Tools for Child Rights Based Programme Management

Content:

I. Introduction
Child Rights Programming

II. Child Rights Programme Management and Child Rights

Programming Tools
What are Tools and their usefulness?
Who are the tools for?

IV. Steps in Child Rights Programme Cycle Management

Organisation Framework for Programme Development

IV.A. Child Rights Based Situation Analysis

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I. Introduction
Save the Children supports programme with children’s organisations, NGOs,
government agencies and civil society organisation to fulfil, promote and
protect children’s rights and to enable children to claim their CRC entitlement.
At the same time Save the Children is increasingly work from a non-
discrimination approaching aiming to reach all children by working with key
players, thereby strengthening a constituency of actors concerned on child
right. A more structured approach to fulfil this objective has been introduced
that is called child rights programming. The overall goal of Child Rights
Programming is to improve the position of children so that all girls and boy
can fully enjoy their rights, and to build societies that acknowledge and
respect children’s rights. Child Rights programming aims to enable users to
incorporate child rights into programme management at projects and policy
levels.

This set of material is developed with the objective to offer programme staff,
and managers an easy to use guide to apply child rights principles in the work
they are doing – be it new situation analysis, programme or project design,
strategic planning, programme development, management, monitoring, and
evaluation.

Programme and Project Cycle Management

The Programme Cycle: The process in which programme including projects

are generally planned and implemented follows series of steps starting within
the framework of organisational programme strategy, leading on to
identification of key issues through a situation analysis to formulation of
project idea, strategising, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation for
assessing impact and providing valuable learning for future work.

PROGRAMME
A programme is a planned intervention guided by a strategic direction to
achieve a set of objectives. It is a less specified and commonly more
comprehensive long term and/or diverse intervention. A programme is often
comprised of several projects. Programmes may be thematic/sector specific
or multi sectoral in nature.

PROJECT
A project is a set of activities guided by an overall goal limited in time and
space. A planned intervention for achieving one or more objectives
encompassing a set of interrelated activities, which are undertaken during a
limited period of time using specified human, financial and physical
resources.1

1
Dale (2003), Organisation Development, SAGE

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Programme Cycle Management has been used as a tool by many
development agencies for over a decade now. The objective of the PCM is to
improve the management of programmes and projects by focussing on key
aspects throughout the life of a project or programme. It provides a broader
framework for management of multifaceted projects along rights based
thematic, strategic, and cross cutting issues of an organisation’s policy such
as child labour, quality education, child rights, gender, violence against
children, sustainability, accountability, etc. Following a comprehensive PCM
approach helps address these issues at relevant stages of the
project/programme life. The PCM approach has been since its start widened
to focus on specific sector programmes and combined with other approaches.
One such attempt has been made in Save the Children to combine the
achievement of children’s rights with its programme. This new approach is
being termed as child rights programming. Child Rights Programming (CRP)
helps streamline the achievement of child rights in a more structured manner
in its programme and policy work.

“Child Rights Programming means using the principles of child rights to plan,
manage, implement and monitor programmes with the overall goal of
strengthening the rights of the child as defined in international law.”2

On a functional level Child Rights based PCM enables to programme staff to

make improvements for proper design/feasibility studies, prioritising, goal
setting, monitoring and evaluation and make informed decisions at key stages
in the preparation and implementation of projects and programmes. It entails
active participation of primary stakeholders (and other target groups,
beneficiaries, local institutions and decision makers) throughout the project or
programme cycles3.

The key Child Rights Programme Cycle Management include a situation

analysis from rights perspective; SWOC analysis, setting strategic directions,
developing goals, strategies and objectives that address child rights;
programme planning and activities, implementation and monitoring from a
rights perspective and finally evaluation. These stages are discussed in detail
further in this document.

Why choose a Right-Based Approach?

The last decade has seen a growing interest in ensuring that the work of
governments, the UN, donors, companies and NGOs encourage the
realisation of human rights – including of course the human rights of children
– in their programmes and action.

A number of important donor countries and UN agencies have begun to

debate how best to focus their aid and development assistance in order to
achieve the greatest impact on the fulfilment of human rights. Organisations
adopt rights-based approaches to programming for two good reasons: firstly
2
Child Rights Programming: How to Apply Rights-Based Approaches in Programming: A Handbook
for International Save the Children Alliance Members. Save the Children.
3
European Commission – Europe Aid Manual Project Cycle Management, March 2001.

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they believe that it is morally right and secondly, because they think it brings a
number of benefits to traditional approaches to work. These benefits include:
• Providing a long-term goal to which all work is directed and a set of
standards to measure progress towards this goal.

• A goal and standards are clearly set out in an international legal framework
that is shared by governments, donors and civil society.

• Identifying the responsibilities of governments, donors, private sector,

communities and individuals to bind them to action – as well as ways in
which they can be held accountable.

