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Save the Children Sweden
Khartoum Office
A Study on Children’s Protection
Mechanisms
1
Research Team
Lead Researcher:
Nassrin Dafaalla El Hag Yousif
Field Coordinator:
Atif Mahgoub
Field Researchers
Gasim Ahmed
Hashim Sheikh Idris
Mawahib Mohamed Sayed
Mousab Mohamed Musa
Mubarak Osman Hussein
Nuha Babkier Mohamed
Omer El Basheir
Wifag Ahmed El Sayed
Anwar Basheir
2
Content
3
Abbreviation and Acronyms 4
Acknowledgements 5
Executive Summary 6
1.Background Information 8
1.1 Child Protection Legislative Framework in Sudan 10
1.2 The National Plan on Violence Against Children 11
1.3 Description of Current SCS Projects 12
2.Methodology 14
2.1 Objective of the Study 14
2.2 Team Recruitment and Orientation 14
2.3 Research Ethics &Informed Consent 14
2.4 Data Collection 15
2.5 Communities and Geographical Areas Targeted 15
2.6 Limitation of the study 18
3.Results and Analysis 19
3.1 Extent and Perception of Protection 19
3.1.1 Reporting Protection Issues 26
3.2 Knowledge of Existing Laws 27
3.3 Extent and Perception of Participation 27
3.4 Extent and Perception of Discrimination 31
4.Conclusion and Recommendations 33
7
Tables
Table 1: Sudan Population 8
Table 2: Child Mortality 8
Table 3: Net Intake Rate in Primary Education 8
3
Table 4: Secondary School Net Attendance
9
Table 5: Child Labour 9
Table 6: Child Marriage 9
Table 7: FGM Prevalence by Age 9
Table 8: FGM Prevalence by State 10
Table 9: Groups of Children 16
Table 10: street Children by geographical location and age 16
Table 11: Displaced Children by geographical location and age 17
Table 12: Refugee Children by geographical location and age 17
Table 13: Children Groups by geographical location and age 17
Table 14: Children with disability by geographical location and age 18
Table 15: Protection risks identified by children under 12 years 20
Table 16: Protection risks identified by children above 12 years 21
Table 17: Risks affecting boys and girls younger and older than 12 years old 23
Table 18: Protection Risks affecting different groups of children 23
Table 19: Children Participation in events 30
4
Abbreviation and Acronyms
CPA Comprehensive Peace Agreement
CPC Child Protection Committees
CRI Child Rights Institute
FCPU Family and Child Protection Unit
FGM Female Genital Mutilation
KFWC Khartoum Family, Woman and Child Council
PTAs Parents Teachers Associations
SCS Save the Children Sweden
SNSD Sudanese Society for the Deaf
VAC Violence Against Children
5
Acknowledgement
I would like to extend my sincere appreciation and gratitude to the organizations and
individuals who supported this study. First I would like to thank all the children who
participated in the study and willingly shared with us their views, ideas and
experiences. Save the Children Sweden (SCS) Staff; Manal El Gaddal and Aalaa
ElZubair for supporting the study from the beginning. Child Rights Institute (CRI)
for hosting all the team’s meetings and planning sessions. CRI’s staff; Hana Samir and
Rasha Abdelrazig for handling all administrative and financial issues related to the
study. Sudanese National Society for the Deaf (SNSD) and Friends of Family and
Child Association for hosting data collection activities in their premises.
I would like to thank Ministry of Social Welfare, Khartoum State for their assistance
in this study and facilitating our visits to the institutions of children under their
jurisdiction, and to the administration and staff of the centres for the rehabilitation of
street children for opening their doors to the team. Thanks are extended to Khartoum
Family, Woman and Child Council (KFWC) and their staff for their help during the
study.
Last, but not least, my heartfelt thanks to the team of researchers who carried out the
field work. I would like to acknowledge Atif Mahgoub exceptional skills in
coordinating the field activities. The study would not have been completed without
the team members’ dedication, commitment and genuine interest in children.
6
Executive Summary
The research is built on the recommendations of the UN study on violence against
children that all states develop multi-faceted and systematic framework to respond to
violence against children and it is to be integrated into national planning processes and
on SCS work on the promotion of National Child Protection Systems.
The objective of the study is to assess strengths and gaps in existing child protection
systems/structures at community level in selected areas in Sudan based on the views of
children on three main themes:
Extent and perception of protection issues
Extent and perception of participation
Extent and perception of discrimination
The study was conducted in Khartoum state with the participation of 184 children
(113 boys and 71 girls) representing different groups of children: street children,
displaced children, children with disability, refugee children and children groups from
different areas of Khartoum State. Data was collected used different qualitative data
tools, such as drawings, role plays and focus group discussions. Informed consent was
sought from participants in the research in all stages.
The most common child protection issues reported by children are follows: sexual
abuse and harassment, child marriage, physical and humiliating punishment, FGM,
substance abuse, discrimination, bullying, physical violence and child labour.
70% of the children participating in the research reported sexual abuse and harassment
as the most common risk they face. This was followed by child marriage 45%, FGM
22% and physical and humiliating punishment 22%. The main perpetrators of sexual
abuse and harassment are adults/men and teenage boys. Children’s knowledge of the
reporting procedure and existing laws is very weak. Children recommended strong
laws and penalties for perpetrators of sexual abuse including life imprisonment and
capital punishment.
Almost all children participating in the research, except those who are members of the
child forum and the child parliament, did not know about child led groups. This
indicates weakness in the presence of structures where children can enjoy their rights
of participation and freedom of expression. Most children showed interest in joining
children groups.
Certain groups of children face discrimination. The groups identified by the children
include children with disabilities, street children and refugee children.
7
The study concludes with recommendations on how to:
a. Improve and strengthen the existing protection structures.
b. Facilitate the establishment of child led groups.
c. Address discrimination against certain groups of children.
