Social norms and the prevention of violence against refugee children in Tanzania

Preventing and responding to violence against children in situations of armed conflict necessitates a model with continuity of care across all levels of a child’s ecology. In Tanzania, the IRC has focused on a continuum of... [ view full abstract ]

Preventing and responding to violence against children in situations of armed conflict necessitates a model with continuity of care across all levels of a child’s ecology. In Tanzania, the IRC has focused on a continuum of violence prevention in and around the home and school, engaging with refugee parents, caregivers, teachers and community leaders to create protective environments for children and reduce the incidence of harmful punishment. Yet the continued scale of violence against children in Tanzania—75% of children have experienced physical violence, and 3 in 10 girls have experienced sexual violence (TVACS 2009)—indicates that a step change is required to achieve greater protection for more children. This is particularly urgent for recently displaced Burundian refugee children who face heightened risk of all forms of violence, exploitation and abuse.

Social norms, the customary rules within a group or culture, have been found to have a profound impact on individual behaviors and influence the use of violence against children in the home and school. There is evidence that it may be even more powerful to target social norms than people’s skills and personal beliefs (Paluck 2009). Building on existing education and child protection programs, the IRC is undertaking formative research with Congolese and Burundian refugee communities in Tanzania to explore the sources of influence that shape and define social norms related to violence against children ages 7-12. Focus group discussions and key informant interviews have been conducted and data is being analyzed by an academic researcher.

This conference provides an opportunity for the IRC to share its ecological model of child protection, map the vulnerabilities of refugee children in Tanzania and present preliminary findings from the social norms research. The discussion will center on implications for program design and opportunities for scaling up interventions to reduce violence against children.