Lindsay Stark and Debbie Landis conducted a review of 22 prevalence studies of violence against children in humanitarian contexts to examine population-based approaches measuring violence against children. Ultimately, the body of evidence in this review reveals a lack of standard practice in measuring violence against children in emergencies; shows limited evidence of whether and under what conditions violence against children increases; and reveals that fundamental assumptions underpinning violence against children in emergencies are not data-driven. The development of standardized approaches to more rigorously measure violence against children is urgently needed in order to understand trends of violence against children in humanitarian contexts and to promote children’s healthy development and well-being.

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From May to September 2013, the Child Protection in Crisis (CPC) Network conducted a structured analysis of field learning regarding the Child Protection Rapid Assessment (CPRA) toolkit, in order to identify key findings, lessons learned, and recommendations for its future use and implementation. The review covered use of the CPRA toolkit in 15 countries: Burkina Faso, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Somalia, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, and Yemen. This study found that the CPRA toolkit was a valuable addition to the field and a means of increasing the methodological rigor with which child protection assessments are carried out. However, findings suggest the tool is often dependent on technical assistance, it is used outside of the recommended time frame, and that additional approaches were often used in conjunction with the tool.

The research brief and full report are below.

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This article, published in Intervention, describes a participative ranking methodology for identifying local understanding of reintegration and adjustment of potential value in program planning and evaluation. It was applied in the context of girls formerly associated with fighting forces in Sierra Leone. Fourteen discussion groups, utilizing spontaneous listing and participative ranking activities, within a focus group framework, were conducted in 10 communities. Discussions served to identify family support, marriage, involvement in communal activities and income generating activities as locally seen indicators of a girl’s successful reintegration after the war.

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From May-December 2013, the Child Protection in Crisis (CPC) Network and Save the Children UK conducted a scoping exercise in order to examine two child protection issues considered “hard to measure” in humanitarian settings: sexual violence against children and violence within the household. The goal of this exercise was to identify existing methodologies and tools to assess these issues, as well as to highlight gaps in current approaches and offer recommendations for further action.

The research brief and full report are below.

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Current methods to estimate the incidence of gender-based violence in complex emergencies tend to rely on nonprobability samples. Population-based monitoring is undertaken relatively infrequently. This article published in Trauma, Violence and Abuse provides a systematic review of published literature that represents attempts to quantify the magnitude of gender-based violence in emergency settings. Searches adopted a Boolean procedure, which led to initial selection of material that was then reviewed against set criteria. Only 10 studies met the final criteria for inclusion. Intimate partner violence, physical violence, and rape were the three categories of violence most frequently measured. Rates of intimate partner violence tended to be quite high across all of the studies—much higher than most of the rates of wartime rape and sexual violence perpetrated by individuals outside of the home. Direct comparisons of rates of violence were hindered by different case definitions, recall periods, and other methodological features. Recommendations for future studies are offered based on lessons learned from the studies reviewed.

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This article, published in Conflict and Health, reports on the use of a “neighborhood method” to measure the nature and incidence of violence against women and girls in post-conflict Liberia. The study population comprised females in Montserrado and Nimba counties. Study participants were randomly selected for interviews using multi-stage cluster sampling. 30 clusters of households were sampled in each county. Information on incidents of domestic violence and rape within the preceding 18 months was collected with regard to females of all ages in the respondent’s household, and those of her four closest neighbors to make up the full sample. In the previous 18 months 54.1% (CI 53.1-55.1) and 55.8% (CI 54.8-56.8) of females in Montserrado and Nimba respectively were indicated to have experienced non-sexual domestic abuse; 19.4% (CI 18.6-20.2) and 26.0% (CI 25.1-26.9) of females in Montserrado and Nimba respectively to have been raped outside of marriage; and 72.3% (CI 70.7-73.9) and 73.8% (CI 72.0-75.7) of married or separated women in Montserrado and Nimba respectively to have experienced marital rape. Husbands and boyfriends were reported as the perpetrators of the vast majority of reported violence. Strangers were reported to account for less than 2% of the perpetrators of rape in either county. Incidents were most commonly disclosed to other family members or to friends and neighbors, and less often to formal authorities such as the police, court or community leaders. Programming needs to address the fact that this violence is primarily occurring in the household, where most incidents go unreported outside the immediate family or social circle.

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