8
1. Background Information
Sudan is a country that has witnessed many conflicts in different fronts since
independence in 1956. The 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) ended a
long war between south and north Sudan. This was followed by the Eastern Sudan
Peace Agreement (ESPA) in 2006 that was signed between the government of Sudan
and the Eastern Sudan Front to end the conflict in the eastern part of Sudan. Conflicts
in the western parts of Sudan are still ongoing. Natural disasters in the 1980s
compounded with conflicts crippled Sudan economy and affected population in
general, but has a drastic impact on the lives of children. Displacement, poverty,
vagrancy, separation from families, recruitment of child soldiers..etc are some of the
many protection problems that children face. In addition to these children also suffer
from many harmful traditional practices such as FGM and early marriage.
The tables below provide demographic information as well as child survival and
development indicators in Sudan:
Table 1: Demographic Information
Sudan Kht State Sudan
(below 15 yrs)
Kht State
(below 15 yrs)
Total Population 39,154,490 5,274,321 17,633, 710 1,910,319
Males 20, 073, 977 2,800,024 9,230,466 980,282
Females 19,080,513 2,474,297 8,403,244 930,037
Source: Sudan 5th
Census 2008
Selected Child Survival and Development Indicators in Sudan
Table 2: Child Mortality
Indicator Value
Infant mortality rate (under 1) 81 per 1000 live births
Child mortality rate 34 per 1000 live births
Under-5 mortality rate 112 per 1000 live births
Maternal Mortality ratio 1,107 per 100,000 live births
Sudan Household Health Survey (SHHS) 2006
Table 3: Net Intake Rate in Primary Education
% of children of primary school
entry age attending grade 1
Number of children of
primary school entry age
Sudan 29.5 1,279,803
Male 31.6 617,966
Female 27.5 661,837
Sudan Household Health Survey (SHHS) 2006
9
Table 4: Secondary School Net Attendance
Age Male Female Total
Net
attendance
ratio
No. of
children
Net
attendance
ratio
No. of
children
Net
attendance
ratio
No. of
children
SUDAN 16.5 1,322,676 21.9 1,045,251 18.9 2,367,926
15 9.7 515,603 14.6 314,122 11.6 829,725
16 19.4 447,399 24.2 386,432 21.6 833,831
17 22.7 359,673 26.1 344,697 24.3 704,370
Sudan Household Health Survey (SHHS) 2006
Table 5: Child labour
Indicator Male (%) Female (%) Total (%)
Child labour (5-14 years ) 1999-2008 14 12 13
Unicef: State of the World’s Children http://www.unicef.org/ritesite/sowc/statistics.php
Table 6: Child Marriage
Indicator Urban
(%)
Rural (%) Total (%)
Child marriage (5-14 years ) 1999-2008 24 40 34
Unicef: State of the World’s Children http://www.unicef.org/ritesite/sowc/statistics.php
Table 7: FGM Prevalence by Age
Ever been circumcised
Age Yes No Don’t
know
Missing Total
0-4 yrs 11.3 86.7 0 1.9 100
5-9 yrs 41.0 57.5 0.1 1.3 100
10-14yrs 76.4 22.8 0.1 0.8 100
15-19 yrs 86.6 13.1 0 0.3 100
20-24 yrs 89.1 10.6 0 0.4 100
25-29 yrs 89 10.7 0 0.2 100
30-34 yrs 91.5 8.3 0.1 0.1 100
35-39 yrs 90.6 8.9 0.1 0.4 100
40-44 yrs 90.4 9.3 0.2 0.1 100
45-49 yrs 90.5 9.3 0.3 100
50+ 89.2 10.3 0.2 0.3 100
Sudan Household Health Survey (SHHS) 2006
10
Table 8: FGM Prevalence by State
Ever been circumcised
State Yes No Don’t
know
Missing Total
Red Sea 79.4 19.8 0.1 0.8 100
River Nile 83.9 15.9 0.2 0 100
Khartoum 70.3 28.8 0.2 0.7 100
Northern 83.1 16.7 0.1 0.1 100
Blue Nile 58.2 41.4 0.1 0.4 100
North
Darfur
63.7 34.0 0.1 2.2 100
Sudan Household Health Survey (SHHS) 2006
1.1 Child Protection legislative Framework in Sudan
Child Act 2010
Since Sudan ratification of the UNCRC in 1990, efforts have been made to improve
the legislative framework and harmonize it with the international standards and
develop child protection mechanisms to create a protective environment for children.
The harmonization process has been a long journey characterized by tolerance and
dedication from civil society in Sudan who was fully engaged and played a positive
role until recently the Child Act 2010 was endorsed in February 2010.
The Act dealt with a wide range of child protection issues. The following is the
summary of some of the provisions of the law to groups of children who face high
risks and in need of special protection measures:
Street Children: vagrancy of children which was considered an offence in another
law is no longer deemed an offence punishable by the law under this act.
Child Soldiers: the law banned the recruitment of children in armed forces, military
groups or use them in any warring acts. The law also stated that demobilized child
soldiers shall receive proper psychological, physical and mental rehabilitation and to
be socially and economically reintegrated. It worth noting that the Military Forces
Act 2007, prohibited the recruitment of children into armed forces.
Children in conflict with the law: the law made several provisions to this category
of children such as the establishment of a specialized police to be called “Family and
Child Protection Unit” (FCPU) with the responsibility of prevention and protection
of children from all forms of violence. Its functions include investigating offences
related to children, looking for missing children, coordinating with the relevant
authorities to provide social and psychological treatment and support to child victims,
and in coordination with specialized personnel conduct researches and surveys on
cases of delinquency and violations that affect children. It worth noting that, civil
society organizations have been working for a long time to have a specialized police to
deal with children in conflict with the law. Their efforts led to the establishment of
FCPU. The first FCPU was established in 2007 in Khartoum State by a decree from
11
the Director-General of the Police. The Director-General of the Police set a
coordination mechanism to follow up the establishment of FCPU in different states of
the Sudan. Today there are 14 FCPU in most of the states in northern Sudan. The
first FCPU was set by a decree, but the new Child Act 2010 gave FCPU their legal
status and mandate.
