Displaying 1 - 5 of 5
This brochure from UNICEF provides an overview of child marriage in the Sahel, a region spanning the northern portion of sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of this publication is to offer a descriptive analysis of the practice of child marriage in the Sahel, covering: the proportion and number of girls and women affected; disparities in risk across different populations; a selection of key outcome measures for women who married in childhood; an evaluation of historical trends in prevalence; and projections through 2030. It relies on nationally representative survey data, namely from the…
Abstract
Family constitutes more than simple living arrangements, and these systems are of pivotal development importance in sub-Saharan Africa. The diversity of family structures and types in sub-Saharan Africa has warranted an examination of the various policies and laws in the region. This paper examines all policy and laws related to families in the South, West, East and Central regions of sub-Saharan Africa. The paper highlights the sundry of policies and laws that are influenced by cultural and religious differences within and across regions. Issues relating to patriarchy and…
Abstract
This article presents the results of a systematic mapping of social work training programs in countries throughout West Africa, a region historically under‐represented in global discussions of the social welfare workforce. The research illuminates how social workers and related professionals are trained to engage in social work practice in a number of West African countries. The research was conducted in two phases. In the initial phase, the research team collected documents from 12 West African countries and conducted phone interviews with relevant individuals. The second phase…
Child fostering is a widespread practice in Africa, whereby children are sent temporarily to another household to be raised by foster parents, while links with biological parents are not severed. In Senegal, about 14% of adults were fostered in their childhood. Using data from a nationally representative household survey conducted in Senegal in 2006-2007, the survey Pauvreté et Structure Familiale, this paper examines the outcomes for adults who have been fostered in their childhood, including children fostered to Koranic schools. It focuses its analysis on education, first…
In Sub-Saharan Africa, child fostering (confiage) is a common practice whereby children are temporarily sent by their parents to live with a host family. In Senegal, nearly 10% of the children are currently fostered and 32% of the households either send or receive foster children. The widespread nature of this tradition calls for a better understanding of its motivation and its impact.
Child fostering has been viewed as a tradition with potentially negative outcomes for children. Using data from a nationally representative household survey conducted in 2006-2007, the survey …