Africa: Is East Africa Doing Enough? Citizens’ Views Point to Shortcomings in Child Protection in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania
Respondents offer mixed assessments of government efforts to support vulnerable children.
Key findings
- While more than seven in 10 Tanzanians (72%) say parents are “never” justified in using physical force to discipline their children, Uganda (53% “never”) and Kenya (48% “never”) are much more divided on the issue of corporal punishment. o Almost half (45%) of Ugandans say adults in their community “somewhat frequently” or “very frequently” use physical force to discipline children, compared to 30% in Kenya and 18% in Tanzania.
- Ugandans are significantly more likely than Kenyans and Tanzanians to highlight several problems related to child well-being: o More than four in 10 Ugandans (43%) say child abuse, mistreatment, and neglect are “somewhat frequent” or “very frequent” in their community, compared to 22% of Kenyans and 16% of Tanzanians. o Almost two-thirds (64%) of Ugandans say out-of-school children are a frequent problem in their community, vs. 32% of Kenyans and 26% of Tanzanians. o In Uganda, fewer than half of respondents say that help is generally available in their community for abused or neglected children (47%), children with physical disabilities (45%), and children and adults with mental or emotional problems (36%). In Kenya and Tanzania, majorities assert that support for these vulnerable children and adults is generally available.
- Fewer than half (43%) of Ugandans approve of their government’s performance on protecting and promoting the well-being of vulnerable children, compared to 49% of Kenyans and 70% of Tanzanians.
Investing in children’s health, education, safety, and well-being is vital for social stability, economic prosperity, and national development. By prioritising the needs of children, communities and governments build a brighter and more sustainable future.
In East Africa, the governments of Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania provide extensive legal frameworks and initiatives to safeguard children’s right to grow into healthy, productive citizens, but despite these efforts, many of their children face enormous challenges and threats to their well-being (Male, 2023; Kodiaga & Torsu, 2022; Msafiri, 2023). Often exacerbated or perpetuated by socioeconomic factors and cultural practices, these range from poverty, child labour, inadequate education, and early marriage to abuse, neglect, and sexual exploitation (Uganda Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, 2017, 2020; Uganda Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, 2023; Republic of Kenya, 2019; Tairo, 2022; Winters, Langer, & Geniets, 2017; Sakwa, 2020; Kaawa & Walakira, 2017).
Is East Africa doing enough to protect and promote the well-being of children? Findings from Afrobarometer Round 9 surveys in 2021 and 2022 provide insights into public attitudes and perceptions related to child welfare in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania.
Overall, across the three countries, Ugandans are most likely, and Tanzanians least likely, to point to challenges related to child well-being in their community, including the frequency of child abuse and neglect, the availability of support for vulnerable children, and the government’s performance on child welfare.
On the question of corporal punishment of children, most Tanzanians reject it as “never justified,” while Kenyans and Ugandans are divided.
Rosemary Nakijoba Rosemary Nakijoba is an associate professor of development studies at Ndejje University in Uganda.
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