The law also stated the establishment of social services offices within the FCPU.
These social services offices are responsible for preparing the social and psychological
report of the child, recommending the appropriate measure to be taken against the
child and visiting children in waiting home and reformatories/remand homes.
The law stated the Minister of Interior is responsible for setting waiting homes for
children awaiting investigation or trial in accordance to the international standards.
According to the law, children’s prosecutions and children’s courts are to be
established and prosecutors and judges to receive special training in child rights,
sociology and psychology to enable them to deal with children. The law also states
certain care measures for children vulnerable to delinquency, which includes for the
first time the placement of the child with an NGO working in the field of child care.
Reform measures for children in conflict with the law include: reprimand, warning,
placement under social supervision, placement at reformatory/remand home, perform
community service.
It worth mentioning that the civil society organizations, Unicef and SCS support the
FCPU to provide services within its units.
1.2 The National Plan on Violence Against Children (VAC)
The National Council for Child Welfare (NCCW) is the body set up in 1991 after
Sudan ratification of the UNCRC to plan, coordinate and follow up all issues related
to children rights. It is a policy-making making and advisory body that coordinate
with the different executive and legislative bodies of the government. The Council is
chaired by the President of the Republic with the membership of the relevant
ministers, a representative of the Government of Southern Sudan, the Governors of
States and five members representing voluntary organizations working in the field of
childhood. The NCCW in coordination with civil society organizations drafted a
National Plan on Violence against Children which was finalized and adopted by
NCCW for implementation. This plan is a response to the recommendations of the
UN Study on violence against children that all states develop a multi-faceted and
systematic framework to respond to violence which is integrated into national
planning process and to draft strategies, policies or national plans on VAC. The
general objectives of the plan are:
To establish a comprehensive multi-faceted national system to address issues of
violence against children.
12
To implement international and national standards that protects children from
all types of violence and negligence.
To develop a legislative and legal framework to protect children from all types
of violence.
To raise community awareness on issues related to child protection and their
role in protecting children from abuse and exploitation.
To care for children victims of violence and provide them with treatment,
psychological rehabilitation and reintegration in the society.
Enhancing institutional capacity of government departments and NGOs
working in child protection.
1.3 Description of current Save the Children projects:
Access of marginalized children to NCPS
The project aims at providing protection to children who face marginalization and
insufficient adult support, including children on the streets, children in contact with
the law and children born out of the wedlock. SCS support includes interventions
such as direct support to children in reformatories in education and psychosocial
support, and legal aid. This project will also support networking of actors on juvenile
justice and strengthening of the Family and Child Protection units (FCPU).
Project goal
The overall goal of the project, is to contribute to the overall goal of the 2009-2012
national child protection systems which is (National Child protection structures and
mechanisms which are integrated are strengthened in the ECAf region).
The project will be implemented by SCS national civil society partners in Khartoum
namely Child Rights Institute (CRI) and SABAH association for Child care and
development. Both partners will work with community based groups such as child
protection committees, PTAs, children’ clubs and youth and women groups.
Main activities implemented
The FCPU has been replicated all over the country. And as a result of the continuous
advocacy efforts, the 2010 Child Act has been endorsed, orientation
sessions/discussions were also held on the act for government concerned bodies as
well as local NGOs, in addition to the dissemination of the act it self.
As for efforts towards full prohibition of corporal punishment, in 2009 Khartoum
State Ministry of Education endorsed the teachers’ training manual on alternatives to
corporal punishment and started training its teachers in the different localities of
Khartoum state. Currently a committee of experts in the area of education is working
13
on revising and updating the manual. This will be followed by a Training of Trainers
(TOT) on the updated manual to create a resource group to undertake future
trainings.
Orientation and training sessions on child rights and child protection to Child
Protection Committees and Popular Committees in Localities were conducted to
enable these committees to advocate for child protection at the locality level. The
members of committees who participated in these trainings organized orientation
sessions at their different localities on child protection and the new Child Act 2010.
As part of the support towards the national child protection system, the national plan
of action has finally been revised and adopted by the NCCW for implementation.
This national plan will be the supporting document for the implementation of 2010
child act.
Time frame:
The project will be implemented in 2010.
Budget:
The total amount allocated to CRI and SABAH for implementing the above
mentioned activities is SEK 507,500 during 2010.
Reach & target group(s) of children:
a) Government will be the main targets of this project as it has the primary
responsibility of establishing the NCPS
b) Children groups will be targeted so that they can take part in advocating for
the NCPS.
c) Civil society organizations will be targeted through the different networks
working on the follow up to the UNVAC which are at regional and national
level. The aim will be to improve their understanding of the NCPS and
establish ways in which they can play a positive role in supporting
Government in setting up the recommended structures and also form part of
the NCPS. Local community-based groups will be targeted to include child
protection activities and advocacy in their work.
14
2. Methodology
2.1 Objective of the Study
The objective of the study is to assess strengths and gaps in existing child protection
systems/structures at community level in selected areas in Sudan based on the views of
children on three main themes:
Extent and perception of protection issues
Extent and perception of participation
Extent and perception of discrimination
2.2 Team Recruitment and Orientation
The team of researchers were recruited through local NGOs working in the field of
children rights. Criteria for recruitment included: knowledge of the CRC and child
protection issues, past experience in working with children and flexibility to field
conditions. Prior to the outset of the field work orientation and planning sessions
took place with the team. In theses sessions, the objective of the study was explained
and different qualitative data collection tools to be used during children consultation
sessions were introduced. This was followed by planning data collection and data
collection tools to be used during different consultation sessions with the children.
The team was also trained on how to plan and organize consultation sessions through
skills and techniques on:
Preparation for the consultation session (e.g. venue, time, stationary)
How to introduce the group and break the ice to make the children feel relax.
