Child sexual abuse in Tanzania and Kenya

OBJECTIVE: Most research on child abuse in Tanzania and Kenya is unpublished in the international literature. The purpose of this paper is to examine the various commentaries and reports extant, toward an overview of the nature and frequency of child sexual abuse in Tanzania and Kenya. METHODS: Contacts were made with academics, government departments, NGOs, and UN agencies. This was followed by a field trip in the summer of 2001 where all available reports were examined and a wide range of interviews conducted. RESULTS: Little empirical data exist on child sexual abuse in Tanzania. It is widely perceived that it may be increasing as a result of AIDS sufferers' attempts to cleanse themselves. The breakdown of traditional childcare systems, foreign influences, poverty, and the lowly position of girls in society are also implicated. More research has been conducted in Kenya. It is clear that first coitus occurs at a young age for many Kenyan children and adolescents. Also, a degree of force, trickery, or material exchange is not uncommon in adolescent sexual relations. CONCLUSIONS: Child sexual abuse is under-researched in Tanzania and Kenya. Studies by UN agencies such as United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have focused on the commercial sexual exploitation of children, to the neglect of more pervasive abuse in children's own communities by family, relatives, and neighbors. Nationwide surveys of the general population are required for an empirical understanding of this topic. Given the high incidence of AIDS/HIV in both countries, it is important to know if the epidemic is increasing the risk of rape or incest for children.     

Child care subsidies and child development

Child care subsidies are an important part of federal and state efforts to move welfare recipients into employment. One of the criticisms of the current subsidy system, however, is that it overemphasizes work and does little to encourage parents to purchase high-quality child care. Consequently, there are reasons to be concerned about the implications of child care subsidies for child development. In this paper, we provide a systematic assessment of the association between subsidy receipt and a wide range of child outcomes. Drawing on rich data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, we document a negative relationship between child care subsidies and child development. In particular, our results suggest that subsidy receipt in the year before kindergarten is associated with lower reading and math test scores and greater behavior problems at kindergarten entry. Some of these negative effects persist until the end of kindergarten. A potential explanation for the poorer outcomes is that subsidized children are more likely to receive intense exposure to low-quality child care.     

Child care research: an editorial perspective

The goals of Child Development's new From Another Perspective format are discussed, and an overview of the content of the inaugural From Another Perspective collection on child care effects is provided. The two lead articles suggest, respectively, that long hours in child care are related to children's later behavior problems and that child care may be physiologically challenging for young children. Commentaries focus on the need to examine a range of additional factors before drawing definitive conclusions about cause and effect. Among the issues discussed in the commentaries are the need to account for context, individual differences among children, and methodological challenges. The introductory editorial also overviews policy implications and directions for future research.     

Child care research: a clinical perspective

Two new studies on day care suggest that young children demonstrate increased aggressive behavior in relationship to time spent in day care and increases in cortisol levels in relationship to full-time, group-oriented, out-of-home care. These observations can be more fully understood in a clinical context that looks at individual differences in children, families, and child care environments. Factors likely to increase risk include sensory processing and modulation challenges; family stress; and lack of sensitive, nurturing interactions associated with less high-quality child care. Because 85% to 90% of current day care is not considered to be of high quality, individual families that can provide high-quality care need to explore carefully their options to see if it is possible to provide direct nurturing care for their infants and young children for at least half of the day.     

幼儿教师专业发展的途径与方法研究

对幼儿教师专业发展现状进行调查和分析,以期为幼儿教师教育发展提供最基本的理论依据,更好地促进幼儿教师的专业发展。在幼儿教师专业发展中存在很多问题：师资队伍建设没有规划,专业配置不合理;学历达标率较高但专业程度不够扎实;教育教学教研问题突出;家园合作还停留于表浅水平;园长管理水平不够成熟。笔者提出幼儿教师专业发展的对策：制定师资队伍建设规划,建立和完善幼儿教师任用制度;改革师范院校幼师教育,确保幼师生源质量;加强教师自主专业发展,提高教育教学教研能力;加大宣传力度,推进家园合作;发挥终身学习方式,翻新自身专业素养;提升幼儿园园长的管理理念,为教师创造支持性发展平台;加强与其它教师培训机构的联系,开展多渠道的培训。     

Child care workers' knowledge about reporting suspected child sexual abuse.

As reports of the sexual abuse of preschool-aged children increase and the number of children in day care expands, it is important to recognize child care workers as potentially important resource persons for sexually abused preschoolers. Although they are potential resources for abused children, they may fail to report suspected abuse if they do not know their legal responsibilities and their rights and protections under the law. The purpose of this study was to determine child care workers' knowledge about their reporting rights and responsibilities. Relative to child sexual abuse experts, day care personnel knew significantly less about the procedures for reporting suspected abuse and their protection under the law. Suggestions for improving child care workers' knowledge about reporting suspected sexual abuse cases are provided.     

Child abuse and neglect—rare, but perhaps increasing, phenomena among the samia of Kenya

This study shows that child abuse and neglect as understood in the West are comparatively rare phenomena among the Samia of western Kenya. The existence of an extended family situation and a strong clan structure are importantly related to positive care accorded to children. However, due to increased migration to towns, socioeconomic change, and interethnic marriages, the clan unit has been eroded thus resulting in cases of child abuse and neglect. Several such cases are reported in this study. The Samia traditionally practice the “evil eye” which is here considered to be a form of child abuse. Our findings, therefore, also have implications for previous efforts to define child abuse cross-culturally.     

