Child Protection Initiative
May 2013
Save the Children’s
Child Protection Strategy
2013-2015
Making the world a safe place for children
Opening message
1. Executive summary and introduction
2. The magnitude of the problem, trends, progress and challenges
3. Save the Children’s child protection priority areas
3.1 Children without appropriate care
3.2. Child protection in emergencies
3.3 Physical and humiliating punishment
3.4. Children and Work
4. Child Protection Breakthrough
5. Approaches
5.1 Theory of Change
5.2 Systems approach
6. Advocacy objectives to be achieved by 2015
7. Measuring impact
8. Fundraising
9. The role of the Child Protection Initiative
Annex 1: Key Child Protection definitions
Annex 2: Save the Children’s Overall Global Strategy 2010-2015
Annex 3: Child Protection Breakthrough Results Framework
Annex 4: Key components of the Theory of Change
Annex 5: References
Notes
Contents
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Cover images:
Top left: © Brent Stirton
Top right: © Michael Bisceglie
Bottom left: © Aubrey Wade
Bottom right: © Michael Bisceglie
Contents page: © Joanne Offer, Save the Children.
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
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Save the Children makes a
difference to millions of children’s
lives around the world through its
child protection work. We believe
that all children have the right to
be protected from abuse, neglect,
violence and exploitation so that
they can survive, learn, participate,
play and develop.
We have a very ambitious goal:
By 2015, we aim to have improved
the lives of 21 million children
through preventive and remedial
child protection measures and to
have invested US$ 250 million to
support child protection
programmes. In 2012, we reached
over 23 million children and
30.7 million adults, and Save the
Children members invested over
US$151 million to support child
protection programmes. We will
continue our work to dramatically
improve the quality and increase
the scale of our child protection
programmes, through capacitybuilding,
advocacy, interagency
collaboration, and resource
mobilisation.
This paper sets out our child
protection strategy for 2013-2015.
It explains our priorities and how
we will measure success. The
strategy also includes our child
protection breakthrough: “All
children are cared for in a safe
family environment and no
child is placed in harmful
institutions.”
Despite Save the Children’s strong
child protection work and that of
many other committed
organisations, children all over the
world continue to experience
abuse, neglect, violence and
exploitation every day, and grave
violations of their rights continue
to be witnessed. This cannot be
justified and needs to be stopped
now.
I call on everyone – all of Save the
Children’s members and country
offices – to take action and to
engage and invest in child
protection so that we fulfil our
ambition to end all forms of
violence against children. But we
cannot achieve this alone.
Partnerships with civil society
organisations, governments, United
Nations agencies and children are
crucial to making this happen.
Together we can make the world
safe for children.
Elisabeth Dahlin, Secretary General,
Save the Children Sweden
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
3
Opening message
© Sebastian Rich, Save the Children.
4
© Luca Kleve-Ruud - Magnum for Save the Children.
1. Executive summary and introduction
Child protection deserves to be a priority – Children experience abuse,
neglect, violence and exploitation1 in all the countries where Save the
Children works. Millions of children are affected and even more are at risk.
Child protection is therefore a key priority for Save the Children’s
domestic and international programmes, in both development and
humanitarian contexts. We are the key independent child protection actor
globally, with long experience of working in partnership with civil society
organisations, child-led initiatives, governments and other key actors to stop all
forms of violence against children.
“No violence against children is justifiable and
all violence against children is preventable.”
Professor Paulo Pinheiro, Independent Expert for the UN Study on Violence against Children (2006)2
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Child protection failures affect progress in all
sectors’ – Protecting children from violence, abuse,
exploitation and neglect is essential for them to
enjoy their rights to survival, development and
participation. Many children drop out of school
because of the protection issues they face and
young girls die because of early marriage and other
harmful practices. Every failure to protect children
has negative effects that continue into their adult
life – and also holds back a country’s national
development. By contrast, where children are
protected, their health, education and well-being
are improved as well as their ability to contribute
to society as future citizens.
In all contexts – Save the Children is a “dual
mandate” organisation that delivers for children
in both development and emergency contexts.
Humanitarian crises make children even more
vulnerable. Therefore, our work addresses the
immediate and long-term child protection
consequences of emergencies. We are also giving
increasing attention to urbanisation, as safety
nets are often weakened as a consequence of
urban growth.
Our priority areas – Save the Children’s four child
protection priority areas for the period 2010-2015
are:
• Children Without Appropriate Care
• Child Protection in Emergencies
• Physical and Humiliating Punishment
• Children and Work
The focus of each priority area, including goals and
objectives, are described below and in Section 3.
See also the key definitions in Annex 1.
Save the Children defines
‘child protection’ as a set of measures
and structures to prevent and respond
to abuse, neglect, violence and
exploitation affecting children.
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Table 1 summarises the key child protection objectives that we aim to achieve by 2015. These objectives
guide our members and country offices.
“All children thrive in a safe family environment
and no child is placed in harmful institutions.”
Vision
Overall goal
Children Without
Appropriate Care
Child Protection
in Emergencies
Physical and
Humiliating Punishment
Children and Work
Breakthrough
All children are protected from abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation
The lives of 21 million children will be improved through preventative
and remedial child protection efforts in 2015
By 2015, 4.6 million children4 without appropriate care, and their
families, including children affected by HIV and AIDS and those on the
move, will benefit from good-quality preventive and/or remedial
interventions within an improved child protection system
By 2015, 3.7 million children5 affected by armed conflict and disaster will
be protected from abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence through
preventive and remedial interventions based on the Minimum Standards
for Child Protection in Humanitarian Response6
By 2015, 9.2 million children7 will be protected from physical and
humiliating punishment in all settings
By 2015, 3.5 million children8 children will benefit from services that will
enable them to fulfil their rights
All children thrive in a safe family environment and no child is placed in
harmful institutions
Table 1: Overview of key child protection goals to be achieved by 2015
Every child deserves a life free from abuse, neglect,
violence and exploitation. Experience has shown
that this happens most often when the child is
loved and cared for in a safe family environment.
Because of this, Save the Children has adopted a
specific child protection breakthrough within its
four priorities:3
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Our approach – Save the Children’s approach is
based on every child’s right to be protected and
cared for, ideally by their own family or in a familylike
environment. We are strengthening
community-based and national child protection
systems and we are working in partnership with
governments and civil society actors. We promote
the ethical and meaningful participation of children
in all stages of our programming and we are
addressing discrimination and poverty to reach the
most vulnerable children. Changes in legislation,
policies, services and social norms – and increased
investment in child protection – are necessary to
prevent and respond to all forms of violence.
Save the Children is guided by the UN Convention
on the Rights of the Child, by other international
instruments and by our own Theory of Change.
The Theory of Change provides overall strategic
guidance to our programmes to develop and test
evidence-based solutions with a view to scaling
them up through advocacy and partnership. We are
putting increasing emphasis on creating a strong
evidence base by strengthening monitoring,
evaluation and learning.
Safeguarding – Save the Children aims to be a
child-safe organisation. This means we will do all
that we can to ensure that children (and their
families) we work with are free from any form
of abuse or exploitation. We do everything we
can to ensure that our programme design and
implementation is safe for children.
Anyone representing our organisation will at all
times adhere to the highest standards of behaviour
towards children and their families. Wherever there
are concerns regarding our own representatives,
they will be investigated honestly and fairly with due
regard to internal disciplinary procedures and
national legal procedures. Procedures are also in
place to protect any children whose rights have
been violated.
Responsibility for the implementation of the
safeguarding policy lies with Save the Children
International’s Human Resource Department.
However, all staff members within the organisation
are responsible for ensuring that we do no harm
and that our child protection programmes do not
put children at risk. For further details please see
Save the Children’s Child Safeguarding Policy
here.
Child protection strategy – This strategy sets out
the changes that Save the Children expects to see
in the protection of children by 2015. Our child
protection strategy 2013-2015 articulates the main
targets and aims we expect to achieve.9 It will be
successfully achieved only through the joint efforts
of all sections of the organisation.
