Evaluation of the UNICEF initiatives in Burkina Faso and Cameroon to prevent violence against children
Project duration: 2020 (10 months)
The Office is participating in the evaluation of the child protection situation in Burkina Faso and Cameroon. Launched in early 2020 for a period of 10 months, this project aims to evaluate the effectiveness and impact of UNICEF initiatives related to female genital mutilation/cutting, violence against children and early marriage in Burkina Faso and Cameroon.
The project includes several local partners and is intended to be participatory in order to gather the impressions of stakeholders involved in UNICEF's initiatives in the field. The current health crisis has prompted the Office to adapt its methods, including conducting remote data collection with alternative modes of data collection, targeting customary and religious leaders and local authorities.
Mandated by UNICEF, the Office works closely with the programme managers of UNICEF' NGO partners in the countries in question.
Objectives:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of UNICEF-initiated child protection activities in terms of content, functioning, implementation and results;
- Ensure that gender, equity and child rights issues are taken into account and understood by local actors to ensure that the effect and positive impact of the different UNICEF activities on girls and boys continues after the project implementation.
- Addressing female genital mutilation, violence against children and early marriage in Burkina Faso and Cameroon;
Results
Successful results in Burkina Faso – Programme to promote the abandonment of female genital mutilation and child marriage
- 4,600,000 children and adolescents under the age of 18, including nearly 2,350,000 girls and adolescents, have benefited from the protection programme.
- 9 out of 10 adolescents have said they no longer wish to cut their future daughters.
- 4,500 discussion clubs have been set up, where an average of 26 young people meet to discuss gender, gender equality and children’s rights.
- 1650 imams and priests have been trained on the importance of countering female genital mutilation and child marriage.
Successful results in Cameroon – Child Protection Programme
- Strong community support for birth registration was generated by the activities carried out by the partners.
- 77.6% of the younger population interviewed for the evaluation felt that there had been a change in harmful practices affecting the protection of children’s rights in their community.
- At the end of this process, in the target areas, the customary and religious authorities now seem to agree that the practice of child marriage is “not good”, “very serious” or “a hindrance to society and to the progress of the child”.
Photo © UNICEF/UNI144402/Asselin
- Intervention locations : Burkina Faso and Cameroun
- Project duration: 10 mois
- Partners :
- UNICEF
- Other UNICEF partner organisations in the field
- Highlights:
- A separate assessment for each country
- Presentation of preliminary findings by country with workshops to report back on the results of the evaluation ;
- Production of a report presenting the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the evaluation;
- Production of a regional report summarising the evaluations conducted in the two countries.
- Development of an action plan by UNICEF for the implementation of key evaluation recommendations.
- Fields of activity and expertise :
- Applied research
- Advocacy and institutional support
- Child sexual exploitation
- Violence against children