• Incorporating what is widely regarded as “good development practice” (i.e.

a focus on participation, equity, sustainability, non-discrimination, poverty
eradication and mutli-sectoral working) into one overall holistic approach.

Child Rights Programming

Using rights framework for claiming one’s entitlements is not a new

phenomenon in human history. Many examples can be found in the history
where people have challenged power centers to claim their rights. However in
recent times the human rights framework of UN has provided people of this
world with a legitimate and systematic approach to claim their rights. More
recently many development agencies have been adopting a rights based
approach to their programming- merging human rights principles with good
development practices. Save the Children is among these – but with a strong
focus on children’s rights. In the past few years a good progress has been
made to promote use of CRC provisions in all programmes. Some of the key
strategies adopted include capacity development on Child Rights
Programming (CRP), and tools development on CRP.

Child Rights Programming: the Principles4

The goal of Child Rights Programming is to improve the position of children so
that all boys and girls can fully enjoy their rights, and to build societies that
acknowledge and respect children’s rights. The meaning of child rights
programming can be drawn from the definitions adopted for three words:

Child – every boy and girl under the age of eighteen years of age (unless by
law majority is obtained at an earlier age).
Rights – defined as international human rights law applicable to children, set
out primarily in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Programming – planning, implementation, monitoring and management of a
set of activities towards a defined goal.

4
Child Rights Programming Handbook, International Save the Children Alliance, 200??????

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Child Rights Programming means using the Principles of Child Rights to Plan,
Manage, Implement and Monitor programmes with the Overall goal of
strengthening the rights of the Child as defined in International Law.”

Child Rights Programming is a framework and approach for analysis,

planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. CRP brings together a
range of ideas, concepts and experiences related to both to child rights and to
child development within one unifying framework. It is based both on the
principles and international legal standards of child rights (the CRC), and also
of childhood studies. CRP views the child in a holistic way and considers all of
her/his developmental needs. This means developing a clear understanding
about the cultural contexts in which boys and girls are growing up so that
appropriate strategies and methods on how to implement a rights perspective
can be developed. In order to promote change, we have to understand why
people think and act in a specific way. Central to Child Rights Programming
approach is that the rights of the child are integral to all aspects of
programmes.

In Summary the key CRP Principles are:

• The following principles underpin all work on Child Rights Programming:
• The principle of the indivisibility of rights
• The principle of the universality of rights

The four general principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child:
• The right not be discriminated against
• The best interests of the child
• The right to survival and development
• The right to be heard

• The principle of children as holders of rights

• The principle of duty-bearers

Child Rights Programming Principles Elaborated:

Universality: Rights are not applied differently for people of different cultures
or traditions. They are held equally by all people wherever they live in the
world, and whatever their circumstances. Non-discrimination is at the heart of
the concept of human rights.

Accountability: When States ratify human rights instruments, they become

accountable to all citizens, including children, and to the international
community. Children are recognized as holders of rights. States are primary
duty-bearers. This means that they have to ensure that the CRC is
implemented for all children living within their country. The State should:
Respect the rights of the child by putting adequate legislation in place; Protect
the rights of the child from being violated by a third party; and Fulfill the rights
of the child by taking appropriate and effective measures (this could include
measures such as awareness raising).

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Indivisibility: Human rights are indivisible, interdependent and interrelated.
No one group of rights is more important than another. It’s vital to take a
holistic approach to all the interrelated rights of children. The approach should
therefore be multi-dimensional and cross-sectoral. Although all rights are
equally important, resources are limited so priorities always have to be made.

Participation: Human rights establish the right of the individual to participate

in political and cultural life. Everybody is entitled to participate, contribute and
enjoy development. Children’s participation is a goal in itself. Boys and girls
have the right to participate and to be involved in decisions that have an
impact on their lives. Children and families therefore need to be informed
about their rights and to be provided with opportunities to express their views.
Children are recognized as social actors both in their own lives and in society.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

All human rights conventions apply to children, but it was recognized that
children need a separate convention, since they need additional attention and
protection. The CRC emphasizes that children are holders of rights. It covers
all aspects of children’s lives. It is legally binding and has been ratified by 191
countries.

States that have ratified the CRC are committed to taking the necessary legal,
administrative and other measures in order to implement the CRC. This could
mean changing legislation, training civil servants, setting up monitoring
mechanisms, or the elaboration new policies and practices.

The CRC incorporates the whole spectrum of human rights – civil, political,
economic, social and cultural – and sets out the specific ways that these
should be made available to boys and girls. It applies to all children and young
people under age of 18.

The preamble of the CRC states: “Taking due account of the importance of
the traditions and cultural values of each people for protection and
harmonious development of the child ...”