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
© Per-Anders Pettersson - Getty Images for Save the Children
2. The magnitude of the problem, trends,
progress and challenges
“Children have suffered violence at the hands of adults unseen and
unheard for centuries. But now that the scale and impact of violence is
becoming visible, they cannot be kept waiting any longer for the effective
protection to which they have an unqualified right.”
From the UN Study on Violence against Children10
8
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Abuse, neglect violence and exploitation are
serious human rights violations that occur in
all parts of the world. This includes within the
home, in schools, in institutions, at work, in the
community, in armed conflicts and in natural
disasters. Exposure in one setting may be
compounded by violence in another. Violence
against children is increasingly linked across
countries and regions, through child trafficking,
child abusive images, unsafe migration, and the
increasing frequency of migration due to climaterelated
disasters.
The full scale of violence is unknown, as much
of it goes unreported because of shame, fear or
inadequate reporting mechanisms. Some of the
violence against children remains legal, state
authorised and/or socially approved. The figures
in the box give an indication of the enormous
magnitude of the global child protection crisis –
although the specific nature of child protection
issues can differ between the developed and
developing world, the fundamentals are the same.
• It is estimated that 150 million girls and
73 million boys worldwide are raped or
subjected to other forms of sexual violence
each year.11
• Since 1990, an estimated 90% of those
killed in conflicts around the world have
been civilians, and 80% of those have been
women and children.12
• In at least 13 countries, children are being
recruited into armed forces and groups.13
• It is estimated that between 100 and 140
million girls and women in the world have
undergone some form of female genital
mutilation.14
• Among young women aged 15-24, 48%
were married before the age of 18 in
South Asia (9.7 million girls), 42% in Africa,
and 29% in Latin America and the
Caribbean.15
• Some 17,700 asylum applications were
lodged by unaccompanied or separated
children in 69 countries in 2011, mostly by
Afghan and Somali children.
• It is estimated that over 145 million
children have lost one or both parents.16
Over 8 million children without
appropriate care around the world live in
residential care facilities.17
• Around the world, 115 million children –
74 million boys and 41 million girls – are
involved in the worst forms of child
labour.18
• Three out of four children experience
violent discipline at home.19
• 16.6 million children have lost one or both
parents due to HIV and AIDS and have
important care needs: 90% of those
children live in sub-Saharan Africa.20
Fact box: The global child protection crisis
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Both the long- and short-term repercussions of
violence can be devastating. Exposure to violence
in early childhood can affect the maturing brain.
Children’s prolonged exposure to various forms of
violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect – either as
victims or witnesses – can disrupt nervous and
immune systems and lead to social, emotional and
cognitive impairments, as well as risky behaviour,
including substance abuse and early sexual activity.
Violence against children has a devastating effect,
not only on the development of the child, but also
on the development of societies, and has enormous
economic and social costs. Studies in Australia,
New Zealand and the USA have calculated the
financial costs of child abuse and neglect for these
societies.21 Over 1 million children are affected
every year in the USA, costing an estimated
US$220 million per day.22 Child abuse and neglect
costs New Zealand around US$1.7 billion each
year, representing over 1% of gross domestic
product.23 In 2007 in Australia, an estimated
177,000 children under the age of 18 were victims
of abuse or neglect, costing the country between
US$10.7 billion and US$30.1 billion that year.24
Data from some countries where data is available
shows that girls are now getting married at a later
age, and that the rates of the worst forms of child
labour and female genital mutilation/cutting are
declining.
Less than two decades ago, international agencies
and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were
only beginning to integrate child protection into
their interventions. Today, most interventions in
both humanitarian and development contexts
include child protection components.
Despite some remarkable developments, overall
progress has been too limited and too slow – partly
because the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) framework failed to address children’s
protection and wider human security issues.27
Contrary to the Millennium Declaration – which
recognised the human rights dimension of
development and the importance of protecting
children from conflict, violence, abuse and
exploitation – the MDGs do not include a goal of
protecting adults and children. This has resulted in a
lack of donor and government attention, and has
sent a signal to the international community that
child protection is not a priority. Save the Children
is, therefore, advocating for the post-2015 MDG
framework to include child protection.
In order to advance the goal of protecting
children during armed conflict and ending the
impunity enjoyed by perpetrators, the UN
Security Council established a Monitoring and
Reporting Mechanism to systematically
monitor, document and report on violence
against children.26
The Guidelines for the Alternative Care of
Children (Guidelines) were formally
endorsed by the UN General Assembly on
20 November 2009. The Guidelines focus on
two main issues: ensuring that children are
not unnecessarily placed in alternative care;
and, where out-of-home care is provided,
ensuring that it is delivered under conditions
that are appropriate to the child’s rights and
best interest.
Examples of progress on child
protection at international level
Progress has been made. The 2009
United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) report card on child
protection25
shows some progress
over the last two decades, such as a
number of governments strengthening
their commitment and actions
(including laws, policies and services)
to stop violence against children.
However, the report notes that
progress has been altogether too
little and too slow.
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Karin Beate Nosterud - Save the Children
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
3. Save the Children’s child protection
priority areas
During the design of Save the Children’s global strategy for the period 2010-2015, Save the Children
decided that the organisation should focus its child protection work on four priority areas:
• Children Without Appropriate Care
• Child Protection in Emergencies
• Physical and Humiliating Punishment
• Children and Work
Each priority area includes a strategic goal and a set of strategic objectives relating to identified subthemes
(see also key definitions in Annex 1).
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Millions of children are without appropriate care
due to violence and abuse, poverty, conflict,
parental illness, HIV and AIDS, disability and
humanitarian disasters, etc. Such children live in
many different circumstances, including being on the
street, on the move, in extended families, in
institutions, or being unsafe in their own families
due to the family situation or poor parenting skills.
There are, for example, an estimated 8 million
vulnerable children worldwide who are living in
poor-quality institutional care that is harmful to
their physical, social and intellectual development.31
Yet four out of five of those children have one or
both parents alive who, with support, could care
for them. Numerous studies have highlighted the
damage that institutionalisation has on child
development. A recent study in Romania found that
institutionalisation in young children is one of the
biggest threats to early brain development, with
effects similar to that of severe malnutrition, lead
poisoning and the mother’s drug use during
pregnancy.32
Children affected by HIV and AIDS have lost or
are at risk of losing their primary caregivers, which
can leave them with precarious care arrangements.
Without appropriate guidance, love and security
from a stable family structure, these children may
be pushed on to the streets, engage in harmful or
exploitative work to care for their families, or
become increasingly vulnerable to harmful
situations.
Millions of children are on the move both within
and between countries and very little attention
is paid to their care and protection at national,
regional or international levels. Children on the
move, and especially those who move alone,
are vulnerable to all forms of violence and
discrimination. They often lack access to services
and risk ending up in institutions, detention centres,
on the street, or in poor-quality accommodation.
What we do
“Thank God, now I know a lot of people, and
some of them are important people. Yani (name
of Case worker) often visit me, and I also
travelled to Bandung (child and family support
centre). Now I can give advice to In, not like
before, because he was in the institution and we
hardly saw each other, but now we have time to
talk to each other.”
In’s 47 year old father, who has been reunited with his
daughter after she had been placed in an institution in Indonesia
3.1 Children Without Appropriate Care
28
Figure 3.1 Children Without Appropriate Care: goal and sub-themes for the period 2010-201530
• Children in, or at risk of requiring,
alternative care
Children without appropriate care benefit from goodquality
care services either in their own families or,
when necessary, in family and community-based
alternatives
• Children on the move
Children who move, either voluntarily or involuntarily,
have better access to local and national care and
protection systems to protect them from exploitation,
abuse, neglect and violence
By 2015, 4.6 million children
without appropriate care, and
their families, (including children
on the move and children
affected by HIV and AIDS)
will benefit from good-quality
interventions within an improved
child protection system
“We were never taught to live on our own. On certain days we were given soap, a toothbrush,
toothpaste and clothes, usually the same for all. Until the age of 12 we all had the same haircut.