Use of interactive games when to prevent boredom
Collecting required information
Reporting collected information
2.3 Research Ethics &Informed Consent:
In this research, ethical principles are observed and strictly adhered to especially as the
team was working with children. In this research informed consent was very
important. Informed consent means that the respondent has been informed of and
understood the research objectives and willingly agreed to participate in the research
knowing that he/she can withdraw at any time. Informed consent was sought during
data collection from children and adults.
Ethical standards set for researchers include the following:
Researchers should recognize their moral obligation to protect children all the
time. No child should suffer or put at risk as a result of this research.
Researchers should protect the confidentiality and anonymity of children.
15
Researchers should not put pressure on the child to give information when the
child is unwilling to answer.
Researchers should not make false promises.1
All the above mentioned standards were observed by the researchers throughout the
research.
2.4 Data Collection
Qualitative methods were used for data collection. Consultation sessions as well as
individual interviews were used for data collection. The study relied mainly on
qualitative data. The main reason for this is that qualitative data usually give deeper
and richer information compared to quantitative one. Nevertheless, quantitative data
was derived from the collected data. Consultation sessions with children provide a
forum for children to speak openly and freely if well prepared and facilitated by the
researchers.
Data Collection methods
a. Role Plays
b. Puppets
c. Drawings
d. Focus Group Discussions
e. Individual interviews
Girls and boys under 12 years during a drawing activity
2.5 Communities and Geographical Areas Targeted
The study took place in Khartoum State, the capital of Sudan which is located at the
confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile rivers. It is made up of the three towns of
Omdurman, Khartoum North (also known as Bahry) and Khartoum. A total of 184
children (113 boys, 71 girls) participated in the study representing urban and semi
urban children, displaced children, refugee children, children with disabilities and
street children. The age range of the children was from 9 to 18 yrs old. During the
work, children were divided according to age into two groups less than12 years and
older than 12 years.
1 Children of Sug, 2001
16
Table 9: Groups of Children
Groups of Children Boys Girls Total Percentage
Street Children 37 12 49 27%
Displaced Children 22 24 46 25%
Refugees Children 17 18 35 19%
Children Groups2
22 8 30 16%
Children with Disabilities 15 9 24 13%
Total 113 71 184 100
Street Children:
Most of street children were in government run institutions. Only very few were
interviewed on the streets. Those who participated in the research came from different
parts of Sudan due to different reasons; conflict, family dysfunction, poverty ...etc.
Table 10: Street Children by geographical location and age
Group Geographical Location Boys/Age Girls/Age Total
+12 -12 +12 -12
Street Children Rashad
Institution
Khartoum
State
12 12
Street Children Tayba
Institution
Khartoum
State
13 13
Street Children Tayba
Institution
Khartoum
State
9 9
Street Children Bashayer
Home
Khartoum
State
12 12
Street Children Streets Khartoum
State
3 3
Total 12 25 12 49
Displaced Children:
Displaced children participated in this research came from three main areas:
1. Mandela camp in Mayo area south of Khartoum town.
2. Fateh Area north of Omdurman town.
3. Wad Albasheir camp west of Omdurman town.
These three areas represent the major IDPs camps around Khartoum State. Some of
the areas in which the camps are located have been planned by the government as
residential areas, but they still lack basic services such as running water and electricity.
2 The children groups are: The Child Forum and Khartoum State Child Parliament
17
Table 11: Displaced Children by geographical location and age
Group Geographical Location Boys/Age Girls/Age Total
+12 -12 +12 -12
Displaced Children Al Fath area Semi-urban 15 15
Displaced Children Wad Albasheir Semi-urban 16 16
Displaced Children Mayo Semi- urban 6 9 15
Total 16 6 15 9 46
Refugee Children
Urban Refugee children from Ethiopian and Eritrean communities who participated
in this study came from Gerif West and Deim areas. These two are areas in Khartoum
town inhabited by middle and low income Sudanese families. In addition to the
Sudanese, there is presence of large urban refugee communities in these areas.
Table 12: Refugee Children by geographical location and age
Group Geographical location Boys/Age Girls/Age Total
Area Description +12 -12 +12 -12
Ethiopian Refugees Deim urban 11 11
Eritrean Refugees Gerif West urban 7 7 14
Ethiopian Refugees Deim urban 10 10
Total 10 7 18 35
Children Groups
Children from two child groups had participated in the study. The two child groups
are:
Child Forum: is a child group affiliated to the local NGO Friends of Family and
Children Association in Tuti Island. Tuti Island is located at the confluence of the
Blue Nile and White Nile. Tutis Island is characterised by a mixed urban-rural pattern
of life.
Khartoum State Child Parliament: This is a parliament of children representing all
Khartoum State. The parliament is under the supervision of Khartoum, Family,
women and Child Council. This is government department responsible for following
up family and women and children issues in Khartoum State and it is under the State
Ministry of Social Welfare.
Table 13: Children Groups by geographical location and age
Group Geographical location Boys/Age Girls/Age Total
Area Description +12 -12 +12 -12
Child Forum Tuti island Semi-urban 11 4 15
Child Parliament
members
Kht State Urban and
semi urban
11 4 15
Total 11 11 4 4 30
18
Children with Disability
Children with visual, hearing and physical disabilities participated in the study. They
represent different areas of Khartoum, Khartoum North and Omdurman towns.
Table 14: Children with disability by geographical location and age
Group Geographical location Boys/Age Girls/Age Total
Area Description +12 -12 +12 -12
Visually impaired
Children
Khartoum
North
Urban and
semi-urban
5 4 9
Hearing impaired
Children
Omdurman,
Khartoum.
Urban and
semi -urban
5 2 7
Physically impaired
children
El Hag Yousif Semi-urban 5 3 8
Total 15 9 24
Limitations of the Study
The school holidays limited access to a wider group of children.
The elections delayed and interrupted data collection.
Children in conflict with the law were not represented in the study.
Permission was delayed as the police was on standby/emergency state during
the elections.
