'I went there in an effort to help the child, but you can see there is corruption in the world': Adults' conceptualisations and enactments of child protection in schools in a challenging context

Schools have the potential to be sites of support for vulnerable children, but can also be sites of violence perpetration. In this qualitative study we explore how adult school stakeholders in and around two public Catholic primary schools in Zimbabwe conceptualise and enact child protection. We analysed our findings in light of the protracted economic crisis in Zimbabwe;the current policy context for child protection;and the Covid-19 pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 adult education stakeholders in and around one rural and one urban school in the Harare Archdiocese, from October 2020 to January 2021. This comprised 12 school-level stakeholders, including teachers (N = 4), parents (N = 4), school priests (N = 2), and headteachers (N = 2), who were the main focus of this study, and a further 6 high-level education actors. We employed thematic analysis. Adults in this study placed considerable responsibility on children to protect themselves, with often unreasonably high expectations of children's capacity to prevent abuse. At times they also blamed and stigmatised children, which was gendered, and particularly emerged around adolescent sexuality. Our findings suggest that this was linked to social norms around discipline, protection and gender, but in particular, the way these emerged in relation to the challenges of the context. Policy and interventions to promote child protection in schools in Zimbabwe should incorporate both an attention to the challenges teachers face in contexts of adversity, as well as address a tendency for adult school stakeholders to hold children responsible for their own protection. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)

'I went there in an effort to help the child, but you can see there is corruption in the world': Adults' conceptualisations and enactments of child protection in schools in a challenging context.

Schools have the potential to be sites of support for vulnerable children, but can also be sites of violence perpetration. In this qualitative study we explore how adult school stakeholders in and around two public Catholic primary schools in Zimbabwe conceptualise and enact child protection. We analysed our findings in light of the protracted economic crisis in Zimbabwe; the current policy context for child protection; and the Covid-19 pandemic. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 adult education stakeholders in and around one rural and one urban school in the Harare Archdiocese, from October 2020 to January 2021. This comprised 12 school-level stakeholders, including teachers (N = 4), parents (N = 4), school priests (N = 2), and headteachers (N = 2), who were the main focus of this study, and a further 6 high-level education actors. We employed thematic analysis. Adults in this study placed considerable responsibility on children to protect themselves, with often unreasonably high expectations of children's capacity to prevent abuse. At times they also blamed and stigmatised children, which was gendered, and particularly emerged around adolescent sexuality. Our findings suggest that this was linked to social norms around discipline, protection and gender, but in particular, the way these emerged in relation to the challenges of the context. Policy and interventions to promote child protection in schools in Zimbabwe should incorporate both an attention to the challenges teachers face in contexts of adversity, as well as address a tendency for adult school stakeholders to hold children responsible for their own protection.

Violence against children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected children's risk of violence in their homes, communities and online, and has compromised the ability of child protection systems to promptly detect and respond to cases of violence. However, the need to strengthen violence prevention and response services has received insufficient attention in national and global pandemic response and mitigation strategies. In this paper, we summarize the growing body of evidence on the links between the pandemic and violence against children. Drawing on the World Health Organization's INSPIRE framework to end violence against children, we illustrate how the pandemic is affecting prevention and response efforts. For each of the seven INSPIRE strategies we identify how responses to the pandemic have changed children's risk of violence. We offer ideas for how governments, policy-makers, and international and civil society organizations can address violence in the context of a protracted COVID-19 crisis. We conclude by highlighting how the current pandemic offers opportunities to improve existing child protection systems to address violence against children. We suggest enhanced multisectoral coordination across the health, education, law enforcement, housing, child and social protection sectors. Actions need to prioritize the primary prevention of violence and promote the central role of children and adolescents in decision-making and programme design processes. Finally, we stress the continued need for better data and evidence to inform violence prevention and response strategies that can be effective during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