Mothering young children: Child care, stress and social life

This study focuses on mothers’ and young children’s everyday social experience by analyzing their social relationships, social support in child care, mother-child interaction, and mothers’ evaluations of all these aspects. Three hundred and eighty-four mothers with a child aged between I and 3 years, living in a city in Central Italy, were interviewed. A Principal Components Analysis was performed on items concerning mothers’ and children’s social experience and mothers’ evaluations. Four PCA generated factors were regressed on the mother’s and Four PCA generated factors were regressed on the mother’s and child’s characteristics. Results show that, even in a context characterized by social conditions supportive to mothering, there is a comparatively widespread desire for social interaction with other mothers and children. A stress related to intensive mothering was found in a minority of the mothers and was predicted by the mothers’ continuous commitment in child care during the whole day. Results are discussed in relation to the hypothesis that social contacts with other mothers may have a mitigating effect on mothers’ stress. One implication is that early educational services that provide the opportunity for social intercourse among parents can be an important resource for them.     

Warning: Child care work may be hazardous to your health

As most child care staff are painfully aware, working conditions in the field leave much room for improvement. Low wages, minimal benefits and unpaid overtime contibute to staff burnout and rapid turnover. What's more, as serious as these conditions are, they do not represent the whole story.     

Child care quality matters: how conclusions may vary with context

Three studies examined associations between early child care and child outcomes among families different from those in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Early Child Care Research Network study. Results suggest that quality is an important influence on children's development and may be an important moderator of the amount of time in care. Thus, the generalizability of the NICHD findings may hinge on the context in which those results were obtained. These studies, conducted in three national contexts, with different regulatory climates, ranges of child care quality, and a diversity of family characteristics, suggest a need for more complete estimates of how both quality and quantity of child care may influence a range of young children's developmental outcomes.     

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Educational reform in Kenya

Conclusion Decisions taken without reference to, detailed research on the interaction between the school and its social environment deny the fact that the education system is more a reflection of the crisis than its cause. In addition, the division in the social fabric caused by socio-economic inequalities is accentuating the dysfunctions of the education system, which is seen as responsible for the difficulties encountered by young people looking for paid employment. The changes that the authorities are making to the system aim to regulate and correct the functioning of the markets from which actual remuneration as well as the rewards of status derive. This type of action is a way by which the authorities can demonstrate that they are not unconcerned by inequalities and is also a way of winning popular support for the social contract. Changes in formal education thus depend both on the history of individual relationships and on the ideology by which they are inspired. The historical development of the education system in Kenya shows that changes sometimes lead to pernicious effects and that the failure of the human capital theory has not led to a change in the view of education. If the objective of the 8.4.4 reform is to adapt the education system to changes in society, it will be difficult for it to reduce the social demand for an improvement in the standard of education. Original language: French Abdelhag Rharade (Morocco) Has carried out field research in Kenya on several occasions since 1993 and is completing a doctoral thesis at the Institute for the Study of Economic and Social Development at the University of Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne). His research focuses on the socio-educational background of apprentices in workshops producing goods and services in Nairobi.     

Child maltreatment prevalence and mental disorders outcomes among American Indian women in primary care

OBJECTIVE: To examine (1) the prevalence, types, and severity of child abuse and neglect (CAN) and (2) the relationship between CAN and lifetime psychiatric disorders among American Indian women using primary care services. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 234 American Indian women, age 18-45 who presented for outpatient ambulatory services at a community-based Indian Health Service Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Dependent measures included mood, substance abuse, and anxiety disorders as well as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as measured by the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. CAN was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. RESULTS: Approximately three-quarters of respondents (76.5%; 95% CI = 70.4, 81.7) reported some type of childhood abuse or neglect; over 40% reported exposure to severe maltreatment. Severity of child maltreatment was associated in a dose response manner with lifetime diagnosis of mental disorders. After adjusting for social and demographic correlates, severe child maltreatment was strongly associated with lifetime PTSD (prevalence ratio [PR] 3.9; 95% CI = 1.9, 8.0); and was moderately associated with lifetime substance use disorders (PR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.6, 3.3); mood disorders (PR = 2.1; 95% CI 1.4, 3.2); and with two or more disorders (PR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.6, 3.4). CONCLUSION: CAN was common in our sample of American Indian women in primary care and was positively associated with lifetime psychiatric disorders outcomes. Screening for CAN and psychiatric disorders would enhance the treatment of patients seeking primary care services. Primary prevention of child maltreatment might reduce the high prevalence of mental disorders among American Indian women.     

Child care quality: centers and home settings that serve poor families

The effects of center-based care on early development, outside of carefully controlled demonstration programs, appear to be positive yet often modest for children from low-income families. But little is known about variation in the quality of centers and preschools found among low-income neighborhoods. Evidence also remains scarce on the observed quality of home-based care, the settings that most children attend and into which large infusions of federal dollars are now directed. This paper reports on the observed quality of 166 centers and 187 nonparental home settings (including family child care homes and kith or kin providers) serving children in five cities situated in California, Connecticut, or Florida. Centers displayed higher mean quality as gauged by provider education and the intensity of structured learning activities, compared to home-based settings, but did not consistently display more positive child–provider interactions. Great variability among centers and home-based settings was observed, including between-city differences. Second, we found that contextual neighborhood attributes accounted for the quality of providers selected more strongly than family-level selection factors. Mothers with stronger verbal abilities (PPVT scores) did select higher quality centers; those employed longer hours each week relied on kith and kin providers with lower education levels. Interrelationships among different quality measures are detailed. The policy implications of such wide disparities in center and home-based care quality are discussed, including how states could more carefully strengthen regulatory or quality improvement efforts.