The Convention on the Rights of the Child builds on four general principles,
which form the umbrella provisions of the CRC and are important for the
overall framework of the CRC:

Non-discrimination (Article 2) All rights apply to all children (girls and boys:
age, class, caste, HIV/AIDs status, religion, region, children with disabilities,
sexual preference, etc.) without exception. It is the State’s obligation to protect
children from any form of discrimination and to take positive action to promote
their rights. Discrimination can be practiced by governments themselves, by
adults against children, by one community against another, by one group of
children against another. It can result from active direct and deliberate actions,
or it can happen unconsciously through insensitivity, ignorance or indifference.

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Discrimination can take place through legislation, institutionalised attitudes,
media and governments action or inaction.

This article addresses the discrimination of all children, but it also recognises
that many children face further discrimination as a result of their particular
circumstances or status, and it places obligations on governments to take
active measures to prevent such discrimination. As a principle of the
Convention, non-discrimination is relevant to all Articles, including those
relating to health, education, standard of living or protection of vulnerable
groups of children. Governments are obliged to take measures to address
discrimination.

The gender perspective: Gender refers to social and cultural interpretations

of biological sex, of what is considered to be “female” and “male” in a given
cultural setting; and of the roles and relations between these sexes. Gender
forms a central part of personal identity. Views and values about gender in
any given society are internalised and these, in turn, shape perceptions,
attitudes, behaviours and decisions later in life. Although other social and
political factors such as status, class, ethnic identity, religion and disability,
also affect children’s opportunities and life conditions, gender cuts across all
these factors and must be included in any analysis or planning for children’s
futures. An important aspect of gender is the power relationship that
subordinates females in a lower status than males

Best Interests of the Child (Article 3): All actions concerning the child shall
be in his or her best interests. The best interest of the child is a major building
block in the philosophy of the CRC. It reflects a fundamental aspect of the
CRC: the contradiction between the vulnerable and the competent child.
“Best interests” covers all decisions affecting boys and girls. In any action
involving children, their best interests should be a primary consideration. This
means actions taken by the state, by the authorities and by relevant private
institutions. Procedures must be developed to ensure governments and
decision-making bodies consider the interests of the child before taking
decisions that affect him or her.

“Best interest” will not normally be the only consideration when decisions are
made which affect children but it should be among the first aspects to be
considered and should be given considerable weight in all decisions affecting
girls and boys. It is also important to include the principle of participation in
determining what the best interest of the child might be.

The Child’s Rights to Survival and Development (Article 6) Every child has
the right to life. The State has an obligation to ensure the child’s survival and
development. A basic concept of the CRC is that children carry within
themselves the potential for their own development. This Article states that all
children should be allowed and supported to develop to their full potential. It
recognizes that children, especially young ones, are vulnerable and need
special protection and support. They must be kept from harming themselves,
but they must also have the options, both physically and socially, to be active

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in their own physical and social development: to play explore and interact; to
think for themselves and have their views recognized.

The concept of the developing capacities of the child is one of the key
features of Article 6. This means that the age and maturity of the child should
be taken into consideration when determining the scope of self-determination
and freedom of the child.

Participation (Article 12): Girls and boys have the right to be involved in
decisions affecting them. Article 12 places an obligation on governments to
ensure that girls’ and boys’ views are sought and considered in all matters
that affect their lives. Children of any age should be allowed to express their
views and in ways with which they are comfortable.

Approaches adopted in programming to make a reality of child rights by

ensuring that all children are able to realize their rights is what is termed as
child rights based approach.

Concept of Duty-Bearers and Rights-Holders

This concept of duty-bearers and rights-holders can be represented by a

diagram. The principle of non-discrimination is the heart of work on child rights
programming. Through a rights based programme rights holders (girls and
boys: age, class, caste, HIV/AIDs status, religion, region, children with disabilities,
sexual preference, etc.) can be empowered and duty-bearers made
accountable to fulfil their responsibilities to address and combat all forms of
discrimination.

RIGHT- RESPONSIBILITY – CLAIM SC has put

BY J OACHIM THEIS

special
A P
emphasis on
c Duty bearer a three
c Respects, protects r
o
and fulfils rights
t
underpinning
u i CRP
n Fulfils Claims c
t responsibility
NON-
right i
principles:
a DISCRIMIN p
towards from
b ATION & a
i EQUALITY t
l i
i o
t Right holder n
y

accountability, child participation and non-discrimination, which are also seen

as important principles for organisational development aspects. These
principles are always reflected and emphasised during CRP workshops and in
CRP tools. Furthermore, these are also the underlying principles for most
rights based organisations, but often addressed only from an “adult”
perspective.