It was like living in an incubator.” Girl in an institution, Russia29
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
“Keluargaku Harapanku” (my family, my hope) –
a picture by Moro, a 15 year old child researcher, Indonesia
Save the Children has extensive experience of
working in partnership with governments and other
organisations to reform care systems away from
institutional care towards family-based care. We
support the development and implementation of
family- and community-based prevention and
alternative care models to divert vulnerable
children from inappropriate care arrangements.
We also advocate for reform strategies or policy
frameworks that are compliant with the Guidelines
for the Alternative Care of Children,33 and which
include national care standards, legislation to
support family-based alternatives and increased
budget allocations for family-based care.
We advocate on care issues and work closely with
key groups at international level, for example the
Better Care Network.34
“I arrived in Italy through Spain and France,
crossing the northern border. In my journey I felt
I was alone. I had the same feeling when I
arrived in Rome. But since then I have met field
workers at the day centre for children on the
move "CIVICOZERO" of Save the Children.
I know I can count on them, on their support.
Another child asked me to move on to London a
few days ago. “No, I will stay in Rome, now I am
not alone anymore," I answered.”
M, 17 years old, from The Gambia
Save the Children has pioneered the concept of
protecting children on the move, leading the
international debate on care for children on the
move in development and emergency settings, as
well as in reception, assistance and durable
solutions in the European Union (EU). We support
programmes and influence changes to national
policies to ensure that children at risk of unsafe
migration benefit from quality care and support in
their families, or when necessary in family- and
community-based alternatives, and that they have
access to protection services. We also advocate for
changes in policies and service provision to ensure
that children in transit and at their destination
receive adequate and coordinated support. In
addition, we advocate for coordination and
coherence across asylum, migration and trafficking
policies that are based on the best interest of the
child, so that States provide services which at least
meet the minimum standards of quality care.
Save the Children is an active member of the InterAgency
Group on Children on the Move.35
The full Children Without Appropriate
Care strategy can be found here.
Handbooks, tools and other resources can
be found on OneNet and on the
Resource Centre on Child Protection
and Child Rights Governance.
Click on the links for information about the
Children Without Appropriate Care
Task Group and sub-task group on
Children on the Move.
Save the Children resources on
Children Without Appropriate
Care
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
3.2. Child Protection in
Emergencies36
“There is nowhere safe for us. The soldiers go
everywhere, even into our homes.”
11-year-old boy, Nablus, Occupied Palestinian Territories37
“Another thing they do is to use children to
protect themselves. They know we can’t shoot
our own children, so they put the children in
front – so they’re a human shield – and march
into our villages. It’s terrifying for the children.
Many of them die.”
15-year-old Syrian boy38
• Overarching issues
Save the Children and the wider international
community have increased capacity to implement
large-scale, effective child protection programmes
before, during and after emergencies
• Sexual violence against children in emergencies
Girls and boys benefit from new, improved and scaledup
programmes that prevent, protect and respond to
sexual violence in and after emergencies
• Children associated with armed forces or
armed groups
Children benefit from improved, quality programmes
that prevent recruitment into armed forces or groups
and/or support release and reintegration into families
and communities
• Family separation
Separated and unaccompanied children are provided
with adequate care and family tracing and reunification
services, and children at risk of separation receive
preventive support services
By 2015, 3.7 million children
affected by armed conflict and
disaster will be protected from
abuse, neglect, exploitation,
and violence through
preventive and remedial
interventions based on the
Minimum Standards
for Child Protection in
Humanitarian Response
Figure 3.2 Child Protection in Emergencies: goal and sub-themes for the period 2010-201539
Children are extremely vulnerable during a
humanitarian crisis. They are at risk of recruitment
into armed forces and groups, sexual violence,
separation from their families, psychosocial distress,
trafficking and economic exploitation, genocide,
physical violence, killing and maiming, and other
forms of harm. Family separation and the
breakdown of national and community-based child
protection systems make girls and boys especially
vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, violence and
neglect.
Discriminatory attitudes and practices that existed
prior to the emergency often intensify during a
humanitarian crisis, and children become excluded
from life-saving child protection services or
information due to their gender, age, ethnicity,
sexual orientation or disability.
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
What we do
“I was a child soldier. At the beginning of
the war, neither of my parents was able to find
work. I have seven brothers and sisters. I voluntarily
joined the army when I was 17 years old. The
community approached me and spoke to me about
my situation and I realised being in the military
wasn’t a good solution and so I left the movement.
Now I am trying to make sure other children do
not go down the same path that I did.”.40
Former child soldier in West Africa
“The football brings us together. That is good. Now
we want to move on. We want to play against other
teams outside the camp. The next step is to get real
football shoes. This is just the beginning for us girls.”
Mary Hamoda, Sherkole Refugee Camp, Ethiopia
Save the Children has selected three areas of work
to bring about significant change for children in
emergencies:
• sexual violence against children in
emergencies
• children associated with armed forces or
armed groups
• family separation.
In addition, our child protection in emergency work
includes capacity-building, resource-mobilisation,
psychosocial support and inclusion of child
protection in disaster risk reduction.
Sexual violence is addressed through community
interventions and national strategies that fight the
impunity of perpetrators, prevent sexual violence
and provide rehabilitation services for victims. We
also work with the Special Representative of the
UN Secretary-General for Children and Armed
Conflict to advocate for more child-friendly
implementation of the Monitoring and Reporting
Mechanism.
Save the Children has considerable experience in
assisting with the release, reintegration and
rehabilitation of children associated with armed
forces or armed groups, and in working with
governments, armed forces and armed groups to
prevent child recruitment. We advocate for more
protective legal frameworks and practices in
collaboration with other agencies, such as Child
Soldiers International, Watchlist and UNICEF.
We work with governments, UNICEF and other
NGOs to register separated and unaccompanied
children, and to trace and reunite children with
their families. We advocate for children’s right to
birth registration and support government efforts
to develop information management systems.
Interagency guidelines and tools for family tracing
and reunification have been developed.
Save the Children is a key actor in the area of child
protection in emergencies. We are also one of the
leading organisations in the interagency Child
Protection Working Group41
within the Global
Protection Cluster. Our extensive experience in
rights-based programming often places us in a
leading position to improve knowledge and produce
innovative practices, tools and standards, such as
the development of the inter-agency Minimum
Standards on Child Protection in Humanitarian Action.42
The full strategy on Child Protection in
Emergencies can be found here.
Handbooks, tools and other resources
can be found here.
Information about the Child Protection in
Emergencies Task Group and contact
details for the Chair of the task group
can be found here.
Save the Children’s resources
on Child Protection in
Emergencies
17
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Figure 3.3 Physical and Humiliating Punishment: goal and sub-themes for the period 2010-201544
• Legal and policy change
Governments ban physical and humiliating punishment
in all settings
• Public attitudes
Communities no longer accept physical and
humiliating punishment
• Behaviour change/ service delivery
Parents/caregivers and teachers practise
positive discipline
By 2015, 9.2 million children
will be directly and indirectly
reached by all Save the Children
interventions to end physical
and humiliating punishment
© Susan Warner, Save the Children.
3.3 Physical and Humiliating Punishment
“With these two hands my mother holds me, this I love. But with these two hands my mother
hits me. This I hate.” Girl, East Asia and the Pacific43
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SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Punitive violence by parents and other adults is
the most common form of violence against children.
