workforce

Strengthening

Monitoring and Evaluation – VAC

prevalence studies

SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING IN AFRICA

Fatou’s father left her mother when she was six. …………..

HOW DOES THE SYSTEMS APPROACH MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO CHILDREN?

At each step along the way, a strong child protection system can make a difference

HOW DOES A SYSTEMS APPROACH MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO CHILDREN?

• Fatou’s father left her mother when she was six. Her mother could no longer cope so she was sent to live with her Uncle in the city• Her Uncle’s friend came round a lot to visit. He soon started buying

Fatou gifts and began to abuse her repeatedly• She kept silent as she felt scared and did not know who to tell• Many months later, her Aunt discovered what was happening and

immediately took Fatou to the hospital• She received some treatment for the bleeding, but the Aunt told her

not to say anything as this would bring shame on the family• Although her Uncle’s friend did not come round anymore, Fatou

found it difficult to concentrate in school

• If the local social services were aware that Fatou’s mother was struggling financially, they could have provided a cash grant to help the family and prevent the initial separation• If teachers at Fatou’s school had been trained in child

protection, they might have noticed her changing behaviour in class and referred the case to the local child protection team• If Fatou’s Aunt had heard on the radio a broadcast on what

to do if she knew someone who was being abused, she might have call the free Helpline•And if the health worker who assessed Fatou was part of an

integrated services board in his town, he may have reported the case to the police and ensured the perpetrator was put in prison

1.continued and expanded collaboration on child protection systems strengthening among all civil society actors (organisations, communities and their leaders, families, young people and children) to ensure that their efforts reinforce each other and are enriched by the sharing of resources and experience;

2. more systematic and sustained efforts to monitor and evaluate civil society involvement in child protection systems strengthening, providing feedback on successful approaches to all partners in the system;

CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANISATION

WE CALL FOR:

3. further development of the role of civil society as the essential link in child protection systems strengthening between formal and less formal elements, providing the formal actors with knowledge and understanding of the communitylevel while building capacity of the civil societyactors; and

4. strengthening and reinforcement by traditional and faith leaders and local representatives of community values, norms and practices that protect children, and advocacy for the transformation of those practices that put children at risk.

WE CALL FOR:

THANKS

MUCHAS GRACIAS

MERCI