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While working with child participation it is important to ensure participation of
all children, which through a non-discrimination lens would mean girls and
boys coming from various backgrounds: age, sex, class, cast, religion, sexual
preference, HIV/AIDS status, etc. It also implies promoting the values of
diversity within groups of children and ensuring that SC does not perpetuate
discrimination through its interventions, but challenge power relations and
promotes equality/equity. Similarly, promoting children’s participation without
strengthening accountability of governments and civil society for protecting,
fulfilling, facilitating and promoting child rights will not bring about sustainable
changes in children’s lives. It is therefore important that SC interventions does
not only promotes children’s participation in decision making but also ensures
that these decisions are translated into concrete actions. (E.g. for example
that NPAs for children are implemented and that monitoring mechanism are in
place.)

Adult’s resistance towards children’s participation is often the most important

hindering factor in promoting children’s participation. Government officials,
family and community members need to be sensitised on the values of
children’s participation and on non-discrimination in order to empower children
and promote a culture, which respects all children’s rights.

Work on non-discrimination will mean that SC will have to develop structures,

mechanisms and approaches, which promote participation of all children. In
practical terms it would mean to develop, not only child friendly material, but a
step beyond that, to develop material and information for children who are
blind, who use sign language and those who do not read and write. It will
mean that extra efforts needs to be made to reach girls and boys who are
often not reached by NGOs and to use mobilising and empowering
techniques which enable all children to participate. This will require an
increase in budgets and creating partnership with organisations that
specialise in such fields. It is important to advocate governments to make their
policies and programmes not only gender sensitive, but also sensitive to the
needs and realities of children from various backgrounds. Governments and
NGOs also need to develop indicators and monitoring systems that are able
to measure diversity and inclusion. All forms of discriminatory practices
should be viewed from a gender lens. In most societies are girls more
discriminated because of their sex, for example a mentally challenged girls
from a lower cast family in the most rural district in India are likely to face
multiple forms of discrimination.

Very often, throughout the region, children have been consulted for various
UN processes, but there has not been deliberates efforts to include girls and
boys from all backgrounds and to use methods to make everybody speak out.
(For example using sign language for deaf children, having separate groups
of girls and boys as times) SC members have seldom acted on children’s
agendas when developing their strategies and programme interventions and
they have not made enough conscious efforts to follow up and lobbying the
government to act on children’s agendas.

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Working from a CRP perspective implies addressing both immediate and root
causes of rights violations. Root causes such as power structures and
patriarchal values needs to be addressed. For example, working against child
sexual abuse and exploitation implies addressing sensitive issues such as
male sexual behaviour. A central part of any situation analysis is therefore to
acquire as much information as possible of perceptions, values attitudes and
behaviour and how these values are transformed into structures and
mechanisms for the perpetuation of inequalities. It also requires information
on changes that has/are taking place in the society – why has changes taken
place, how have they taken place, who were the change and who where the
opponent to change, etc. Power structures has to be addressed both from a
community based (bottom up) approach as well as from a top down approach
(legislation and its implementation, customary laws, etc.) Empowerment of
those who face discrimination through participatory methodologies is crucial in
the process. Power relations have to be addressed from a multi-sectoral
approach addressing poverty, discrimination and perceptions of childhood
simultaneously.

CRP also implies that organisations and programmes need to be addressed

simultaneously in order to have a holistic approach. E.g. while addressing
non-discrimination in programmes it is also central to address it within our
own organisations, e.g. how diverse is our workforce. How many men and
women from various backgrounds do we have at management, programme,
and support staff level? What are the attitudes towards gender and diversity
among staff? How do staff members related with each other? Do the
organisations have structures in place to deal with sexual harassment? Is the
office accessible for adults and children with disabilities? Does the
organisation have a gender and diversity policy and action plan?

Children’s participation is also closely related to participation within our own

organisations. E.g. How participatory are our decision-making mechanisms?
How are men and women from various backgrounds empowered to speak up
during meetings? Are there informal decision-making mechanisms in place? If
yes, who benefits from these mechanisms? Child protection issues within
organisations are another central aspect of CRP. E.g. does the organisation
have a child protection policy? Is it implemented? How child friendly are the
office building and the staff members, etc?

Applying a Child Rights-Based Approach

Save the Children works for the implementation of the CRC through a number
of programmes worldwide. Child Rights Programming is the approach that will
enable Save the Children organisations to plan, implement, monitor and
evaluate their programmes from a child rights perspective and to ensure that
the rights of the child are strengthened.

• Applying a rights-based approach to programming means:

• Putting children at the center, recognizing them as rights-holders and
social actors.
• Recognising governments as primary duty-bearers accountable to their
citizens – including children – and the international community.