19
3. Results and analysis
3.1 Extent and Perception of Protection:
This section deals with the major protection risks that children perceive and
experience in their communities. Children were asked to list all protection issue then
multiple voting is used to determine the major three risks that children face. Risks
mentioned by children include:
Sexual abuse and harassment
Physical and Humiliating Punishment (including corporal punishment)
Child Marriage
FGM
Vagrancy
Negligence
Child Labor
Bullying
Family problems (e.g. divorce of parents, separation from parents)
Discrimination
Substance Abuse
Kidnapping
A drawing of boys fighting and one is using a knife
20
After multiple voting the main protection risks identified by children were as follows:
Protection risks identified by children under 12 years old:
Protection risks identified by different groups of children younger than 12 years
include: sexual abuse and harassment, early marriage, substance abuse, physical and
verbal violence. The children also identified the children most affected by the
protection risk. The table shows the protection risks identified by children under 12
years old.
Table 15: Protection risks identified by children under 12 years
Group of Children Risks identified Affecting boys Affecting girls
Displaced boys and
girls
Early Marriage Girls (+12)
Sexual abuse Boys (+12) Girls (+12)
Eritrean Refugee
boys and girls
Sexual Abuse Boys (-12)
Street boys
Girls (-12)
Street Girls
Child neglect Boys (+12) Girls (+12)
Ethiopian Refugee Sexual abuse Girls (+12)
21
girls &harassment
Verbal Violence Girls (+12)
Street Children
(boys)
Substance abuse
(silicion)
Street boys (+12)
Sexual Abuse Street boys ( +12) Street girls (+12)
Physical
Violence
Boys (-12)
Child Forum (boys
and girls)
Sexual Abuse Boys (-12) Girls (-12)
Early marriage Girls (+12)
FGM Girls (-12)
Protection risks identified by children above 12 years old:
Older children, over 12 years old were also asked to identify the different protection
risks that face children. Protection risks identified by different groups of children
include: sexual abuse and harassment, early marriage, FGM, discrimination, corporal
punishment, substance abuse and bullying. There are some protection risks that had
been identified by both older and younger children. These include sexual abuse and
harassment, substance abuse, early marriage and physical violence. The table shows
the protection risks identified by children above12 years old.
Table 16: Protection risks identified by children above 12 years
Group Risks identified Affecting boys Affecting girls
Child Parliament
(boys and girls)
Discrimination Boys with
disability (+12)
Girls with
disability (+12)
Early Marriage Girls (+12)
FGM girls (-12)
Displaced Girls Sexual abuse Girls (+12)
Corporal
Punishment
Boys (+12) Girls (+12)
22
Humiliating
Punishment
Boys (+12) Girls (+12)
Displaced Boys Sexual Abuse Boys (+12) Girls (+12)
Early Marriage Girls (+12)
FGM Girls (-12)
Refugee Boys Sexual Abuse Boys (+12) Girls (+12)
Corporal
Punishment
Boys (+12) Girls (+12)
Bullying Boys (-12) Girls (+12)
Street Boys Substance abuse
(Silicion)
Street boys (+12)
Physical violence
Street boys (+12)
Sexual abuse Boys (+12) Girls (+12)
Street Girls Sexual abuse Street boys (-12) Street girls (+12)
Bullying Street boys(-12) Street girls (-12)
Children with
Disability
Discrimination Boys with
disability (+12)
Street boys (+12)
Girls with
disability (+12)
Street girls (+12)
Corporal
punishment
Boys (+12)
Boys with
disability (+12)
Girls (+12)
Girls with
disability (+12)
Sexual abuse and
harassment
Girls (+12)
Early marriage Girls (+12)
23
Table 17: Risks affecting boys and girls younger and older than 12 years old
Protection Risks Affecting
young girls
Affecting
older girls
Affecting
young boys
Affecting
older boys
Sexual abuse and harassment √ √ √
Early Marriage √
PHP √ √ √ √
FGM √
Child Labour √ √ √ √
Table 18: Protection Risks affecting different groups of children
Protection Risks Affecting
Street
Children
Affecting
children
with
disability
Affecting
displaced
children
Affecting
refugee
children
Sexual abuse and harassment √ √ √ √
PHP √ √ √ √
Substance Abuse √
Discrimination √ √ √
Bullying √ √
Physical Violence √ √ √ √
Child Labour √ √
Child Neglect √ √
Sexual Abuse and Harassment
Children fear of sexual abuse and harassment could be attributed to the fact that
recently, there is an increase in the incidents of sexual abuse and harassment among
children. In the past these cases used to go unreported due to fear of social stigma,
family ignorance and children fear of blame. Recently in the past two years, different
media channels highlighted the issue of children sexual abuse. There were cases of
children rape that caught public attention for a very long time. These were famous
cases were the victims were less than five years old who had been raped and killed by
the perpetrators. These cases were raised by the children during the focus group
discussions. The children think that if there are strong laws it would not have taken so
long to prosecute the perpetrators. Most children think that death penalty should be
the punishment for rape crimes. In addition to the media, the establishment of the
Family and Child Protection Units (FCPU) in 2007 in many states and their outreach
and awareness raising programmes encouraged families to report cases of sexual abuse.
Another factor is the widespread of “video watching clubs” in the outskirts of the city.
These are small shops where movies are displayed for audience. Some of these clubs
show pornography films. The main perpetrators of sexual abuse are adult males and
teenage boys. Younger boys and girls are the most affected. Children mentioned
family and police as the main support structure they will seek help from.
24
Harmful Traditional Practices
Early marriage or child marriages refer to marriages taking place before the age of 18.
It is a common practice in many African countries and Sudan is no exception. It
violates children, and in particular girls, rights in many ways. From a rights
perspective early/child marriage denies girls and women from their fundamental
rights of psychosocial and emotional well being as well as education. Child marriage
jeopardizes girls’ lives during child bearing and childbirth thus increases maternal
mortality and infant mortality rates.
