The Drum Beat 442 - Rights of Young Children

This issue of The Drum Beat focuses on projects, evaluations, strategic thinking, and resources related to the rights of young children. Topics include physical health, positive identity development, and the right to live free from violence.

Please also see our Early Child Development Theme site - where communication and media are central to early childhood development. Send your early child development communication projects, reports, strategic thinking, and resources to Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

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CHILD HEALTH

1. Infant Feeding Research Project (IFRP) - Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland This is a 3-phased research-led process designed to reduce the number of children dying through mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV by focusing on the positive potential of the woman and counsellor relationship to promote safe infant feeding practices. By developing a model for a woman-centred interaction, the researchers hope to both build the capacity of groups of women to acknowledge and transform female internalised sexist consciousness and to address sexist attitudes and behaviour. To begin, IFRP carried out an exploratory, ethnographic research phase which focused primarily on pregnant women and mothers with infants of up to one year old, in 11 sites: 8 in South Africa, 1 in Swaziland, and 2 in Namibia. In response to the findings, from 2005-2006 IFRP conducted action research focused on training and supporting the counsellors in 4 sites in the same 3 countries. Phase 2 was designed to focus on the positive potential of the woman and counsellor relationship to motivate clients that need to make risky or difficult changes (transforming lifestyle, identity, or entrenched behaviours), while developing a model that was more coherent with women's need for professional guidance. In Phase 3, IFRP plans to extend the research as well as deepen the understanding of the role female gender dynamics are playing in HIV/AIDS counselling. Contact: Alan Jaffe jaffa@telkomsa.net OR info@ifrpafrica.org

2. Focusing on Counsellor-to-Mother Communication in Order to Enhance Effectiveness and Quality of PMTCT Infant Feeding Counseling in Southern Africa by Ineke Buskens, Alan Jaffe, Bob Mash, Giovanni Baldassini, Happiness Mkhatshwa, Ieshrit Sayeed, Liezel Frick, Ndapeua Shifiona, Ruth Albertyn, and Katy Menell This paper - adapted from a poster presented at a conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - provides an early overview of the rationale and methodologies of the Phase 2 pilot intervention of the Infant Feeding Research Project, and explores how these emerged from the Phase 1 research findings. Following a brief overview of the project, this paper details the methodology of Phase 1, which involved 16 researchers conducting ethnographic field research in indigenous language using a variety of qualitative techniques over a 7-month period (ending in November 2003). The 11 sites in Namibia, Swaziland, and South Africa were in low-resource urban, peri-urban, and rural settings. A total of 155 mothers and pregnant women, 31 relatives, 92 health workers, and 7 traditional healers were formally interviewed. Key research questions included: Who and what influences infant feeding decisions? How do perspectives and experiences of mothers and counsellors speak to the effectiveness of prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) infant feeding counselling?

3. Meeting the Health Care Needs of California's Children: The Role of Telemedicine by Jenny Kattlove and Terri Shaw This publication describes how telemedicine - the application of information and communication technology (ICT) to provide health care services at a distance - is used to improve the health of children living in the state of California, within the United States, especially those who are low-income or living in medically underserved areas. It also outlines challenges to successful adoption of telemedicine and provides concrete recommendations for action.

4. Impact Data - The Better Parenting Project - Jordan The Better Parenting Project was initiated by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) with local partners in 6 countries within the Middle East Region in 1996. As developed in Jordan, the project sought to address the needs of parents of very young children for basic information and support in their tasks of childrearing, specifically in the areas of health, nutrition, and social-emotional development. In a summary report of the evaluation components, evaluator Dr. Nadia Srour states that, for the 112 mothers who attended every one of the 8 sessions (out of the 214 who attended some), "the findings demonstrated that the program had a statistically significant effect on creating differences in the performance of mothers, as measured against the pre- and post-participation evaluation tools. Improvement was observed in the level of the mothers' knowledge in the areas of child growth and development.

5. Fatherhood Project - South Africa This project aims to stimulate discussion and action to support the involvement of men in caring for children. Based in Durban, South Africa, the project aims to recognise, encourage, and support men's care and protection of children through stimulating debate and discussion, as well as portraying positive images of fatherhood through photography and other media. Through a travelling photographic exhibition, publications, media and activities organised by partner organisations, the Fatherhood Project reaches out to men, women, and children in an effort to promote caring fatherhood. The projects strategies focus around advocacy, and gathering and disseminating positive information about men as fathers and caregivers. The project also produces: a monthly electronic newsletter that highlights current developments in the fatherhood arena; educative modules focusing on themes of fatherhood and caregiving, masculinity, gender-based violence, sexual risk and HIV/AIDS; and training workshops to be held in the media and corporate sectors. Contact: J. Ngunyi Wambugu jwambugu@hsrc.ac.za

CHILD IDENTITY

6. Early Childhood in Focus 3: Developing Positive Identities Diversity and Young Children by Liz Brooker and Martin Woodhead This journal issue focuses on developing a positive identity in early childhood. The issue is part of a series of publications produced by the Child and Youth Studies Group. The objective of this series is to provide accessible reviews of recent research, information, and analysis on the Bernard van Leer Foundation's key policy issues on early childhood: strengthening the care environment, successful transitions, and social inclusion and respect for diversity of children. This issue contains sections on the following topics: the right to identity and the development of identity; developing positive identities; and identities, friendships, and peer cultures.