Over 40 States still authorise the whipping or
flogging of children in their penal systems and
around 80 States authorise the beating and
humiliation of children in their schools. By the end
of 2012, 33 States had prohibited hitting of children
in all settings, including in the home – many of them
because of advocacy pursued directly or indirectly
by Save the Children. However, a large majority of
children in the world are still living in countries
with no law prohibiting corporal punishment in the
home.45
Teachers, parents and other caregivers often lack
knowledge on how to guide children using nonviolent
methods, and in many communities physical
and humiliating punishment is deeply rooted in
social norms and culture. A recent study46
in 37
countries found that two-thirds of children aged
between 2 and 14 experience corporal punishment,
and 86% experience physical punishment and/or
psychological aggression. These high numbers are
confirmed in many countries where Save the
Children has supported research. Children around
the world continue to feel scared of, and frustrated
and humiliated by, their parents, despite these being
the people they should be able to trust the most.
In a humanitarian crisis, children are more at risk of
physical and humiliating punishment, due to the
increased stress on families, separation and the
breakdown of formal and informal safety nets.
What we do
“I used to hit them (my children) very hard
every time. I realised it is wrong to hit them...
That is when I began to change. Now, instead
of hitting them I just talk to them.”
Parent in the Philippines
Save the Children works towards eliminating all
forms of physical and humiliating punishment of
children in the home, in schools and in all other
settings. This is done through advocating for legal
reform and supporting awareness-raising initiatives
leading to changes in attitudes and practices.
We also promote parenting education and positive
discipline programmes targeting caregivers, teachers
and other people working with children. In the
years to come, we will have a stronger focus on
promoting child participation in all aspects of
programming. We will also involve boys and men as
partners in stopping violence against children.
We are the leading organisation in this area, with
programmes addressing this issue in more than
50 countries around the world.
The full strategy on Physical and
Humiliating Punishment can be found here.
Handbooks, tools and other resources can
be found here.
Information about the Physical and
Humiliating Punishment Task Group and
contact details for the Chair of the task
group can be found here.
Save the Children’s resources
on Physical and Humiliating
Punishment
© Ivor Pricket, Save the Children.
19
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Currently it is estimated that there are over
115 million girls and boys48
who are engaged in
hazardous work that is mentally, physically, socially
or morally dangerous and harmful to them and
interferes with their education by depriving them of
the opportunity to attend school or limits their
attendance due to excessively long and heavy work.
Some of the children who are engaged in hazardous
work experience its worst forms – including
slavery, forced and bonded work, child trafficking,
illicit activities, and involvement in armed conflict,
prostitution or pornography.
Save the Children recognizes that not all forms of
work is harmful. While some forms of work violate
the rights of children, other forms of work do not,
such as light work that can be combined with
schooling or work where young people are not
exposed to hazards that impact on their wellbeing.
Many children and youth combine school and part
time work successfully and in the process can
acquire self-esteem, develop a sense of belonging to
their family and community, gain relevant
knowledge and skills as well as gain important life
skills such as time and financial management.
In our programs, guided by the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, the best interests of the child
principle and the involvement and participation of
children themselves, Save the Children addresses
the complexity of broad issue of children and work
through an integral approach that combines our
expertise in child protection, economic
strengthening, health and education to create
opportunities for them to become healthy,
educated and empowered citizens.
A thematic strategy for the children and work
priority area is being developed and will be
completed in 2013. The strategy will have a focus
on children working in the agriculture sector,
domestic labour and the role of the private sector
to address harmful work.
A draft revised position paper on children
and work, updating our position on this
topic, was formulated in 200349
and will be
finalised in early 2013.
Handbooks, tools and other resources on
Children and Work can be found here.
Save the Children’s resources
on Children and Work
© Olivia Arthur – Magnum Photos for Save the Children.
3.4. Children and Work
“The husband wakes me up and rapes me. He has threatened me with a knife and said
I must not tell anyone.”
15-year-old domestic worker, Guinea47
Save the Children's child protection breakthrough has the following objectives:
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
4. Child Protection Breakthrough
“All children thrive in a safe family environment and
no child is placed in harmful institutions.”
© Save the Children.
20
Please see the full breakthrough results framework in Annex 3.
Keep children safe
Children grow up in a safe family
environment free from harm
caused by violence, exploitation,
abuse or neglect.
Strengthen families and
prevent unnecessary
separation
Children without appropriate care
benefit from quality care either in
their own families or, when
necessary, in family and
community-based alternatives.
2.1. 3.
Securing family
reunification in
humanitarian crises
Separated and unaccompanied
children are provided with
adequate family tracing and
reunification services in the best
interest of the child, and children
at risk of separation receive
preventive support services.
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Save the Children’s breakthroughs are areas in
which dramatic changes in policy and practice are
needed in order to protect and fulfil children’s
rights.
We have identified an area where we believe the
need for changes in policy is particularly critical and
where we believe we can make an important
contribution to leading that change. Our Child
Protection Breakthrough is based on extensive
consultations and will continue to be our focus
beyond the current strategy period.
Evidence tells us that children are best protected
and cared for in a safe family-like environment,
ideally by their own families, but when that is not
possible, in a substitute family or other communitybased
alternative. Placing a child in an institution
should always be the last resort. This applies to all
contexts, including humanitarian disasters when
children’s vulnerability increases.
Without safe family-based care, children are at
risk of ending up in harmful work or other forms
of exploitation, on the street or in institutional
care. Young children in institutional care are
more likely to experience poor health, physical
underdevelopment, a deterioration in brain growth,
developmental delay and emotional attachment
disorders. Consequently, these children have
reduced intellectual, social and behavioural abilities
compared with those growing up in a family setting.
Keep Children Safe
Families possess the greatest potential for
protecting children from all forms of violence, and
can empower children to protect themselves.50
However, it is also recognised that families can
sometimes be dangerous places for children, since
violence, abuse and exploitation often take place
behind closed doors. The work on keeping children
safe will have a strong focus on addressing physical
and humiliating punishment, notably through the
promotion of positive parenting/discipline,
awareness-raising and bans on corporal punishment.
Ending violent disciplinary practices in the home
also reduces the risk of children ending up in
abusive, harmful work and other forms of
exploitation, including unsafe migration.
Strengthening families and preventing
unnecessary separation includes awareness-raising
and promoting reforms to care systems away from
institutional towards family-based care, including
through laws and policies that are in line with the
International Guidelines on Alternative Care.51
Providing
effective family strengthening and quality alternative
care requires capacity-building and investment in
community-based care services and professional
social workers.
Our work to promote community and family-based
care and support for children affected by HIV and
AIDS is another crucial component of family
strengthening. It will be supported by systemstrengthening
approaches that provide caregivers
with adequate support to meet their needs and
those of their children. Our focus will be on
enhancing families’ resilience and their ability to
overcome difficulties, through strengthened social
welfare systems that identify vulnerable families, link
them to support and ensure that the required
support has been provided. Encouraging efforts to
ensure a robust para-social work system will be
crucial to this area of work.
Securing family reunification in humanitarian
crises involves ensuring that separated and
unaccompanied children are provided with family
tracing and reunification services, in the best
interest of the child, so that children do not end up
in institutional care or being on the move, which
could place them at risk of harm and/or
exploitation. Children at risk of separation will also
receive preventive services. Our focus is on safe
families – and family strengthening will also reduce
the risks faced by children if an emergency does
occur.
21
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
5. Approaches
“Understand that one person can do
something about violence but many
people can stop violence.”
Girls and boys during regional consultation in
Europe and Central Asia.52
22
© Sebastian Rich - Save the Children
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
5.1 Theory of Change
Save the Children’s Theory of Change is founded
on working in partnership with others to develop
innovative programmes, provide a voice with and
for children, and use evidence to influence
governments and other key actors to adopt the
right policies and implement them at scale. We
will continue to use this approach in our child
protection work.
Further details of the Theory of Change can be
found in Annex 4.
The two examples below demonstrate what the
Theory of Change means in practice. They illustrate
critical components of our child protection
breakthrough.
