Protecting Africa's Children

This issue of The Soul Beat looks at how communication can contribute to the protection and welfare of Africa's children. This edition includes a range of project descriptions, strategic thinking documents and resource materials that look at how radio, theatre, information and communication technologies (ICTs), photography, and comics can enhance children's wellbeing with particular reference to children in conflict situations and street children.

If you would like your organisation's communication work or research and resource documents to be featured on the Soul Beat Africa website and in The Soul Beat newsletters, please contact the Editor - Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com

VIOLENCE AGAINST CHILDREN

1. Violence Against Children: The Voices of Ugandan Children and Adults Raising Voices

2005

This document examines the views of children and adults on child violence. Children were asked about their experiences of violence used against them: how the violence manifests, how often it occurs, who commits it, how it makes them feel, how they react, and what they believe should be done to prevent it. Adults were asked about their perspective of violence against children: how they understand the term "violence against children," how adults in their communities punish children, how they themselves punish children, how they rationalise the types of punishment they use, and what they believe should be done to prevent violence against children.

Contact Dipak Naker info@raisingvoices.org

2. Women for Children - South Africa

This is an advocacy project carried out by South African women artists and poets in an effort to promote children's rights. The project was organised by Art for Humanity (AFH), an organisation that uses visual arts to stimulate human rights awareness regionally and globally. The goal is to draw on the artistic voices of women to inspire a sense of "moral ownership" and social responsibility towards the rights and welfare of children.

Contact Jan Jordaan janj@dut.ac.za OR afh@dut.ac.za

3. Children's Visions and Voices: Rights and Realities in South Africa - South Africa


This project involves photography by children in South Africa representing their view of situations in which they feel their rights are being threatened or violated. The Children's Rights Centre's documentary researcher Alex Fattal asked children to document their lives through photography, and used the pictures as the basis for oral histories. The material was synthesised in an exhibition titled "Children's Visions and Voices: Rights and Realities in South Africa" which has travelled throughout South Africa.

Contact Alex Fattal info@crc-sa.co.za OR alex@ajaproject.org

4. Violence Against Children: Has it happened to you?

A Comic Booklet

This illustrated booklet, published by Raising Voices - a Uganda-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) working to prevent violence against women and children - uses simple language and colourful pictures to tell four stories of abuse. The stories cover physical abuse, emotional abuse as well as sexual abuse in a school setting with each story highlighting different ways of solving the problem and obtaining support. The booklet emphasises that children are not to blame for violence against them and suggests ways that children can take action to prevent violence.

5. Make Abuse Disappear Online Accountability Tool (MAD OAT) - South Africa

This is a child-centred project that aims to raise awareness and improve the representation of child abuse in the South African media. The project, run by the Media Monitoring Project (MMP), uses a website application to alert members of the MAD OAT network to media reporting that infringes on children's rights. MAD OAT members then submit their responses, which are sent to the media and self-regulatory bodies. In addition instances of best practice are highlighted and commented on by MAD OAT members.

Sandra Roberts sandrar@mediamonitoring.org.za

6. African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN)

ANPPCAN is a Pan-African child rights organisation concerned with the status of children in general and in particular those in need of protection.

7. Children in Need Network (CHIN)

CHIN is a network of NGOs, community-based organisations and government departments working with orphans and children in need in Zambia. CHIN provides a range of services that are designed to support functions of member organisation in the delivery of services to children and the community.

8.Children's Rights Centre (CRC)

CRC is a non-profit organisation aiming to establish human rights for children through civil society capacity-building, networking and information services in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa.

STREET CHILDREN

9. What Future? - Street Children in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Human Rights Watch

April 2006

According to this report, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has failed to meet its obligations to protect street children from abuses committed by its own police and the military forces. Of particular concern is the deliberate and opportunistic recruitment of street children to participate in political demonstrations with the intention of provoking public disorder, events in which many street children are killed or wounded. In the run up to national elections in 2006, this report looked at the need to protect street children from political manipulation as well as the need for a post election government to comprehensively address the many other abuses committed against street children.

