Are donor-led interventions effective in fighting child abuse in Eastern Africa?

Extensive literature exists about the terrible child abuse practices in Eastern Africa. The literature covers criminal and other illegal practices such as child labor, child sexual abuse, child abduction, ritual child... [ view full abstract ]

Extensive literature exists about the terrible child abuse practices in Eastern Africa. The literature covers criminal and other illegal practices such as child labor, child sexual abuse, child abduction, ritual child sacrifice, child soldiers, and vulnerable children such as orphans and those living in child headed homes (due to wars and HIV/AIDs). Much has also been written about the increasing numbers of street children.
But there is scanty information about the effectiveness of the donor-funded programs, despite the fact that over the past decades large amounts of donor funds have been spent on addressing child abuse and child neglect issues. The purpose of this paper is to contribute towards bridging this knowledge gap.
The objectives of the paper are:
1. To examine the patterns and trends of donor-led interventions against child abuse in Eastern Africa.
2. To identify best models of practice for implementing such donor-funded interventions.
3. To identify weaknesses in design and implementation of donor-funded interventions against child abuse in Eastern Africa.
4. To provide policy recommendations for improving the impact of the donor-led interventions against child abuse in Eastern Africa.
The methodology adopts a desk review approach, supplemented with primary data obtained from civil society actors responding to web-based interviews.
The results of the study indicate that donor-led interventions against child abuse in Eastern Africa tend to be ad-hoc, lacking in effectiveness and proper coordination. True accountability is masked by ‘creative accountability’, i.e. the evil practice of forging accountability documents. Monitoring systems are extremely weak. In conclusion, the paper calls upon donors to put more emphasis on transparency, especially by harnessing modern ICT technologies to support the sustainability and visibility of community-based interventions against child abuse.