The Families First programme in Indonesia
demonstrates key strategic elements of government
care system reform, moving from institutional to
family-based care, with support from Save the
Children. The reform was initiated after Save the
Children, UNICEF and the government of Indonesia
conducted a survey on the situation of children
living in institutions, which revealed that almost
90% of these children had at least one living
parent.53
The government has adopted national
guidelines on care, institutions have been regulated,
and the government is diverting financial resources
from institutions to family-based care. An innovative
family support centre has been piloted and there
are plans to connect community-based social
workers to professional government social workers
Figure 5.1 Theory of Change
23
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
trained by Save the Children. The programme is
being piloted in one province and will be replicated
in other provinces in the country.
The Safe Families programme in the Philippines
shows an innovative approach towards making
homes (and schools) safe for children by scaling-up
training on positive discipline54
and advocating for
legal reform. Children and their communities have
been advocating against physical and humiliating
punishment since 2004 and Save the Children has,
in collaboration with the University of Manitoba,
developed and field-tested positive discipline
training for teachers and parents, in particular a
non-violent approach to discipline, which teaches
children and guides their behaviour. It is based on
research into effective parenting as well as
children’s healthy development, and is founded on
child rights principles.
This training has now been scaled up and is about
to be incorporated into teacher training and family
support modules run by the government. A law
against corporal punishment is likely to be adopted
by parliament soon.
National policy changes through
National Standards of Care – Save
the Children and the government
are leading a care reform in
Indonesia. This reform has been
used globally as a good practice
model for care reforms.
Providing social services to families
in communities through the Child
and Family Support Centre and
plan to connect community-level
para-social work support to
professional Ministry Social
Workers trained by Save the
Children
Ministry of Social Affairs,
Association of Social Workers,
Faith-based organisations,
academia, civil society
organisations, communities and
children
Government policy change and the
way family support services are
delivered will result in sustainable
impact at scale – impacting over
42 million people in Java
Save the Children is recognised as the
voice on positive parenting. Children
and community members are ‘change
agents’ in preventing family violence and
in advocating for laws and policies that
protect children in families and
communities
Constituencies of support for legal
reform and changing public attitudes
and practices. Positive discipline training
to social workers, teachers; and to
fathers, mothers, caregivers and children
through civil society organisations; family
support
Ministry of Social Welfare and
Development, local government units,
Ministry of Education, civil society
organisations and coalition with NGOs,
communities, children, caregivers.
Academia (University of Manitoba),
media and corporate sector
Ministries have requested Save the
Children support for geographic scale-up
of training on positive discipline to social
workers and teachers across all main
islands. This model will inform global
roll out of positive discipline training.
Practice and policy impact on more than
25 million children.
Indonesia: Families First Philippines: Safe FamiliesTheory of Change
24
Be the voice
Be the innovator
Build partnerships
Achieve results
at scale
Capacity-building is crucial for realising the Theory
of Change. Save the Children builds the capacity of
civil society actors, including child-led initiatives, to
enable them to promote and advocate for child
protection, as well as to hold to account those with
responsibility for protecting children. We also build
the capacity of professionals working with children
so that they can better prevent, detect and report
violence against children.
We cultivate strategic partnerships and innovative
collaborations with corporations that share our
vision of a better world for children. These efforts
enable us to increase our resources and the impact
of our work for the benefit of children. Our
collaboration with IKEA to stop harmful child work
is an example of this. We also form partnerships
with religious leaders and we are active in a number
of interagency collaborations around child
protection.
5.2 Systems approach
Save the Children believes that the building and
strengthening of community-based mechanisms and
national child protection systems represents a
holistic, inclusive, sustainable and well-coordinated
way to protect all children – while at the same time
addressing the more specific needs of particular
groups. Experience from the Asian Tsunami
humanitarian response, for example, has shown that
countries with pre-existing national child protection
systems were better able to protect children after
the disaster occurred.
Child protection is closely linked to other child
welfare services that work with children, and more
needs to be done to integrate child protection into
health, education, justice and broader social welfare
services. These services need to be designed to
strengthen child protection and must never
undermine it.
The body of work on system-strengthening has
consistently highlighted the importance of
strengthening the interaction between communitybased
child protection mechanisms and national
child protection systems. It is evident that
indigenous or spontaneous community-based child
protection mechanisms, especially in emergency
situations, has often been neglected. We therefore
must do more to enhance our understanding of the
role of community mechanisms and how we can
effectively support them.
Our mapping of existing child protection systems,
often collaboratively with other agencies, has
proven to be a good entry point for building a
relevant system for each context. The mapping
includes identifying key actors and determining their
capacity to prevent and respond to children’s right
to protection. But systems are dynamic and
constantly changing so it is important to understand
the country context and cultural values, which will
influence child protection work.
Strengthening community-based and national child
protection systems – and the links between them –
will continue to be a key approach to our child
protection work. We see children as actors in their
own protection and promote the meaningful
participation of children. We address discrimination
and poverty to reach the most vulnerable children
and we are increasingly focus on preventing
violence and promoting appropriate care by
strengthening families and family-based care.
For further information, see Building rightsbased
national child protection systems: a
concept paper to support Save the Children’s
work and David’s story: The role of national
child protection systems.
© Jane Hahn – Save the Children.
25
Advocacy is an integral part of Save the Children´s
programs and we adopted the Child Protection
Advocacy Strategy for 2010-201555
. We
revised it to integrate four top advocacy objectives
that we want to achieve by 2015, to contribute
towards the child protection breakthrough:
a. Eight additional States ban physical and
humiliating punishment against children in all
settings.
b. At least ten States adopt and implement laws
and policies that promote family and
community-based care in line with the
international guidelines for the alternative care
of children.
c. In emergency situations States commit to
provide coordinated assistance and support to
unaccompanied and separated children, where
relevant.
d. The post-2015 framework integrates goals and
targets that include an explicit focus on
improved protection for children, ideally with a
specific child protection goal.
There are other advocacy objectives within the
child protection priority areas that are not included
here. Please refer to their respective program
strategies.
For existing child protection advocacy and
communications tools, check OneNet and the
Resource Centre on Child Protection and Child
Rights Governance.
6. Advocacy objectives to be achieved by 2015
© Save the Children.
26
CPI Communications resources
For existing child protection advocacy and
communications tools, check OneNet here
and the Resource Centre on Child
Protection and Child Rights Governance.
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is the systematic
and continual collection and analysis of information
about the progress of a project or programme over
time. It is vital for good planning and is linked to
organisational learning. Evaluation is an assessment
at one point in time that can be carried out for
different purposes, including verifying if objectives
have been achieved, what impact the project or
programme has had, and how it can be improved.
A good M&E system is crucial to ensuring that our
programmes are evidence based and that only
effective and efficient programmes are scaled-up.
Globally, the child protection sector suffers from a
lack of evidence, data and statistics. Many
programmes are developed without a rigorous
evidence base. This is especially true for sensitive
or hidden issues such as sexual abuse and
exploitation. But there is also little evidence on
children without appropriate care – including
children living on the streets, children on the move
and children living in institutions. As a response,
each year Save the Children members and country
offices produce evaluations of our child protection
programmes, adding to the global evidence base on
child protection.
Save the Children has put in place a robust
M&E system to monitor progress towards the
achievement of Save the Children’s child protection
goals. The key indicators that we track globally
are:56
1. Total reach: the number of children reached
directly and indirectly by our child protection
programmes
2. Utilization of child protection services:
the proportion of children and caregivers in a
12-month period who have utilized prevention
or response interventions delivered or
supported by Save the Children
3. Quality of child protection services:
the proportion of child protection prevention
and response services supported by Save the
Children which meet minimum quality
standards
4. Child protection policy change: the
number of countries where one or more policy
or legislative changes to improve children’s
protection rights, in line with the priority areas,
have taken place in the last 12 months with the
support of Save the Children
5. Child protection funding: the level of
expenditure for Save the Children’s child
protection programmes
6. The percentage of orphans and
vulnerable children (OVC) receiving
services that address priority needs:
this indicator will measure children under
18 years of age who have been identified
(by programmes, families or communities)
as orphaned or vulnerable and are being
supported by an OVC programme through
Save the Children, its partners or through
linkages with other partner services.57
Improving the M&E of our child protection
programmes, and promoting learning across
countries, is a key component of our global child
protection strategy. In addition to supporting the
monitoring of the key global indicators listed above,
the child protection strategy includes:
• the development of indicator menus for
each of the four priority areas of the
strategy. These menus will support project
and programme M&E in country offices
• the provision of country-level and regional
child protection M&E training workshops
• the development of child protection M&E
tools and guidance manuals.