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• Recognising parents and families as primary caregivers, protectors and
guides – and supporting them in these roles.
• Giving priority to children and a child friendly environment.
• Being gender sensitive and seeking inclusive solutions that involves a
focus on boys and girls who are at risk and discriminated against.
• Addressing unequal power structures (class, sex, ethnicity, age, etc).
• Holding a holistic vision of the rights of the child while making strategic
choices and taking specific actions.
• Setting goals in terms of fulfilment of rights.
• Aiming for sustainable results for children by focusing on not only on the
immediate but also the root causes of problems.
• Using participatory and empowering approaches.
• Building partnerships and alliances to promote the rights of the child.
• Counting on international cooperation
• A focus on those who are most at risk and discriminated against.
• Taking a holistic perspective that requires a multi-sectoral response.
• Providing a long-term goal that is clearly set out in international legal
frameworks that are shared by governments, donors and civil society.
• Encouraging reforms including legal ones, like establishing regular
monitoring mechanisms, creating possibility of sustainable change.

All of above may have implications for the structures and mechanisms for
Save the Children and its partner organisations. To begin with it requires a
willingness on part of management to see the changes in the programme. It
requires strengthening capacity and internalisation of principles of
participation and non-discrimination at all levels within organisations. In
addition to changes in the organizational structures and mechanisms, at the
same time it requires development competencies in the area of child rights,
and national and international procedures in addressing them. Save the
Children organisations across the globe have a clearly spelled out focus on
fulfilling the commitment to protection and promotion of child rights provided
under the UNCRC. Most of the global and country policy frameworks within
Save the Children provide a sound platform for assimilating child rights
programming based approaches.

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III. Child Rights Programming Tools
• What are Tools and their usefulness?
• Who are the tools for?

The tools are intended for the use of the programme staff and managers of
Save the Children, their partner organisations and other agencies in
implementing programme activities to address child rights issues. The tools
provide an easy step-by-step guide to adopt Child rights Principles at various
stages of programme planning, implementation and impact assessment. It
can also be used as a guide for developing a country situation analysis and
strategy as well as for project and program review. The tools enable users to
ensure that key principles of CRP are applied to programme cycle stages in a
consistent manner.

The tools can also be applied to the thematic analysis, to ensure that the
strategies and interventions envisaged are rights based and can be monitored
from a CR perspective. IN the case of thematic work it would be required that
the theme being addressed and CRC provisions related to that particular
thematic area are focused upon during all the stages of project cycle
management.

CRP professionals need to use various processes and methodologies for

CRP integration. These may include training, workshop, meetings and
coaching. Perhaps the most vital has been the coaching processes, which
can be used by individual programme person for building capacity of partner
organisations/ directly implemented projects for integrating CRP principle in
their ongoing and future work. This involves a long-term vision and
commitment.

“Coaching for CRP is an ongoing partnership that enables individual/ group

to produce/ fulfilling results in their personal/professional lives. Through the
process of coaching individuals / group deepens their learning, improve their
performance and enhance quality of programmes that have integrated the
core principle of child participation, non-discrimination and accountability in
their programme and organisations5”.

“Coaching is about enabling people to create change through learning,

participating and empowering. It is about people doing more, being more,
receiving more and above all contributing more. It is about supporting
people and to get people from where they are to where want to go”

5
Lena Karlsson and Ravi Karkara, CRP in South Asia Draft Paper presented at the Global Meeting on
CRP

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Step by step guide to use of CRPCM kit

IV. Child Rights Programme Cycle Management

There are five broad steps in implementation or management of a programme

that protects and promotes child rights and prevents rights violation, starting
from situation analysis to assessing the impact the programme has had on the
lives of the children.

Rights
based
Situation
Analysis Rights based
Evaluation goals,
strategy and
objectives

Programme
Planning
Monitorin and
g Activities
CRP PRINCIPLES
Implement
ation

As shown above the CRP principle needs to be integrated at all stages of

programming. For example when carrying out a rights based situational
analysis then children should be involved either directly through a consultative
process or through secondary review with children on priorities laid by them
through earlier consultations and processes. It is important to ensure that all
children (girls and boys: age, class, caste, HIV/AIDs status, religion, region,
children with disabilities, sexual preference, etc.) voices are included in the
process. All duty bearers commitment, both policy and financial commitment
are assessed

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Rationale and overview of the Module:

IV.A. Child Rights Based Situation Analysis

The first module covers how to conduct a child rights bases situation analysis,
with concrete tools for analysing immediate and underlying causes of rights
violation, for conducting gender and power analysis and for duty bearer
analysis, etc.

IV.B Strategic Planning,

The second module covers tools for strategic planning, including SWOC
analysis, tools for assessing project proposals and for organisational
assessments as well as tools for setting objectives, identifying activities and
developing work-plans.

IV.C. Implementation of Activities and monitoring

The third module includes tools and how to implement activities as well as
tools on child rights based monitoring and management,

IV.D. Evaluation
The last module includes tools on child rights based evaluation, with a focus
on 6 dimensions of change.

The four modules are interlinked and there is a clear reference between the
various modules.