Boys and girls highlighted child marriage as a protection issue for girls especially those
in rural areas or who belong to illiterate and ignorant families. The main perpetrators
identified by the children are the parents, family, community and old men and youth
who marry these girls. For the early marriage the children did not know of and did
not identify any support structure.
Another harmful traditional practice that is identified by children as a protection risk
is the Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Girls are the most affected by this practice
and the perpetrators are the family and community who support this tradition.
Similar to early marriage the children could not identify any support structure.
Physical and Humiliating Punishment
Physical and humiliating punishment (PHP) is identified by 22% of the children as a
protection risk. Of the 22% of children, 14% mentioned corporal punishment and
remaining 8% is other forms of humiliating punishment. PHP is practiced mainly at
schools and home. Corporal punishment is considered by many Sudanese as an
acceptable and appropriate approach for disciplining and bringing up children. Even
for some children, they accept it as a method for disciplining and punishment. This
explains it is law percentage assigned to it as a risk compared to other risks. The main
perpetrators are teachers and parents.
A drawing of a boy and girl calling for stopping violence against children
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse as protection risk is mentioned by street children only. Large
numbers of street children chew and /or sniff “silision” which is petroleum based glue
used for repairing tires. It contains addictive substance such as benzene. The substance
25
is available and cheap and can be easily obtained from bikes and automobile repair
shops. This is why children mentioned tire shops as the perpetrators. As stated in a
study on street children “inhale silision to get an out –of –this-world feeling, to escape the
harsh realities of the street”3
. In addition to silision children also inhale/sniff benzene. It
is worth noting, that article 18 of the new 2010 Child Act ban the sale and use of
narcotic substances including silision to children.
Other Protection Risks
Discrimination:
Discrimination as a risk was mentioned mainly by the children with disabilities and
refugee children. It was also highlighted by the members of the child parliament.
Children with disabilities mentioned three groups of children that face discrimination.
These are children with disability, street children and poor children. Children born
out of wedlock as group discriminated against are mentioned only by the parliament
members. Family and society are the main perpetrators of discrimination. Refugee
children mentioned that they are discriminated against by children of the host
community. As one child mentioned “they call us habashi4
”.
A role play on discrimination against children with disabilities.
Kidnapping:
Fear of kidnapping is an issue that has been mentioned by different groups of
children. Recently there are several cases of kidnapping of children in the newspapers.
Some children mentioned that there are children kidnapped from their
neighbourhood. Last week a gang of 10 women has been arrested in cases of
kidnapping children. Investigations are still underway. This explains the justifiable
fear of children of kidnapping.
Child Neglect:
Child neglect is mentioned mainly by refugee children and displaced children. They
explained that children are left alone at home not attended by adults or left to another
child to look after them. Children left alone or at the care of another children are
subjected to many risks, such as falling down, fire, ..etc.
3 Children of the Sug, 2001:61
4 Habashi means Ethiopian in Arabic.
26
Child labour:
Many young girls work in selling tea and coffee and boys work in cafeterias. This
subjects them to the risk of abuse and result in most of them dropping out of school.
3.1.1 Reporting of Protection Issues
Many children know that they can report protection issues such as sexual abuse to
their families (particularly mothers) who will report to the police. Street children
report physical violence and different abuses to social workers and police. While they
seek the support of doctors and hospitals in dealing with problems related to silision
sniffing. Most children know the police emergency number 999, but few know 9696
the child helpline of the FCPU. This could be due to the fact that 999 patrol car are
present in many neighbourhoods all day round. While 9696 does not have patrol cars
and its presence is limited compared to 999.
Children are not familiar with the exact procedures of reporting cases but have a
general idea. Street children know the procedures, but fear that the police would not
believe them unless they have a witness. Others fear to be beaten up by the police.
Others mentioned that they can not report because they are young.
Other protection risks mentioned by children go unreported such as FGM, early
marriage, negligence, child labour and to some extent corporal punishment. As for
harmful traditional practices and negligence the perpetrators are the family. For
corporal punishment as mentioned earlier it is accepted as a form of disciplining
children by many adults as well as children. There are cases where corporal
punishment in schools had been reported to police. This takes place only when the
victim is severely injured and has to be taken to the hospital for medical treatment.
Some children don’t report corporal punishment fearing name calling.
“When you report to the police they
shout/yell at you, to scare you. If you
are not scared they believe you. If you
did not change your story they believe
you, if you changed what you said
earlier they would not believe you”
Child in Mandela
“I don’t report corporal punishment as
not to be called a baby”
Refugee Boy
27
3.2 Knowledge of Existing Laws
Children’s knowledge of laws varies between members of the child parliament and the
child forum in one hand and the other groups of children. The child parliament and
child forum members know about some of the laws related to children in particular
the new Child Act 2010. Other groups such as refugee children, displaced children,
children with disabilities have no knowledge of any laws. Some street children know
some of the laws.
Children made the following comments on the existence and suffice of laws:
*Maram is the name of the 4 years old girl victim of the one of the famous rape cases
in Sudan. She was raped and killed.
None of the children interviewed were consulted in the development of laws or
policies related to children. Members of the child parliament and child forum
participated in advocacy activities for the law. Most children think that laws are
important for protecting children and could be improved by government
commitment to their application.
3.3 Extent and Perception of Participation:
Children forum and child parliament members know about child led groups of which
they are part of, while displaced children, refugee children, street children and
children with disability don’t know about any child led groups.