Save the Children is a member of the global child
protection M&E reference group (CP MERG).
The group develops interagency best practice M&E
tools that we will embed in our programmes.
All of our child protection monitoring and
evaluation resources can be found at the CPI M&E
page on OneNet.
7. Measuring impact
27
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Save the Children invested over US$ 151 million to support child
protection programmes that reached more than 23 million children
and 37.5 million adults in 2012. But in order to reach our 2015
target of improving the lives of 21 million children and investing
US$ 250 million in child protection programmes,
we need to make increased efforts to fundraise
for child protection work.
8. Fundraising
© Genna Naccache –
Save the Children.
28
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
The Child Protection Initiative (CPI) is an internal
mechanism for members to engage in key thematic
areas to maximise the impact of working together.
It acts as a technical advisory and servicing body to
Save the Children members and international
programmes by providing thematic leadership,
expertise and a strategic framework for
programming, advocacy and communications. The
initiative is led by Save the Children Sweden with a
Steering Group representing ten members. This
group provides strategic direction and leadership
and consists of senior managers.
The CPI has a small Core Team, including a
director, programming, advocacy and
communication expertise (see the CPI’s full
structure here). Regional representatives support
country and regional offices as well as members to
expand and strengthen their child protection
portfolio through coordination, networking and a
knowledge management role. They facilitate
capacity-building and advocacy, as well as the
implementation of the global indicators, and also
provide support in the development of country
offices’ strategies.
In addition, Member-Led Task Groups have
been formed to develop thematic strategies, policy
documents and programme tools. They also
provide capacity-building and support to members
and country offices in the implementation of their
thematic strategies. The CPI Global Programme
Manager leads a monitoring and evaluation task
group.
While core teams within the Global Initiatives do
not fundraise themselves, they play an important
role supporting country offices and members in
their fundraising efforts. They do this by bringing
together expertise and experience from across
the organisation and providing input on project
proposals and other relevant background
information, as well as intelligence on which
partners or donors have an interest in that specific
thematic area.
As much as possible, the Global Initiatives share
information on upcoming calls for proposals, for
example on OneNet and in targeted
communications.
9. The role of the Child Protection Initiative
© Karin Beate Nosterud – Save the Children.
29
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
© Glenna Gordon – Save the Children.
Annexes
30
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Child protection means measures and structures
to prevent and respond to abuse, neglect, violence
and exploitation affecting children.
Children without appropriate care are
children who are not receiving suitable, continuous
and quality care, nurture and guidance at a physical,
emotional, social and psychological level from either
their families or from other primary carers that are
meant to replace the family environment and are
responsible for their well-being and development.
This includes neglected and/or abused children in
their families, children living on the street, children
affected by HIV and AIDS, children in institutions
or other forms of poor quality alternative care, and
children who have become separated, either
voluntarily or involuntarily, from their families,
including children on the move, and those who are
at risk of requiring alternative care.
Children on the move means those children
moving for a variety of reasons, voluntarily or
involuntarily, within or between countries, with or
without their parents or other primary caregivers,
and whose movement might place them at risk (or
at an increased risk) of inadequate care, economic
or sexual exploitation, abuse, neglect and violence.
‘Children on the move’ is an umbrella term that
brings together a series of categories of children to
highlight their common protection needs, including,
for example: children who have been trafficked,
children who migrate (eg, to pursue better life
opportunities, to look for work or education or to
escape exploitative or abusive situations at home,
or because of other protection needs) children
displaced by conflict and natural disasters, and
children who live and work in the streets.
Child protection in emergencies is the
prevention of and response to abuse, neglect,
exploitation of and violence against children in
emergencies. An emergency is defined as ‘a situation
where lives, physical and mental well-being, or
development opportunities for children are threatened
as a result of armed conflict, disaster or the breakdown
of social or legal order, and where local capacity to
cope is exceeded or inadequate.’
Corporal or physical and humiliating
punishment of children58
refers to different
forms of behaviours – physical and emotional – by
adults which can cause damage to the development
of the child and violates the rights of the child,
specifically their right to protection according to
Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child and its General Comment No.8.
There are two categories of punishment that can
occur separately or together:
• Corporal or physical punishment and the
threat of it involves hitting (“smacking”,
“slapping”, “spanking”) children, with the
hand or with an implement – a whip, stick,
belt, shoe, wooden spoon, etc. But it can
also involve, for example, kicking, shaking
or throwing children, scratching, pinching, biting,
pulling hair or boxing ears, forcing children to
stay in uncomfortable positions, burning,
scalding or forced ingestion.
• Humiliating or other cruel or degrading
punishment of children takes various forms,
including psychological punishment. This includes
punishment which belittles, humiliates,
denigrates, scapegoats, threatens, scares or
ridicules the child.
National child protection systems require
States to recognise their ultimate responsibilities
and human rights obligations to children in order to
be effective, and consist of:
• laws and policies that protect children from
abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence and
respond in the best interest of the child when
violations occur
• a central government coordination mechanism
for child protection, bringing together central
government departments, different provinces,
central and local levels of government and civil
society
• effective regulation and monitoring at all levels
of child protection standards, for instance, in
childcare institutions and schools
• a committed workforce with relevant
competencies and mandates
• mechanisms that bring perpetrators to justice.
Annex 1: Key Child Protection definitions
31
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
INVEST ANDTEST
TO BUILD POSITION
20% CORE ELEMENTS OFTHE STRATEGY
65%
a
d
a
b1
b2
e
g
• Adolescent non-formal
education/initiatives
• Child labour
• Prevent physical and
humiliating punishment
• Disaster risk reduction
• Livelihoods in support
of nutrition
• Urban basic education
a
b
d
e
• Secondary education
Education
Health
Nutrition
c
d
e
Child rights governance
Child protection
Humanitarian
a • Basic education for ethnic minorities
• Basic education in developing and transition countries
d • Children in conflict with the law
• Children sexually exploited and abused
e • Non-food items and shelter
f • Care for infected children by HIV/AIDS
• Prevention of mother-to-child infection
“CASE BY CASE” OFFER
TO BUILD POSITION 5%Depending on needs and opportunities
Basis for significant growth of funding, campaigning and differentiation
MAINTAIN AND CAPITALISE ON EXPERTISE
10%
• Adolescent health
• Harmful traditional
practices
• Child trafficking
• Camp management
• Housing reconstruction
a
b1
b2
• basic education
– in conflict areas
– In fragile states and
poorest countries
• Maternal and newborn
health
• Child health
• Prevent child hunger
• Early childhood
development
• Newborn and child
nurition
c • Convention on the Rights
of the Child monitoring
• Strengthening national
systems and build
awareness and capacity
d
e
f
Protect and prevent
violence against:
• General/relief
management
• Child protection
• Education
• Child health & nutrition
• Prevention of HIV/AIDS
• Children without
appropriate care
• Children affected by
armed conflicts
• Support for affected
children (OVC) without
adequate care
POTENTIAL %
OF GLOBAL
EXPENDITURES
f
g
HIV/AIDS
Livelihoods
Note: Size and
number of items
not related to
target volume
of activity
Annex 2: Save the Children’s Overall Global Strategy 2010-2015
32
PUBLICATTITUDESPOLICYPRACTICEPRACTICEPOLICY
Annex3:ChildProtectionBreakthroughResultsFramework
ChildProtectionBreakthroughGoal
Allchildrenthriveinasafefamilyenvironmentandnochildisplacedinharmfulinstitutions.