7. Operation Sirigu - Ghana This is an effort to protect children's rights by addressing and ultimately stamping out child abuse, child neglect, child suffering, and infanticide in communities in the Kassena Nankana district of Northern Ghana. The specific focus is on the community's belief in, and response to, the "spirit child" phenomenon, which centres around the notion that a child was not meant for this world. Implemented in 5 village communities in the district, the project (which dates back to 1988) aims to dispel myths and traditional views that lead to the practice of infanticide in the region. Operation Sirigu primarily uses interpersonal communication to raise awareness through community education and outreach visits. Some Operation Sirigu activities focus on empowering and improving the health of women. For instance, a clinic has been set up in an effort to reduce the incidence of maternal death from childbirth through the provision of necessary medicines and careful monitoring of pregnancy. Organisers publicise the clinic and its services, as well as raise awareness about women's health issues, through posters, drama presentations, and radio discussions within the surrounding area. Contact: info@afrikids.org

8. Count Me In - Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe This is an awareness and action campaign for universal birth registration (UBR), rooted in Article 7 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which states that every child has the right to have his or her birth registered. By drawing on advocacy, partnership, community participation, and training, Plan, the implementing organisation, aims to reduce the barriers to registration of newly born children and to build countries' capacity to register all children. In order to raise public awareness of birth registration, Plan engages in a wide range of activities. These vary from country to country depending on the national and local context, but, in general, Plan works with children and their communities and aims to ensure that the methods adopted are relevant and culturally appropriate. Contact: Colin McCallum Colin.McCallum@plan-international.org

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Please VOTE in our EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT POLL:

"Recognising children's competencies can help adults reflect on the limitations of their understanding of children's lives" (Tolfree and Woodhead, 1999). Do you:

* Agree [please comment in the Poll Comments form on the implications of your choice for development action with children] * Disagree [please comment in the Poll Comments form on the implications of your choice for development action with children]

VOTE and COMMENT - Top Right Side of the website.

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CHILD PROTECTION

9. Children's Media Literacy Project - Jamaica This media literacy project is geared toward children in primary schools in Jamaica and is premised on the notion that training in media literacy helps children take an informed approach when interacting with electronic media or making decisions about what to listen to and watch, especially where parental supervision is absent or inadequate. School-based interpersonal communication, as well as video and printed materials, are at the centre of this effort to guide primary school students on how to approach radio and television content with a critical stance. During the initial pilot stage of the project, selected schools received a video recording and support materials for Grade 4 teachers. The course materials are designed to help teachers explain to children what types of programming are problematic and why, incorporating data from research conducted in Jamaica. Contact: Alton Grizzle a.grizzle@unesco.org OR Cordel Green info@broadcom.org

10. Child Rights Award 2008 This award is for Asia-Pacific broadcasters and producers who have televised programmes both for children and about children that cover any child rights issue. Entries can include documentaries that detail the plight of children, dramas that help break down stereotypes and discrimination, or animation that teaches and entertains. Entries must have been broadcast between June 2007 and May 2008. Deadline Date: June 30 2008

11. The Place Where We Live Is Called the Red Light Area To bring the stories of children of women in prostitution to the fore, and to understand the feelings and thoughts of these children on topics such as violence, abuse, prostitution, stigma, trafficking, and HIV/AIDS, Apne Aap Women Worldwide, an initiative to end sex-trafficking, has published this book. It is the outcome of an advocacy project started by the organisation in the "red light" areas of Sonagachhi and Kalighat, India.

12. A Duty To Protect - Justice for Child Soldiers in the DRC - Democratic Republic of the Congo This is a documentary produced by Association des Jeunes pour le Développement Intégré Kalundu/ Projet Enfants Soldats (AJEDI-Ka/PES) and WITNESS, an organisation using video to expose human rights abuses. The film, which shares the experience of two girls who were recruited into the military and suffered violence and sexual exploitation, is meant to be a tool to advocate for accountability for crimes committed against children, including the use and recruitment of child soldiers. It is also being used to advocate for an end to the lawlessness that exists in Eastern DRC. To support advocacy efforts, the film has been used to stimulate face-to-face events and meetings. Contact: Matisse Bustos matisse@witness.org OR info@ajedika.org

13. Violence Against Young Children: A Painful Issue Early Childhood Matters, Volume 106 This publication focuses on violence against young children, such as corporal punishment, as an issue related to the development of young children. Chapters explore: initiatives designed to support non-violent discipline in schools; programmes protecting children from violence and sexual abuse; advocacy programmes in Kenya, El Salvador, Colombia, Israel, and Bulgaria; and strategies for treating child victims of domestic violence and preventing that violence, among others.

14. Our Right to Be Protected From Violence: Activities for Learning and Taking Action for Children and Young People by Susan Fountain This online booklet is designed for adults, youth leaders, and peer educators who work with groups of young people aged 12–18 in community centres, youth groups, and other settings. The book gives information about the UN Study on Violence Against Children (referred to as here 'the Violence Study'), activities that can be used to help others learn about these issues, and ideas for taking action against violence. The activities book explains the purpose of the Violence Study and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). It then provides a short version of the CRC and activities to familiarise youth with the document. The booklet intends to prepare leaders of activities, particularly youth leaders, for the personal stories and strong feelings that may result from group work. It includes basics of working with groups such as agenda setting and guidelines for participation, as well as types of activities including discussion formats, role plays, action research, reporting, evaluation, and closing activities. It encourages action and contains guidance on action planning.

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Please send material for The Drum Beat to the Editor - Deborah Heimann dheimann@comminit.com

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