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IV. A. Child Rights Based Situation Analysis

Introduction:

A comprehensive situation analysis or assessment at the very beginning of

the programme/project formulation is the best way to ensure that programme
and policies are relevant to the lives of the children and are likely to achieve
the desired impact. It involves collecting relevant information to be able to
make a realistic assessment of what needs to be done in order to improve the
lives of children. It is the essential first step towards establishing priorities and
making appropriate choices – whether in an emergency or in more stable
situations. A situation analysis creates the basis for assessing progress and
evaluating the long-term impact of an intervention. Depending upon the need
the situation analysis can be live process where by information is gathered
and analysed from a rights perspective on a regular basis. At times such
updates could result in altering the programme approach in order to make the
programme more relevant to the lives of children. At a broader level
understanding the situation of children’s rights in a country is not a one-off
process. It should be built up over time.

A child rights based approach to situation analysis involves mapping of the

rights violations. It also includes an analysis of both immediate and underlying
causes of the violations of children’s rights. Legislation and its implementation
as well as cultural practices and attitudes should be analysed. In this process,
the views of the child should be respected and given due importance. Duty-
bearers and other main actors and specific issues related to them should be
identified. A child rights situation analysis essentially looks at the situation
through the rights lenses, with a clear focus that children should be able to
claim their rights entitlements provided to them in international and national
laws and that duty bearers are accountable to fulfil these rights. The situation
analysis in conducted through a non-discrimination lens, including
disaggregated statistics and information.

Increasingly there has been a clear and strong focus on girl and boys
participation in the project and policy level. It’s important to ensure children’s
participation – not just in mere consultation but also providing them with
opportunity for making informed decisions. Informed decision-making includes
not just presenting a “menu” of available opportunities but presenting to
children the analysis of social and economic reality, power dynamics, issues
related to resources etc to enable them to develop a broader and
comprehensive view of their situation. Importantly perspectives matter: In
rights based situation analysis it is important to view girls and boys (from
various backgrounds) as citizens and as holders of rights and not just as
recipients of development benefits and to make sure that all children have an
equal say.

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Child rights based situation analysis

There is no blueprint or a set pattern for conducting a child rights based

situation analysis, given the vast variation in the circumstances in which
programmes are implemented. Some of the issues to be covered are
highlighted below but it must be kept in mind that a good situation analysis
must have a creative dimension, addressing the needs of the complex social
reality in which the programme is situated. The CRP principles needs to be
integrated and reflected in the analysis.

It’s the first step of the process where the existing situation is analysed at
macro and micro level to develop a vision of the prospective desired situation
and to select the strategies that will be applied to achieve it6. The key
objective here is to address child rights violation and denial issues both at
programme and policy levels. Following tools and steps are useful for
conducting a situation analysis:

1. Information collation and analysis that will include looking at a) variety

of sources of information for child rights violations from the perspective
of issues such as social, economical, political, cultural context – values,
practices and perceptions, legal and policy framework, Budgetary,
administrative and structural aspects etc. This would also include
information and insight gained through children’s participation including
any recommendation that they might have. Follow it up with analysis of
specific rights that have been violated in specific circumstances.

2. Analysis of Causes- Immediate and root causes analysis

An analysis of causes of rights violations will include both immediate and root
causes. The analysis will also include a gender and power analysis, since
underlying causes are closely related to power relations. The immediate and root
cause analysis once completed will present a comprehensive picture of causal
factors which should be key factors to inform the interventions.

3. Responsibility analysis. In order to identify and select key duty bearer(s) an

objective assessment of the duty bearers needs to be done in relation to they
level of impact they have on children’s situation. The other aspects which
could also be considered while selecting the duty bearers could be: what
added value they will have on the overall children’s situation; cost implications
of their involvement (not vital if benefits are more); their (duty bearers)
commitments; and possible obstacles which may arise due to their
involvement in the project.

6
Europe Aid, European Union

16
 STEPS FOR SITUATION ANALYSIS

Organisational Priority Areas

And Strategy

Social, economical, cultural Cultural context: values, Legal framework and the
and political situation practices, and perceptions political system/policies Child Rights Violation Analysis

Information collation and its analysis including

Children’s consultations, Budgetary/Administrative/
Structural Analysis

Causality Analysis: Immediate and Underline

Power and Gender Analysis

Responsibility Analysis: Duty Bearers & stakeholder Analysis

SWOC
ANALYSIS

SETTING
PRIORITIES

1. SECONDARY INFORMATION COLLATION AND ANALYSIS

(SOURCES OF INFORMATION) FOR SITUATION ANALYSIS

17
Information collation and analysis

A. Variety of sources of information for child rights violations from the

perspective of issues such as social, economical, political, cultural
context – values, practices and perceptions, legal and policy
framework, Budgetary, administrative and structural aspects etc.
B. Information and insight gained through children’s participation including
any recommendation that they might have
C. Analysis of specific rights violation in specific circumstances.