2.Strengthenfamiliesandprevent
unnecessaryseparation
Childrenwithoutappropriatecarebenefit
fromqualitycareeitherintheirown
familiesor,whennecessary,infamilyand
community-basedalternatives
1.1.Safe
communities
andfamilies
Communitiesand
familiesnolonger
acceptphysicaland
humiliating
punishment
1.2.Ban
violence
Statesbanphysical
andhumiliating
punishmentagainst
childreninallsettings
1.3.Child
protection
systems
Parentsand
caregiverspractise
positivediscipline
2.1Familiesand
family-basedcare
thefirstoption
Children,families,
States,and
communities
understandtherisks
andconsequencesof
childrenbeing
separatedfromtheir
familiesandpromote
thebenefitsoffamily-
basedcare
2.2.Lawsand
policiespromote
family-basedcare
Statesendorse
lawsandpoliciesthat
promotefamily-based
careinlinewiththe
InternationalGuidelines
onAlternativeCare
2.3Direct
serviceprovision
Qualityfamily
strengtheningand
alternativecare
servicesincluding
trainedcommunity-
basedand
professionalsocial
workerscontribute
towardsthe
preventionof
unnecessary
separation
PUBLICATTITUDESPOLICYPRACTICE
3.1Enabling
familiestobe
together
Communities
recognisetheriskof
familyseparationin
emergenciesand
knowhowto
preventitthrough
familytracingand
reunificationand
otherrelevant
activities
3.2Child
protection
policies
Statesandpartners
developand
implement
agreementsto
providecoordinated
assistanceand
supportto
unaccompaniedand
separatedchildren
3.3Coordination
ofchild
protection
services
Througheffective
coordinationSavethe
Childrenand
partnersensurethat
timely,adequate
servicesareprovided
toat-risk
orseparatedand
unaccompanied
childrenwithout
delay,following
appropriatebest
interestassessments.
PUBLICATTITUDES
OBJECTIVES
KEYOUTCOMES
1.Keepchildrensafe
Childrengrowupinasafefamily
environmentfreefromharmcausedby
violence,exploitation,
abuseorneglect
3.Securingfamilyreunificationin
humanitariancrises
Separatedandunaccompaniedchildrenare
providedwithadequatefamilytracingand
reunificationservicesinthebestinterestof
thechild,andchildrenatriskofseparation
receivepreventivesupportservices
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
Being the voice for and with children:
• Increasing opportunities for children to speak
out on policies and actions most relevant to
them
• Influencing attitudes, policies and practices to
challenge the social acceptance of violence,
based on the knowledge and experience we
have gained from project implementation,
research and analysis
• Mobilising and advocating for resources,
sustainable policies and accountability
concerning the implementation of children’s
rights to protection
Being the innovator:
• Developing and collating evidence-based
solutions that can be replicated by governments
and other organisations across the world
• Strengthening the capacity of our partner
organisations to design and deliver child
protection programmes and promote new
technologies as a learning tool
• Promoting cross-regional learning and using
knowledge management to stimulate innovation
Achieving results at scale:
• Scaling-up preventive and remedial evidencebased
and cost-effective programmes through
social mobilisation, partnerships and effective
national and community-based child protection
systems
• Promoting the use of new technologies and
corporate social responsibility for scaling-up
Building partnerships:
• Building partnerships to promote the right of
every child to be protected from abuse, neglect,
exploitation and violence and enhancing the
capacity of civil society to advocate effectively
• Coordinating and collaborating with children’s
own initiatives, local partners and other
organisations that can disseminate and scale-up
evidence-based child protection work at all
levels
• Mobilising for increased funding for child
protection work, as well as for effective
communication to ensure wider understanding
of why child protection is a key component of
children’s rights
Annex 4: Key components of the Theory of Change
34
The following are the four key components of the Theory of Change that Save the Children uses in its
child protection work.
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
• Child Protection Global Initiative, 2010 Annual Report
• Child Protection Global Initiative, 2011 Annual
Report for Save the Children Sweden
• Child Protection Global Initiative, Child Protection in
the post-2015 development agenda. Thematic think
piece by Save the Children, for internal use only, Final
Version, 31 August 2012
• Child Protection Initiative, 2011 Annual Plan
• Child Protection Initiative, 2012 Annual Plan
• Child Protection Initiative, Breakthrough Logframe,
9 October 2012
• Child Protection Initiative, Child Protection Global
Strategy Results Framework, 13 September 2012
• Child Protection Initiative, Child Protection Total Reach
Analysis 2009, 2010 and 2011, August 2012
• NGO Advisory Council for Follow-up to the UN Study
on Violence against Children, Five Years On: A global
update on violence against children, forthcoming
• Save the Children Association, Save the Children
International, Board Meeting 27-28 September 2012,
Geneva, Global Initiatives and Thematic Breakthroughs
• Save the Children, Child Protection Breakthrough and
the signature programme proposals, 2012
• Save the Children, City Kids. Urbanization and its
consequences for children’s right to be protected from
abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence. A Save the
Children Discussion Paper, May 2012
• Save the Children, Communication Brief. Draft as of
6 September 2012
• Save the Children, CPI Meeting on Sexual Violence
against Children in Emergencies, Copenhagen,
26-28 June 2012 (Draft)
• Save the Children, Fundraising For Child Protection.
A first mapping, Draft (2012)
• Save the Children, Getting it Right for Children.
A practitioners’ guide to child rights programming, 2007
• Save the Children, Global Strategy on the Prohibition
and Elimination of Physical and Humiliating Punishment
(PHP) of children, 2012
• Save the Children, Keeping Children Out of Harmful
Institutions. Why we should be investing in family-based
care, 2009
• Save the Children, Our Resources To Protect.
A mapping of Save the Children’s human and financial
Child Protection resources 2012, May 2012
• Save the Children, Strategy 2010-2015, Appendix 2,
Theory of Change
• Save the Children, Thematic Leadership Group, Action
Sheet, 3 September 2012
• Save the Children, Thematic Leadership Group, Draft
Terms of Reference, 6 September 2012
• Save the Children, Thematic Leadership Group,
Financial Data Scope of Work. Draft as of 5 September
2012
• Save the Children, Thematic Leadership Group,
Thematic Staff Development, 2012
• Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, 2009-
2015, High Level Business Plan
• Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, Advocacy
Strategy 2010-2015
• Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, Advocacy
Strategy 2010-2015, Draft 2
• Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, Building
rights-based national child protection systems: a
concept paper to support Save the Children’s work
• Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, Priority
Area strategies 2010-2015: an overview
• Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, Priority
Area strategy 2010-2015: Children without Appropriate
Care
• Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, Steering
Group meeting. Melbourne, 8-9 February 2012, Agenda
Item 5, Proposal on process for elaboration of a revised
CPI Global Strategy
• Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, Taking
action against all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation
and violence
• Save the Children, Education Global Initiative, Moving
ahead on education. A focused strategy for achieving
our education goals 2012-2015
• Child Protection Initiative, A snapshot of achievements
June 2011 – May 2012
Annex 5: References
35
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
1 The phrase ‘abuse, neglect violence and exploitation’ is also referred to as ‘all forms of violence’ or ‘violence’ elsewhere in
this document.
2 UN Study on Violence against Children, 2006: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/study.htm
3 Save the Children International defines a breakthrough as “… a remarkable shift from the current trend and a sustainable change in
the way the world treats children, as experienced by the majority of affected children in the world. This kind of change is only
achieved over several years, utilizing our full Theory of Change in partnership with others.”