Child Forum: the forum is initiated and part of the Friends of Family and Child
Association. This association is a local NGO based in Tuti Island. To realize children
participation they initiated the child forum. Currently, the forum has 45 members, 25
girls and 20 boys. The forum has members from the different localities of Khartoum
“If there are laws they would have hanged the perpetrator in
Maram’s* case immediately, they would not have take so long”
Visually impaired child
“We want a law for hanging a person who rapes girls”
A street girl
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State. Any child who is between 9 and 18 years old can join the forum after filling the
membership form. The child forum was formed to:
Promote children participation in the issues that concern them
Raise their awareness on international and regional conventions as well
as national laws related to children
Build their capacities and empower them to know their rights and
responsibilities
Raise their awareness on the challenges and threats to their protection
The members of the forum plan and implement different activities. E.g. they have a
weekly forum discussing different child rights and protection issues. They suggest field
visits and adults help them in organizing these visits. In addition to the organization
and coordination of the activities, adults also have a supervisory role. Examples of
protection activities:
1. Organizing a visit to the Family and Child Protection Unit: the
children suggested the visit, adults helped in organizing it. After the
visit the children produced a wall paper reflecting what they have seen
in the unit and the role of the unit in child protection.
2. Supporting the Friends of Family and Child Association initiative of
‘Tuti Island free of FGM’ which was organized on the international day
to combat FGM. The children participate with a musical performance
calling for the stopping of the practice and protection girls from it.
They also publishing an article on FGM on a newsletter issued on the
occasion.
Child Parliament: is initiated by the Khartoum Family, Woman and Child Council
(KFWC). The parliament is formed from children representing the seven localities of
Khartoum State. The process for the parliament elections starts at the school level.
Each school elects its own parliament. Each locality has a parliament that is made up
from representatives of the schools’ parliaments in the locality. Then each locality
elects 10 members from its parliament to the State Parliament. In addition to the 70
members representing the different localities, there are 50 children representing
Case study:
A grand mother of a girl from Tuti Island who is a member of the Forum
and participated in the initiative of ‘Tuti island free of FGM’ was talking to
the father of the girl on her circumcision during the school holidays. The girl
sat with her father and discussed with him that she does not want to undergo
the procedure and reminded him of messages sent to the families by their
musical performance on the celebration to combat FGM. The father was
convinced and called the Forum Coordinator appreciating and appraising
their efforts.
29
different groups of children including children with disabilities, displaced children and
street children. Khartoum State Parliament has the following objectives:
To train children to practice consultation and dialogue in addressing
issues of concern to them.
To train children on constructive dialogue and accepting different point
of views.
To know children views on the services provided to them at the state
level.
To know children opinion of how to positively participate in
protecting their environment
The parliament has several activities targeting protection issues such as:
Raising children awareness on their rights and drawing the attentions of
decision-makers to the challenges and problems facing children. This
was done through weekly TV programme broadcasted on the local TV
channel. Members of the children parliament invite children to
participate in the programme. Every week they discuss an issue related
to children rights and open the floor for the guests to discuss and ask
questions.
Discussing issues of violence against children e.g. recruitment of child
soldiers. This was achieved through the participation of members of the
parliament in a workshop organized for them by the NCCW to
participate in writing Sudan report on the implementation of the
Optional Protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
Unfortunately, currently the parliament is facing some difficulties in implementing its
planned activities due to lack of funds.
Children would like to be part of a child led group. E.g. some of hearing impaired
children would like to be part of farming and painting groups, and they want to be
members but they don’t want to take a leading role. The reason given by them is that
the responsibility is very difficult and not all people understand their sign language.
The other children of the hearing impaired group do not want to be part of the group
as studying and household chores take all their time.
The visually impaired children would like to be part of group but under the
leadership of an adult to make sure the group is on the right track. Displaced girls,
older than 12 years, mentioned that they want to be part of a group provided that all
the members are of the same age so as to be able to discuss issues of concern without
embarrassment. This is very important especially when working in conservative
communities where separation between males and females is strictly adhered to.
30
Most of the children are interested in joining child led groups believing that it will
provide a forum for them to reflect their ideas and give them space to freely do their
own things.
Child led groups are not common in Sudan. This is very clear from the study which
revealed that most children do not know about any child led groups, except those
who are members of the child forum or the parliament. Children participation in
Sudan is hindered by the society’s perception of children as ignorant, immature, and
irresponsible; and by the adults and children’s ignorance of children rights. Hence
they are not listened to or given the opportunity to express themselves.
Extent of children’s participation in community and/or national events
Out of the 184 children who participated in the research, 57% had participated in
community and national events. The table below shows the number of children from
each group and their percentage from the total number of children.
Table 19: Children Participation in events
Groups of Children Number Percentage
Street children in institutions (boys and
girls older than 12)
46 25%
Child Groups (boys and girls older
than 12)
30 16%
Displaced children (boys and girls
younger than 12)
15 8%
Eritrean Refugee children (boys and
girls less than 12)
14 8%
Total 105 57%
“These groups represent us and reflect our
ideas and point of view”
“We will be able to do our own things
freely”
“If you are part of a group in the future you
will be able to do many things”
Displace children
31
Children mentioned that they participate in community as well as national events.
For example, displaced children (girls and boys younger than 12 years old), street
children in institutions, child forum members and parliament members participated in
celebrations of the day of the African child, the day of the Arab child and mother’s
day as well as SC day of action to end VAC. Other mentioned events such as art
exhibitions organized in cultural centres.
Only a third of the refugee children mentioned participation in Christmas and school
celebrations. The rest did not know about and participate in any events. The same
applies to the older displaced boys. The boys believe that those who participate in
events usually have a “connection”, i.e. a relative or an acquaintance facilitating their
participation. This implies that not all children have the opportunity to participate.
The children think that they are excluded from participation in events because adults
either don’t inform them or are busy to take them to these events. Another reason
given by refugee children is that taking part in these events may entails paying money
and adults don’t want to pay it.
Children would like to be involved in future events/celebrations. To ensure their
participation the children stated that they are to be informed about events and to be
involved from the beginning in the preparation e.g. in planning and buying things.
The hearing impaired children mentioned that they would like to participate in
activities with a condition that they are to be trained very well on the activities to
ensure that the audience will not make fun of them.
All the children in the study mentioned that they know civil society organizations
(both national and international). The international organizations that children
mentioned by them are: Unicef, SCS, Warchild Holland, USAID, WHO, Cheshire
Home and Africa International Organization. The national organizations mentioned
by the children are: Sabah, Amal, Friends of Family and Child Association, CRI, and
Yanboua.