A) Sources of Information

Information about children’s situation in a given geographical or social context

can be accessed from a range of sources. This could be both in the form of
quantitative and qualitative information, recent or older information; in pictorial
or written form; from diverse sources such as research institutions,
government reports, statistical departments, donor reports, civil society
reports, NGO reports etc. Its important to be careful about the validity of the
information and to know if there have been any objections, especially from
governance institutions about the authenticity of information. Its important to
scrutinise media reports carefully as they might have sensational
characteristic. However at times they may be the only source of information
on certain events or facts. Many a times information may be scattered in
several documents. In such cases its important that its pieced together to
develop a comprehensive picture.

Its important to determine the level of situation analysis and hence the
sources of information. For every macro context its important to understand
the reality at the micro level and visa versa. At times for the district level
situation analysis information from a global source may or may not be very
relevant, the managers have to use their discretion in judging the relevance of
sources of information to their particular context. For instance for higher level
of rights based analysis, such as country reviews of children’s rights as a
whole, the best starting point and a base should be documentation from UN
Committee on the Rights of the Child, which includes:

 State party reports (outlining the government official assessment of child

rights in the country and their plans to address violations).
 Alternative reports (produced by NGO coalitions in the country, outlining
their views on priority issues).
 Records on the proceedings of the meetings between the UN Committee
and the government representatives.
 Concluding observations made by the UN Committee (including their
recommendations on priority actions).
 End decade review for the special session on children
 Reports from children’s consultations
 NPAs in the country

18
Other key sources of information from both primary and secondary
sources may include:
 Country laws, budgets and policies, etc.
 Statistics, research and reports produced by the government, the UN,
universities, research institutes, and by international and local NGOs.
(Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, Save the Children members, UNICEF
and UNDP, local youth and women’s organisations, etc.).
 State party reports and concluding observations for other conventions
such as CEDAW and CERD.
 Own research (this might be necessary in order to incorporate the views of
boys and girls).
 Research, analysis made by both UN agencies, bi-lateral agencies on the
situation in country
 Human Development Reports, Poverty Reduction Strategy Plans, etc.
 Sate of the World of Children by UNICEF
 Reports By Amnesty Internationals, Human Rights Watch, etc.
 Anthropological studies
 Relevant Internet sites of various donors, research institutions, universities
etc. Many a times such sites provide option of downloading documents.
 Rights based situation analysis of similar situations from another region or
country.
 Direct discussions with children, community members, leaders,
researchers, government officials, donors, civil society, media personnel,
etc may produce important facts that may not be reported elsewhere.
Often such information will be most updated unlike documented
information however some of it may be very sensitive as well, which may
require a certain degree of responsibility in its use and quoting source with
caution.

Special Notes:

 Disaggregated data should be used, when available (on age, gender,

disability, class, ethnicity, geographic coverage, etc.) Changes overtime
should also be identified (e.g. on disparities between boys and girls and
different groups of children over the last decade).

 Original field based research is expensive and time-consuming. Before

investing any resources in new research it is essential to review available
secondary data on a given issue. While some studies will be published in
the public domain, invaluable data can often be found in the unpublished
reports of local NGOs, the UN, inter-national NGOs and universities.

 At times official reports may present a generalised picture of the situation,

and hide certain critical facts. Cross checking all forms of information will
help ensure genuineness of such pieces of information.

 Participants should be encouraged to get information for the above list (at
the same time do not drown in information from the internet and double
check the accuracy of the materials)

19
 Be selective in collecting information, the important thing is that you do not
use all your time just collecting information than using the time for
analysing them

 Programme staff’s own knowledge and experience is a good resource for

gathering information Situational analysis

Sources of Information - Check List

Broad sources of Information

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child’s documentation, which
includes:
Documentation Y/N
 State party reports (outlining the government official
assessment of child rights in the country and their plans to
address violations).

 Alternative reports (produced by NGO coalitions in the country,

outlining their views on priority issues).

 Records on the proceedings of the meetings between the UN

Committee and the government representatives. List of issues

 Concluding observations made by the UN Committee

(including their recommendations on priority actions).

 End decade review for the special session on children

 Reports from boys and girl’s consultations

 NPAs in the country

 Universities, research institutes, Experts, policy makers, key

individuals, etc.

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION INCLUDE:

 Country laws and policies, etc.

 Statistics, research and reports produced by the government,

the UN, universities, research institutes, and by international
and local NGOs. (Amnesty, Human Rights Watch, Save the
Children members, UNICEF and UNDP, local youth and
women’s organisations, etc.).

 State party reports and concluding observations for other

20
 conventions such as CEDAW and CERD.