4 Figures have been revised using 2012 total reach as a baseline.
5 Ibid.
6 The Minimum Standards for Child Protection in Humanitarian Response can be found here: http://cpwg.net/minimum-standards/
7 Figures have been revised using 2012 total reach as a baseline.
8 Ibid.
9 The Child Protection Initiative (CPI) developed a Business Plan (Save the Children, Child Protection Initiative, 2009-2015, High Level
Business Plan) in 2009, aimed at guiding and providing strategic directions to Save the Children’s activities on child protection for the
period 2010-2015 (current Save the Children International’s strategy). However, since then many changes have occurred within Save
the Children, including in relation to the Global Initiatives (GIs). In particular, the CPI has witnessed a reconsideration of its initial
mandate and way in which it operates, based on nearly three years of experience. As part of the planned mid-term global revision of
the organisation’s global strategy, the CPI – like the other GIs – has been invited by Save the Children International to revise its
original business plan and develop a child protection strategy for Save the Children members and country offices, covering
programme, advocacy and fundraising for the period 2013-2015.
10 Page 5, UN World Report on Violence Against Children, 2006:
http://www.crin.org/docs/UNVAC_World_Report_on_Violence_against_Children.pdf
11 Report of the independent expert for the United Nations study on violence against children:
http://www.unicef.org/violencestudy/reports/SG_violencestudy_en.pdf
12 Olara Otunnu, ‘Special Comment’ on Children and Security, Disarmament Forum, No. 3, United Nations Institute for Disarmament
Research, Geneva, 2002, pp. 3-4.
13 Save the Children, 2007
14 WHO estimates, quoted in UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Innocenti Digest. Changing a Harmful Social Convention: Female
Genital Mutilation/Cutting, 2005.
15 UNICEF, Early Marriage. A Harmful Traditional Practice. A Statistical Exploration, 2005.
16 UNICEF, The State of the World’s Children 2009, UNICEF, New York, December 2008, p. 133.
17 P S Pinheiro, World Report on Violence against Children, UNICEF: New York, 2006
18 The worst forms of child labour, including slavery, prostitution and pornography, illicit activities, and work likely to harm children’s
health, safety or morals, as defined in International Labour Organization Convention No. 182, International Labour Organization
(2010) Accelerating Action against Child Labour, p. 5.
19 UNICEF, Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse. A statistical snapshot, June 2011.
20 Child protection in the context of HIV and AIDS: Responses, Research and Recommendations. ICASA Conference, Addis Ababa,
December 2011, http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/node/6008
21 Methodologies varied per country but generally direct costs included hospitalisation, chronic health problems, mental health costs,
costs incurred by the child welfare system, law enforcement, and costs of the judicial system. Indirect costs included special education,
mental health and healthcare – not directly resulting from abuse or neglect, juvenile delinquency, lost work productivity, adult
criminality, early intervention, and adult homelessness. See Prevent Child Abuse America, Estimated Annual Cost of Child Abuse and
Neglect, April 2012.
22 Ibid.
23 Every Child Counts, The nature of economic costs from child abuse and neglect in New Zealand – Summary report, August 2010.
24 Australian Childhood Foundation and Child Abuse Prevention Research, The Cost of Child Abuse in Australia, November 2008.
Notes
36
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
25 UNICEF, Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse. A statistical snapshot, June 2011.
26 They serve as the basis to gather evidence on violations and include: Killing or maiming of children; Recruitment or use of children as
soldiers; Sexual violence against children; Attacks against schools or hospitals; Denial of humanitarian access for children; Abduction of
children.
27 UNICEF, Progress for Children, A Report Card on Child Protection, September 2008, p. 37.
28 The full strategy for the children without appropriate care priority area is available on Save the Children’s OneNet at:
http://onenet.savethechildren.net/whatwedo/child_protection/SCDocuments/Key_Documents/CPI_CWAC_strategy.pdf
29 Save the Children, Keeping Children Out of Harmful Institutions. Why we should be investing in family-based care, 2009, p.9.
30 Figures in this section have been revised using 2012 total reach as a baseline.
31 Csaky, C (2009) Keeping Children out of Harmful Institutions: Why we should be investing in Family-Based Care, Save the Children.
32 Nelson, C., Zeanah, C. and Fox, N. (May 2009) The Effects of Early Deprivation on Brain Behavioural Development: Bucharest Early
Intervention Project. Oxford University Press.
33 Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children:
http://www.unicef.org/aids/files/UN_Guidelines_for_alternative_care_of_children.pdf
34 http://bettercarenetwork.org/bcn/
35 For an example of Save the Children’s active involvement in the Inter-Agency Group on Children on the Move, see the joint
statement submitted by the Group to the 2012 Day of General Discussion hosted by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child:
http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/node/6716.
36 The full strategy of this priority area is available on Save the Children’s OneNet at:
http://onenet.savethechildren.net/whatwedo/child_protection/SCDocuments/Key_Documents/CPI_CPIE_strategy.pdf
37 NGO Advisory Council for Follow-up to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Five Years On: A global update on violence
against children, forthcoming, p. 33.
38 From ‘Untold Atrocities: The stories of Syria’s children’:
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/resources/online-library/untold-atrocities-stories-syrias-children
39 Figures in this section have been revised using 2012 total reach as a baseline.
40 From Call for action, Working with child soldiers in West Africa, by The Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers and Save the
Children Sweden, 2006. http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/node/2654
41 http://cpwg.net/
42 UN Minimum Standards on Child Protection in Humanitarian Action:
http://www.unicef.org/aids/files/UN_Guidelines_for_alternative_care_of_children.pdf
43 UN Study on Violence against Children, p. 47. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/crc/study.htm
44 Figures in this section have been revised using 2012 total reach as a baseline.
45 Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, Prohibit all corporal punishment of children – progress and delay,
October 2012 http://www.endcorporalpunishment.org/pages/frame.html
46 Child disciplinary practices at home, evidence from a range of Low-and Middle-Income Countries, UNICEF Division of Policy and
Practice, 2010
47 NGO Advisory Council for Follow-up to the UN Study on Violence against Children, Five Years On: A global update on violence
against children, forthcoming, p. 27.
48 ILO (2010), Accelerating action against child labour. Report of the Director-General, International Labour Conference, 99th
session, 2010
49 Available at: http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/node/3227
50 See Pinheiro, P. (2006) World Report on Violence Against Children, UN (p. 47); CRC (2011) General Comment No.13, Article 19:
The right of the child to freedom from all forms of violence.
51 Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children:
http://www.unicef.org/aids/files/UN_Guidelines_for_alternative_care_of_children.pdf
52 Save the Chidlren (2006) ACT NOW! Some highlights from children’s participation in the Regional Consultations, p. 12 for the UN
Secretary-General’s study on Violence against Children.
53 Martin, Florence (2009) Changing the paradigm of children’s care and protection in Indonesia, Save the Children.
37
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
54 The positive parenting/discipline approach has been developed in collaboration with the University of Manitoba and will be rolled out
globally within domestic and international programmes.
55 The CPI Advocacy Strategy can be found here:
http://onenet.savethechildren.net/whatwedo/child_protection/SCDocuments/Key_Documents/CPI_Advocacy_Strategy_2010-
2015.pdf'. It is based on the two original priority areas only (children without appropriate care and child protection in emergencies)
and therefore it will integrate new policy changes for the breakthrough, working children and physical and humiliating punishment
when those strategies have been finalised.
56 Save the Children International is rolling out a set of 16 global indicators that cover the core strategic areas in which the organisation
works. Since 2011, all country offices managed by Save the Children International have been required to report against these
indicators annually. Further information on the global indicators is available on Save the Children’s OneNet at:
http://onenet.savethechildren.net/whatwedo/me/Pages/default.aspx
57 Discussions are ongoing about whether this indicator will remain a separate global indicator or whether it will be merged into other
existing child protection global indicators. A formal decision will be communicated across Save the Children later in 2013, as part of
the 2014 planning process.
58 The definition of physical and humiliating punishment used by Save the Children is from the UNCRC General Comment No.8 (2006).
38
SAVE THE CHILDREN’S CHILD PROTECTION STRATEGY 2013-2015
39© Colin Crowley-Save the Children.
WE ARE the world’s leading independent organisation for children.
OUR VISION is a world in which every child attains the right to
survival, protection, development and participation.
OUR MISSION is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world
treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.
Child Protection Initiative
May 2013
http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se
cpi@rb.se