La pandémie de maladie à coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) a eu un impact sur le risque de violence à l'égard des enfants à domicile, au sein de leur communauté et en ligne. Elle a également empêché les systèmes de protection de l'enfance d'identifier rapidement les situations de ce type et d'y réagir dès que possible. Pourtant, la nécessité de renforcer les services de prévention et d'action en la matière n'a pas été suffisamment prise en compte dans les stratégies nationales et internationales d'intervention et d'atténuation des effets de la pandémie. Le présent document reprend l'accumulation de preuves confirmant les liens entre pandémie et violence à l'égard des enfants. En nous inspirant du cadre INSPIRE de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé visant à mettre fin à la violence à l'encontre des enfants, nous illustrons la façon dont la pandémie affecte les efforts de prévention et d'action. Pour chacune des sept stratégies INSPIRE, nous déterminons comment les mesures de lutte contre la pandémie ont influencé le risque de violence envers les enfants. Nous formulons des pistes pour que les gouvernements, les législateurs, les institutions internationales et les organisations de la société civile puissent remédier à cette violence dans un contexte de crise prolongée due à la COVID-19. En guise de conclusion, nous mettons en lumière les opportunités qu'offre la pandémie actuelle d'améliorer les systèmes existants de protection de l'enfance pour mieux combattre la violence envers les enfants. Nous suggérons d'accroître la collaboration entre les secteurs de la santé, de l'éducation, du maintien de l'ordre, du logement, des droits de l'enfant et de la protection sociale. Les actions entreprises doivent se focaliser sur la prévention primaire de la violence et promouvoir le rôle central des enfants et adolescents dans les processus de conception de programmes et de prise de décisions. Enfin, nous soulignons le besoin permanent de données et de preuves fiables pour orienter les stratégies de prévention et d'intervention face à la violence, afin de garantir leur efficacité pendant et après la pandémie de COVID-19.

La pandemia de la enfermedad por coronavirus (COVID-19) ha afectado al riesgo de violencia infantil que sufren los niños en sus hogares, comunidades y en línea, y ha puesto en peligro la capacidad de los sistemas de protección infantil para detectar y responder rápidamente a los casos de violencia. Sin embargo, la necesidad de reforzar los servicios de prevención y respuesta a la violencia no ha recibido suficiente atención en las estrategias nacionales y mundiales de respuesta y mitigación de la pandemia. En este documento, resumimos el creciente conjunto de pruebas sobre los vínculos entre la pandemia y la violencia infantil. Basándonos en el marco INSPIRE de la Organización Mundial de la Salud para poner fin a la violencia infantil, ilustramos cómo la pandemia está afectando a los esfuerzos de prevención y respuesta. Para cada una de las siete estrategias de INSPIRE, identificamos cómo las respuestas a la pandemia han cambiado el riesgo de violencia infantil. Ofrecemos ideas sobre cómo los gobiernos, los responsables políticos y las organizaciones internacionales y de la sociedad civil pueden abordar la violencia en el contexto de una crisis prolongada de COVID-19. Concluimos destacando cómo la pandemia actual ofrece oportunidades para mejorar los sistemas de protección infantil existentes para abordar este tipo de violencia. Sugerimos una mayor coordinación multisectorial en los sectores de la salud, la educación, la aplicación de la ley, la vivienda y la protección social infantil. Las acciones deben priorizar la prevención primaria de la violencia y promover el papel central de los niños y adolescentes en los procesos de toma de decisiones y en el diseño de programas. Por último, subrayamos la necesidad permanente de contar con mejores datos y pruebas para fundamentar las estrategias de prevención y respuesta a la violencia que puedan ser eficaces durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y seguir vigentes cuando ésta pase.

Modelling the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on violent discipline against children.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic could increase violence against children at home. However, collecting empirical data on violence is challenging due to ethical, safety, and data quality concerns. OBJECTIVE: This study estimated the anticipated effect of COVID-19 on violent discipline at home using multivariable predictive regression models. PARTICIPANTS: Children aged 1-14 years and household members from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) conducted in Nigeria, Mongolia, and Suriname before the COVID-19 pandemic were included. METHODS: A conceptual model of how the COVID-19 pandemic could affect risk factors for violent discipline was developed. Country specific multivariable linear models were used to estimate the association between selected variables from MICS and a violent discipline score which captured the average combination of violent disciplinary methods used in the home. A review of the literature informed the development of quantitative assumptions about how COVID-19 would impact the selected variables under a "high restrictions" pandemic scenario, approximating conditions expected during a period of intense response measures, and a "lower restrictions" scenario with easing of COVID-19 restrictions but with sustained economic impacts. These assumptions were used to estimate changes in violent discipline scores. RESULTS: Under a "high restrictions" scenario there would be a 35%-46% increase in violent discipline scores in Nigeria, Mongolia and Suriname, and under a "lower restrictions" scenario there would be between a 4%-6% increase in violent discipline scores in these countries. CONCLUSION: Policy makers need to plan for increases in violent discipline during successive waves of lockdowns.