The children mentioned that these organizations do the following:
Build children capacities and give information on children rights.
Come up with international conventions and laws to protect children
They provide chairs, copybooks, pens and pencils,
Protect children and provide their needs.
Invite children to participate in their activities.
3.4 Extent and Perception of Discrimination:
Children reported that there are certain groups of children who face discrimination.
These are street children, children with disabilities and poor children. Refugee
children as group facing discrimination were mentioned only by the refugee
32
themselves. They mentioned that they face discrimination from children of the host
community. They are not allowed to play in the neighbourhood football field. The
children feel sad and helpless.
Street children are discriminated against because of their dirty appearance; they are
not allowed in public transportation and children do not play with them and call
them “shamasei”5
.
Children with disability believe they are excluded because of their disability. A recent
study found out that the community in general has a negative perception of children
with disabilities. Some families consider children with disability a liability and a
disgrace to the family and cannot play a positive role in the society6
.
Street girls mentioned that social workers in institutions sometimes do not treat
children equally. They tend to favour some girls. This creates jealousy among the
group who tend to harm the favoured girl. The girls want to be treated equally.
Displaced children feel they are discriminated against when they compare the areas
they are living in with other areas. They want their areas to be planned and to have
running water, electricity, school and Khalwa (a Quranic school).
Discrimination based on gender was not mentioned by any of the children.
5 Is the name given to street children in Sudan.
6 Yousif, N. (2009), Child Participation Study, Save the Child Sweden, Khartoum Office.
33
4. Conclusion and Recommendations
Protection
The study revealed that children are aware of many of the protection issues that face
them. They were able to identify the main risks they face and the perpetrators. The
most common child protection issues reported by children are follows: sexual abuse
and harassment, child marriage, physical and humiliating punishment, FGM,
substance abuse, discrimination, bullying, physical violence and child labour.
Most of them do not know about the procedures to be followed for reporting risks.
Children report abuses mainly to their families who report to the police,
hospital,...etc. It worth noting that, some families also do not know about the
procedures to be followed when reporting cases of abuse to the police. Children
rarely report to the police directly, this is could be attributed to several reasons:
a. Children might not know the procedure even if they know where to go.
b. Children fear the police might not believe them as stated by the children in the
study.
c. The perpetrator could be a close family member and many of these cases go
unreported.
Some protection risks go unreported such as corporal punishment, FGM, child
marriage for social reasons. In schools and neighbourhood, cases of violence are
sometimes reported to teachers and adults in the family.
The presence if the FCPU and Child Protection Committees (CPC) at the localities is
one of the strengths of the existing protection structures. The gap is that many
children as well as adults are not aware of the presence of these structures, although
FCPU was established since 2007. This is resulting in many cases of children abuses
that were reported to police stations and not to the FCPU.
Some children fear reporting to the police, while others mentioned that the police
don’t believe them. This requires working with both children and police; to inform
the children about the FCPU and to train the police to use child friendly measures
with the children.
In addition to the FCPU, there are Child Protection Committees (CPCs) at the
locality level. These are established by the Khartoum Family, Woman and Child
Council (KFWC)7
. The CPCs are established to coordinate all child protection
activities within the localities. These CPCs could play a major role in child protection
if activated and strengthened. The CPCs are not active and they are known to the
communities where they exist.
7 The state council responsible of children rights at Khartoum State.
34
Recommendations
1. Disseminate information on the FCPU and its helpline number 9696 using
different media channels and outreach activities, taking into account children
with disabilities.
2. Disseminate information and raise community and children awareness on the
different reporting structures and procedures at the different levels
(community, locality, district and national levels).
3. Strengthen CPCs through capacity building and enhancing their skills in child
rights, child protection, national legislations, community mobilization and
advocacy.
4. Create linkages and coordination between the CPCs and the FCPU.
5. CPCs to have plan and implement programmes and activities to promote child
protection.
6. Encourage networking between CPCs at the different localities for
information and experience sharing.
7. Include children representative in these CPCs.
8. Work towards establishing a system for a child protection at national level in
general and community level in particular. Raising stakeholders awareness on
the importance of this system in creating a protective environment for
children at all levels.
Participation
Although there is a degree of children participation in events and celebrations,
children’s right to participation is not widely realized. The element of listening to
children and involving them in decision-making processes is weak and need to be
reinforced. Participation is hindered by society’s perception of children as well
ignorance of children rights. The presence of child led groups is very limited. Most of
the children expressed interest in being part of child led groups. Some of children put
some conditions such as groups to be under adults’ leadership. This could be
attributed to the children lack of self confidence or it could be to the fact the children
has no previous experience in this area.
It is noticed that children who are members of the parliament or the forum have self-
confidence, very articulate, more knowledgeable about issues related to children rights
and protection compared to the other children.
Recommendations
1. Encourage/facilitate the establishment of different child led groups. Children
participation in these groups will empower them and build up their
competences through direct experiences in planning and implementation of
different activities.
35
2. National NGOs, schools, and institutions to involve children in planning and
organizing different activities and to encourage the inclusion of children with
disabilities and other excluded groups.
3. To strengthen the existing child parliament and advocate for broader
representation and inclusion of children.
Discrimination
Discrimination based on gender was not mentioned by any of the children who
participated in the study, although it is present and practiced in the Sudanese society.
The groups that face discrimination are street children, children with disability, poor
children and refugee children.
Recommendations
1. Working with communities to change their perception of children with
disabilities and street children.
2. Advocate for better services (educational, health, recreational, etc.) and
facilities for children with disability within the existing services so as to ensure
inclusion.
3. Encourage building relationship between refugee children and children of the
host community where refugee children live. This is could be achieved
through:
i. Working with the communities (both adults and children)
where refugee groups live.
ii. Implementing joint cultural or sport activities.
