INTRODUCTION 1

INTRODUCTIONChild protection is a set of usually government run services designed to protect children andyoung people who are under age and to encourage family stability.Provincial or state governments’ child protection legislation empowers the governmentdepartment or agency to provide services in the area and to intervene in families where childabuse or other problems are suspected. The agency that manages these services has variousnames in different provinces and states, e.g, Department of Children’s Services, Children’s Aid,Department of Child and Family Services. There is some consistency in the nature of laws,though the application of laws varies across the country.1.0 ENCOUNTERED PROBLEMS1.1 CHILD LABOURDue to economical reasons, especially in poor countries, children are forced to work in order tosurvive. Child labour often happens in difficult conditions, which are dangerous and impair theeducation of the future citizens and increase vulnerability to adults. It is hard to know exactly theage and number of children who work. Atleast 150 million children under 5 years of age workedin 2004, but the figure is underestimated because domestic labour is not counted.1.2 ENDANGERMENT AND INFANTICIDEIn some countries, children can be imprisoned for common crimes. In some countries, like Iranor China, children can even be sentenced to capital punishment (the United States abandoned thepractice in 2005). In the context where military use of children is made, they also risk beingprisoners of war. Other children are forced to prostitution, exploited by adults for illegal traffic inchildren or endangered by poverty and hunger. Infanticide today continues at a much higher ratein areas of extremely high poverty and overpopulation, such as parts of China and India. Femaleinfants, then and even now, are particularly vulnerable, a factor in sex-selective infanticide.1.3 CHILD ABUSEMost children who come to the attention of child welfare system do so because of any of thefollowing situations, which are often collectively termed child abuse. Abuse means abuse ofpower, exercising a power for a purpose not intended. This includes willful neglect; knowinglynot exercising a power for the purpose it was intended. This is why child abuse is defined astaking advantage of a position of trust having been invested with powers.

 Physical abuse is physical assault or battery on a child. Whilst an assault has some adverse consequence that the victim did not agree to (the difference between surgery and stabbing) the victim agrees to consquences of battery but the agreement is fraudulent in some way (e.g unnecessary surgery under false pretences). Physical abuse also harassment, a physical presence intended to provoke fear. Child sexual abuse is sexual assault or battery on the child. The vast majority of physical assaults are a reaction to a situation involving a specific victim. Sexual assault is predominantly perpetrator gratification against any suitable target. Sexual abuse covers the range of direct and indirect assaults (e.g imagery) and the means of facilitation such as stalking and internet offences. Neglect including the failure to take adequate measures to safeguard a child from harm and gross negligence in providing for a child’s basic needs. Needs are the actions to be taken to protect and provide for the child. Safeguarding is a duty of a person given the powers of responsibility for the child to take the necessary measures to protect the child. If a child is physically or sexually abused then there is an (abusive) person responsible for the assault and (negligent) person responsible for failing to protect from the assault. In some cases they may be the same.  Psychological abuse when meeting the child’s needs by taking the necessary steps to protect and provide for the child the child’s wishes and feelings must be considered when deciding on delivery of the provision that best serves the child’s needs. Willfully failing to provide in accordance with the child’s wishes and feelings, whilst it is in his/her best interest is emotional abuse ( international infliction of emotional distress) or negligently is emotional neglect ( negligent infliction of emotional distress).

