In Ethiopia, baseline results conducted by ChildFund show that the three most common child protection risks are: poverty, neglect, and intrafamily conflict. Save the Children Ethiopia, has also found similar child protection risks of neglect, violence, and child marriage—followed closely by intrafamily conflict.
The situation of poverty in particular and, more generally, other child protection risks have been severely worsened following COVID 19 pandemic, ongoing conflict, desert locust invasion, recurrent climatic shocks such as floods and droughts in the country.
Child protection risks in Ethiopia
ChildFund still reports the existence of several welfare programmes provided for children.
There are services especially designed for girls such as productive healthcare offices and girls’ clubs at schools (Gubalafto, Habru, Tehudelere) and organisations monitoring the situation of children (Gubalafto).
Common unattended needs and requested services
(Habru) are phycological programmes for boys and girls. In some cases, existing services do not really provide attention despite being open (Tehudelere).
Save the Children further notes the existence of sexual and gender-based violence support services and prevention committees. In general, health centres provide support services to victims of sexual violence. But there are many gaps and needs. There are no safe houses to host victims and caregivers lack enough training. It should also be noted that although trauma is not acknowledged in the quantitative baseline results, this does not mean it’s not happening. Qualitative data strongly suggest that trauma due to the many consequences derived from the ongoing conflict will play a significant role in child protection risks in future. The shape and depth of these consequences, however,
is yet to be determined.
This may in fact be an important factor in understanding the existing discrepancy between quantitative Baseline and qualitative Needs Assessment. The quantitative data may also suggest that children and households situated in the areas surveyed by ChildFund are currently less aware of trauma as a risk or are yet to fully grasp their situation. Progress and change could thus be measured in the future as the baseline data is used to further understand risks in the country. This is not the case with implementing-partner personnel, community and local authorities, and child protection
experts interviewed through KIIs. In the latter case, trauma is understood to play an important role and, more significantly, to play an important role in child protection issues into the future.
Rising rape cases of girls by “enemy” combatants occurs along occasional marriage cases with armed men. It has also been reported of cases when underage girls claim having been raped after “agreeing to” consensual sex.
The economic hardships experienced by the country right now and the lack of accountability that combatants
have make such cases more common. The situation further leads to increasing cases of teenage pregnancy and higher rates of school abandonment.
To support project implementation, a baseline and needs assessment was conducted between November 2022 and January 2023.
The baseline study combined simple and stepwise sampling approaches and targeted youth, their caregivers and heads of households, as well as members of the broader community, such as health workers.
ChildFund works in the North and South Wollo area in the Amhara region. They focus on the Gubalafto, Habru, and Tehuledere districts (where data for this report was collected). They have a project aimed at creating child-friendly spaces and community-based feedback mechanisms that help with food security, health services, and food and cash distribution.
Save the Children works on the Ziqualla and Sekota districts (including the Sekota city administration) in the Wag Himra Zone, also in the Amhara region. They run
several capacity-building projects aimed at creating awareness and improving hygiene and sanitation. They have an unconditional cash transfer program and help support income generating activities among local
communities.
Context
According to the 2023 HRP, an estimated 29 million people will need humanitarian assistance this year and amongst them, 20 million people are targeted for life-saving humanitarian assistance, of which 10.8 million are children, and over 5 million are targeted for protection services (including 2.7million SGBV targets). Internal displacement affects 4.39 million people, with half of them being children under the age of 18 years.
More than 48 percent of Ethiopia’s population of over 94.3 million are children aged 18 and below. According to the 2016 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS), almost 25 per cent of girls and women aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence since age 15, and 10 per cent reported having experienced sexual violence. Women and girls face heightened protection risks during humanitarian crises including Mental Health and Psychosocial needs, sexual and gender-based violence (GBV), sexual exploitation, and girls are at risk of forced child marriage and early pregnancy.
Their vulnerabilities intensified as their social networks and protection services that they are dependent on for their protection are disrupted.
Child Protection Objectives
By 2030, Save the Children aspires to achieve three breakthroughs for children – survival, learning, and
protection.
Save the Children is committed to increasing the protection of children against violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation and is building stronger child protection systems across all its program areas.
It is focusing its efforts on the most vulnerable children in the country including at risk of or involved in risky migration; children without appropriate parental care; and Children who are victims and/or at risk of harmful traditional practices with emphasis on female genital mutilation (FGM) and child marriage and children at risk of or victims of violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation in emergencies.
Child protection is a cross cutting theme in all ChildFund programs, which aims to ensure the children, parents, community, and government are all taking responsibility to participate in safeguarding the project participants. In its new strategic plan (2022-2026) ChildFund Ethiopia has a goal to reach 7 million children, their families, and the communities. ChildFund uses the life stage approach, with the following outcomes: Healthy and secure infants for ages 0-5years; Educated and confident Children (6-14 years) and Skilled and involved youth (15-24 years).
JF-Child Protection in Emergency Program
With the Support of GFFO, Save the Children and ChildFund are partnering with Bureau of Finance and economic cooperation, Education and Bureau of Women, Children and Social Affair, is implementing a multi-faceted child protection project targeting internally displaced persons, host communities, and vulnerable children and adolescents in Ziqualla, Dehana and Sekota Zuria woredas in Wag Himra Zone, and Kalu and Tehuledere of South Wollo Zone and Habru, Gubalafto and Raya Kobo of North Wollo Zone in Amhara Region. Key interventions include raising awareness on child protection risks through campaigns and life skills training for children and youth; providing economic strengthening support to vulnerable families through cash transfers, income generating activities, and
non-food item distributions; mobilizing and building the capacity of community child protection groups to respond to risks; delivering specialized protection case management services and family tracing support for child survivors of violence and separated children; and improving child protection coordination and mainstreaming through training and establishing referral pathways and help desks.
Through this integrated approach of prevention, response, and coordination, Save the Children and ChildFund aims to improve protection outcomes for girls and boys affected by the humanitarian crisis.
The project will directly assist over 200,270 beneficiaries, with interventions designed to be gender- equitable and inclusive of marginalized groups.
LATEST STORIES FROM ETHIOPIA
- Life of Mukash
Mukash is the head of a family of four who lives in extreme poverty in a very peaceful and secure environment. The main source of income of Mukash is agriculture which is frequently affected by erratic rainfall and other natural hazards. Mukash is one of those affected by the conflict in Ethiopia. […] - Hailu
Hailu is a 42-year-old man living in Gubalafto district, Ethiopia. He has three children; two girls and a boy who have not yet reached 18. His main source of income is farming, goat rearing and selling wood. Before the emergency, Hailu enjoyed good living standards like the middle-income farmers in the area. […] - Why Cash Transfers work?
Aisha is a 55-year-old woman who is living with her granddaughter Haifa, aged one year and a half. She lives in south Wollo zone, Tehuledere district in Ethiopia. Before the conflict between the Afar and the Issa tribes erupted, she used to support her family, that also includes three children, with her income from a small hotel business in Afar region. They were displaced from their home in Afar and fled to Tehuledere district with nothing but the clothes on their backs. […] - Nebiyu
Nebiyu* is a 10-year-old boy who was a grade one student in an elementary school in Ethiopia’s Amhara region. He sustained a significant injury to his right leg due to corporal punishment by a relative and is undergoing medical treatment. Nebiyu had to drop out of school and spend seven months in the hospital for medical care, and he had three procedures to improve his condition. […]
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This publication was produced with the financial support of the German Humanitarian Assistance
Its contents are the sole responsibility of Joining Forces and do not necessarily reflect the views of the German Humanitarian Assistance.