10. Mapenzi Tamu (Sweet Love) - Kenya

Featuring a cast of former street children from the Dagoretti Child in Need Project in Kenya, Mapenzi Tamu is a theatrical production that aims to give street children a voice and at the same time raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and tackle stigma. According to the organisers, stigma continues to be a significant hurdle to HIV prevention and care of people living with HIV/AIDS in the country. The production also aims to break stereotypes often associated with street children as well as raise awareness about HIV/AIDS issues related to them.

Contact Marsden Momanyi marsdenm@amrefhq.org OR Bob Kioko bobk@amrefhq.org

11. Street Children's Campaign Partnership - Senegal

Established by the African Development Bank's Country Office in Senegal, the Street Children's Campaign Partnership hopes to improve the lives of street children in Senegal, many of them victims of child trafficking, by rehabilitating them and reuniting them with their families. Currently in the pilot phase, the project aims to raise public awareness through the media as well as work with children to create public service announcements and creative activities intended to reach vulnerable children.

Contact Helene Pieume Matam Hpieume@worldbank.org

12. Street Children and HIV & AIDS: Methodological Guide for Facilitators

This training guide focuses on street children, their risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, and the prevention of risky behaviours. Written by field practitioners and experts on guidance and counselling of youth in West Africa, it aims to be a training tool to assist facilitators in the field.

CHILDREN AND WAR

13. iEARN's Child Soldier Project - Sierra Leone

This initiative uses the internet to give a voice to children affected by war. The premise is that child soldiers in Sierra Leone, who are being disarmed, need help reintegrating into society and iEARN's solution is to give these young combatants the opportunity to express themselves creatively by telling their stories. In short, ICT is used as a means to expose the human rights abuses associated with child warfare, and to advocate for the cessation of the practice. The website also works to facilitate collaboration across continents, allowing the children to connect with peers around the world who have had similar experiences as well as bring international attention to the plight of the children of Sierra Leone.

Contact Andrew Benson Greene andrewgreene_c21st@iearnsierraleone.org OR Bill Belsey bill@iearn-canada.org

14. Duty To Protect - Justice for Child Soldiers in the DRC - Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

This is a documentary produced by Association des Jeunes pour le Développement Intégré Kalundu/ Projet Enfants Soldats (AJEDI-Ka/PES) and WITNESS, an organisation using the power of video to expose human rights abuses. The film, which shares the experience of two girls who were recruited into the military and suffered violence and sexual exploitation, is meant to be a tool to advocate for accountability for crimes committed against children, including the use and recruitment of child soldiers. It is also being used to advocate for an end to the lawlessness that exists in Eastern DRC. The video is directed toward the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is mandated to investigate and prosecute war criminals in the DRC, as well as toward decision makers in the United States and in the international community.

Contact Matisse Bustos matisse@witness.org OR info@ajedika.org

15. Through the Eyes of Children: The Rwanda Project - Rwanda

This is a photography project that involves children orphaned by the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The children, ranging in ages from 8 to 18 and hailing from the Imbabazi Orphanage, were given disposable cameras and guided to use these tools to photograph themselves and their community. The goal of the project was to share with the world the perspective of the children, to demonstrate to participating children that their vision is meaningful, and to provide an opportunity to reflect on the tragedy of the genocide.

Contact Jenifer Howard OR Joanne McKinney info@rwandaproject.org

16. Sisi Watoto (We, the Children) - Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

This weekly radio programme, produced by a team of young reporters aged between 15 and 17, is intended for war-affected youth and child soldiers in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The radio show aims to increase awareness of the plight of child soldiers and help find solutions to the violence and social problems afflicting young people and their communities. The radio team includes children from two Congolese ethnic groups, the Tutsi and the Banyamulenge.

Contact Bernardin Sebahire bsebahire@yahoo.fr OR lenas@lantic.net

EVENT

17. The First International Conference on Child Sexual Abuse in Africa (Sept 24-26 2007) Nairobi, Kenya

This conference, organised by African Network for the Prevention and Protection Against Child Abuse and Neglect (ANPPCAN), carried the theme "Enhancing knowledge through Research, Practice and Partnership to Protect Children against Sexual Abuse”. The conference aims to advance knowledge regarding the various types of sexual abuse and their complexity in the cultural settings of Africa.

***

The Soul Beat seeks to cover the full range of communication for development activities. Inclusion of an item does not imply endorsement or support by The Partners.

Please send material for The Soul Beat to the Editor - Anja Venth aventh@comminit.com