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Child Protection and Disability

This presentation at the 7th Africa Forum will explore the importance of protecting children with disabilities and strategies to ensure their well-being. It will address issues such as discrimination, violence, and harmful practices, and advocate for the full inclusion and participation of children with disabilities in society.

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Child Protection and Disability

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  1. Child Protection and Disability By Ruth Ndunge Project Coordinator inclusive education The Salvation Army Kenya East Territory Event: 7th Africa Forum (Addis Ababa) Date: 7th – 12th October 2019

  2. Children with Disabilities

  3. What we will look at • Why we should care about the protection of children with disabilities (CWDs) • Who are we protecting them from • The right to protection for CWDs • Child Protection (CP) as a development agenda • Issues in CP for CWDs • Strategies to ensure CP for a CWD

  4. Definition of Terms • Child - UN Definition - Anyone under the age of 18 • Child Protection • Actions that individuals, organisations, countries and communities take to protect children from acts of harm, Maltreatment and exploitation (TSA) • Disability • A physical, sensory, mental intellectual impairments which hinder full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others (UN)

  5. Why should we care? • Godliness: As a Christian institution, we are committed to a Godly path and Christian ethics - their teaching, promotion and exercise within our institutions, communities and among our beneficiaries. This is the foundation of our commitment. • Sanctity of life: We believe that all life is God-given, it is our divine duty to love, protect and care for it.

  6. Respect for human diversity • We are aware that human beings are diverse in race, culture, religion, language, aptitude and physiology. We therefore respect this diversity as inherent to all mankind.

  7. Commitment to serve: We are committed to serve all humankind in whichever place they are irrespective of their diversity. • Equity and Equality: We believe that all people are equal before God and before the law and should be treated equally and offered opportunities and resources according to their needs

  8. Who are we protecting these children from? • Family Members • Institutions • Care givers • Society • Other children

  9. What are we protecting them from? • Torture • Inhuman degrading treatment/discrimination • Slavery and exploitation practices • Unlawful punishment • Harmful traditional practices • Harmful research Experiments (scientific) • Sterilisation or any other invasive procedures without prior or informed consent • Violence and Abuse

  10. Child protection as a Human Rights issue • Convention on the rights of the Child (CRC) affirms that all children are entitled to protection from all forms of violence • This is further reinforced by the Convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) which gives recognition of the fact that children with disabilities especially girls with disabilities are often at a greater risk of violence injury, abuse, neglect, maltreatment or exploitation

  11. Disability should never justify deprivation of liberty or rights • It also advocates for the right of a child to live in the community backed up with the necessary support services to make that possible

  12. Africa Disability Protocol • Speaks against discrimination on the basis of disability, denying them the enjoyment of rights as anyone else • Stresses that every person with a disability has the inherent right to life and integrity • Advocates for Protection, respect for life and the dignity of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others

  13. Full and effective participation and inclusion in society • Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the rights of children with disabilities to preserve their identities

  14. Speaks also about some of the African harmful practices • Traditional practices • Attitudes (Negative) • Witchcraft • Abandonment • Ritual killing • Association of disability with Omens • Use of derogatory language against the child • Superstition and religion

  15. Child protection and development • Investing in children at the right time in their lives forms the foundation for stronger societies • Investing in the health, education, safety and well being of children, without discrimination, will have long term gains if done right and will benefit the child and society in future. Its not only a rights issue but profitable to a country. Children are future • Workforce • consumers • Advocates • Guardians of our world etc

  16. Inequalities have roots in discrimination based on gender, exclusion, disability, race, religion etc by addressing the root causes and prioritizing the most vulnerable and marginalized we are sure to make progress in breaking cycles of poverty and other inequalities in people opportunities • To provide for a future stability development issues and child protection cannot be seen as two different issues • How do we do this? • By starting with our children

  17. Issues in child protection and disability • Physical development and disability • Parental care Vs excessive parental care/social emotional development • Age (chronological ages vs mental age), who is a child • Inclusion and segregation • Child protection and dignity (multiple caregivers) • Capacity to resist and report abuse • Discrimination because of inabilities caused by the various disabilities/we do not believe their reports The Best interest of the child

  18. The girl child with a disability • Mostly kept in the dark about their sexual and reproductive health and often don’t know how to protect themselves against abuse, pregnancy and diseases • Most are • Raped • Lied to coerced into sexual activities

  19. Three strategies to ensure Child Protection for CWD • 1. Inclusion • 2. Access to justice • 3. Support

  20. 1. Inclusion • Right to live in a community with choices on an equal basis with others. This also calls for inclusion of issues of CWDs within our programs and projects. • With • Adequate support services • Have mobility with greatest possible mobility • Community based rehabilitation services to enhance participation and inclusion of Children with disabilities in the community

  21. It is argued that “Institutionalisation of Children with disabilities denies them the right to grow up in a family environment and can further impact on their ability to grow to their full potential and can increase vulnerability.”

  22. 2. Access to Justice • Have provisions of procedural, age, gender appropriate accommodations in order to facilitate their effective roles • Have trained personnel trained to effectively engage with and ensure rights of children with disabilities are recognised and implemented without discrimination • Access to information in accessible formats (most persons with disabilities don’t have information about their rights)

  23. 3. Support • Providing technical and also financial support to ensure children with disabilities are not separated from their families • Strengthening national institutions protection framework , data collection of children born with disabilities so that they can have access to financial aid provided by government and for support within their communities.

  24. Thank YouPlease contact me with any questionsruth.ndunge@kya.salvationarmy.org

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