2.0 CHILD PROTECTION SYSTEM STRENGTHENINGOver the last decade, child mortality has significantly declined in Uganda from 175 per 1000births in 1990 to 99 per 1000 births in 2010. Yet, this rate remains remarkably high. Malnutritionis a significant public health problem in Uganda, particularly for young children; 38 percent ofchildren below the age of 5 are stunted and 16 percent are under weight. Children enter theprimary cycle unprepared: preprimary enrollment rates are very low and too many children lackthe necessary services to reach their potential in life.At its most fundamental, child protection system strengthening work means that leaders andpractitioners take a holistic view of interventions, and discern how an intervention aimed at oneelement of the system requires aligned interventions in other areas. This approach supportssuccess with the target intervention and strengthens other elements of the system at the sametime. It requires relationships between and among different elements to be accounted for as keyfactors in the change process. Done this approach in mind, the interventions are likely to be moreeffective and leverage scarce resources, and be more sustainable in the long run. It differs from a single-issue effort such as child sexual abuse, HIV/AIDS, institutionalization, and child labour. Rather, common policies and practices demonstrate good outcomes for all the children and families across all categories of vulnerability. This requires key stakeholders simultaneously to attend to the complex economic, social, demographic, political, environmental, and community contexts. Tools to define and guide child protection systems strategy development that are being utilized in Sub-Saharan Africa range from formal national strategies to informal strategy documents. These include;  National development plans. Some countries have embedded child protection strengthening strategies within broader national strategy and planning documents, for example within the National Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).  Formal strategies, policies and plans of action. This requires national stakeholders to organize a strategy development step separately.  Other programmatic and policy tools. Finally, some countries use UNICEF Country Programme of Cooperation Agreements and other agency-specific agreements as interim tools for starting a commitment to systems strengthening e.g Mozambique articulated its child protection systems strategy in a joint UNICEF/Government visioning statement.

2.1 EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT (ECD)The SABER-ECD framework presents a holistic and integrated assessment of how the overallpolicy environment in a country affects young children’s development. This assessment can beused to identify how countries address the same policy challenges related to ECD, with theultimate goal of designing effective policies for young children and their families.Table 1Snapshot of ECD Uganda Ethiopia Kenya Tanzaniaindicators in Uganda withregional comparison 63 68 55 50 99 106 85 76Infant mortality(deaths 38% 51% 35% 42%per 1,000 live births)Under 5 Mortality(deaths 12% 4% 51% 33%per 1,000 live births)Children below 5 with 42% 6% 44% 49%moderate/severe 21% 7% 60% 16%stunting(2006-10)Gross PreprimaryEnrollment Rate (36-59months, 2007-2010)Births attended by askilled attendantBirth registration 2000-2010Table 2: A checklist to consider how well ECD is promoted at the country level.What should be in place at the country level to promote coordinated and integrated ECD interventions foryoung children and their families?Health care  Standard health screenings for pregnant women  Skilled attendants at delivery  Childhood immunizations  Well-child visitsNutrition  Breast feeding promotion  Salt iodization  Iron fortificationEarly Learning  Parenting programs (during pregnancy, after delivery and throughout early childhood)  Childcare for working parents (of high quality)  Free primary school (preferable atleast two years with developmentally appropriate curriculum and classrooms and quality assurance mechanisms)Social Protection  Services for orphans and vulnerable children

 Policies to protect rights of children with special needs and promote their participation and asssesss to the ECD services.  Financial transfer mechanism or income supports to reach the most vulnerable families (include cash transfers, social welfare, etc )Child protection  Mandated birth registration  Job protection and breast feeding breaks for new mothers  Specific provisions in judicial system for young children  Guaranteed paid parental leave of atleast 6 months  Domestic violence laws and enforcement  Tracking of child abuse (especially for young children)  Training for law enforcement officers in regards to the particular needs of young children)3.0 CONCLUSION Several reasons account for the unsatisfactory progress towards the global goals for social development, and many are country-specific. But one reason stands out: most countries under estimate in basic social services. In addition, goals are frequently pursued through a sectoral approach that fails to exploit the complementarities and synergies that characterize the basic social services.

REFERENCES Strengthening Child Protection Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (A Working Paper) prepared by Training Resources Group and Play Therapy Africa. August 2002 Wikipedia Absorbing social shocks, protecting children and reducing poverty (role of basic and social services) by Jan Vandemoortele. UNICEF, New York USA Uganda Early Childhood Development SABER Country Report 2012