 Own research (this might be necessary in order to incorporate

the views of boys and girls).

 Research, analysis made by UN agencies, bi-lateral agencies,

NGOs, on the situation in country

 Human Development Reports, Poverty Reduction Strategy

Plans, etc.

 Sate of the World of Children by UNICEF

 Reports By Amnesty Internationals, Human Rights Watch, etc.

 Anthropological studies, etc.

 Poverty reduction strategies

 Media (newspaper, internet news, folk media, etc.)

 Add more…

B. Information from Girls and Boys

Save the Children has done pioneering work in the region by establishing a
network of children’s organisations that have been working towards
achievement of their rights. Such platforms provide them channels for making
their voice heard at various levels for programme and policy discussions for
programmes run by Save the Children, donors and governments. There are
many such effective grass-roots children’s institutions across the region.
These children have a legitimate right provided to them through Child Rights
Convention to have a say in management of projects that effect their lives. All
projects should establish effective mechanisms to enable girls and boys from
various backgrounds to participate in all stages of project/programme
management.

At the core of Save the Children commitment to promotion and protection of

children’s rights is empowering and enabling girls and boys from various
backgrounds to understand their rights and voice their opinion on issues that
effect their lives, and equally importantly develop confidence to report and
discuss any rights violations. Such process of empowerment is demonstrated
by the quality of children’s participation in the decisions and processes
affecting their lives. Empowerment and participation are like two sides of the
same coin. Participation also has practical value in improving the quality of
programming as it helps enhance the efficiency, effectiveness and

21
sustainability of projects and programmes. Within Save the Children it is
increasingly linked to establishing and strengthening children’s citizenship and
governance capacity to participate and influence issues related to policies and
practice that affect their lives. Situation Analysis is the starting point for
children’s participation and resultant empowerment, and these approaches
must be cross cutting at each stage of programme cycle management. Its
important to establish good precedent at the start of the project and integrate
principles of participation and empowerment through out the programme
cycle.

It is also important to understand what constitutes participation. There are

well-identified different levels of participation, each one is important by itself
but not sufficient unless there are clear indicators that the process has been
empowering for the girls and boys and that they are able to influence the
decision affecting their lives7:

• Information Sharing: Boys and Girls are told about what development
programmes will be implemented and how they may affect them and so
they can decide on their level of involvement in it.
• Consultation: Girls and Boys are consulted on key issues and may
provide vital feedback to project managers
• Decision-Making: Boys and Girls are involved in the design and
implementation of programmes, and thus influence its development at
every stage.
• Initiating Action: Girls and Boys organise themselves to take action in the
face of a shared problem or area of interest, rather than responding to the
initiative of outside agencies.

At times children may not have full capacity to participate and influence
decision affecting their lives. This may be either due to age factor or based on
the principle that all children should enjoy childhood and must not be
burdened with problems that adult duty bearers should address. In such
cases duty bearers have responsibility to act in the best interest of the child.

Children’s consultation documents can be used from previous consultations if

relevant or the new consultation events could be organised with either existing
children’s groups or new groups if entering a new geographical area. Existing
children’s groups may be involved in facilitating the consultations with new
groups. In such cases the consultations could seek insights into specific
information.

Guideline to Review children and young people’s consultations

7
World Bank Participation Learning Group

22
Reviewing Pre-consultation
Assess number of consultations
have taken place?
What was the background
preparation for these consultations?
What kinds of background
preparation information was given to
children and how?
Representation & Facilitation
What were childrern’s backgrounds
– age, sex, class, region, religion,
ethnicity, and ability?
Who were they representing? Who
where they claiming to represent?
What were the selection criteria for
the consultations?
Who facilitated these consultations?
Adult’s or child facilitators?
What methodology used for
facilitating children to express
themselves?
How did they ensure participation
and expression all children coming
from various backgrounds – age,
sex, class, region, religion, ethnicity,
and ability?
Where special measures were taken
to ensure Under 10 children’s (U10)
opinion and views?
Reviewing Outcomes of Consultations
What issues were raised by children
coming from different age, sex,
class, region, religion, ethnicity,
ability especially girls and boys,
disabilities and younger children?
What were the key issues discussed
and what was the final outcome and
consensus?
Are there common issues and
recommendations in all the
consultations? If yes what are they?
Analyse from this information what
rights have been denied or violated
for that particular group of children?
Priorities set by children and young people
How were the prioritisation made- in
separate groups of boys and girls –
age specific groups, disable girls

23
and boy’s ground etc.?
Final analyse of priorities set by
children and young people
Q’s for reviewing follow up on children’s consultations
What follow up mechanisms are in
place to take action on
recommendations made by girls and
boys? Both in relation to
Government and SC.
What actions where taken and by
whom?
How much were the children (which
children) involved on deciding on the
actions?
What has been the role of SC in the
whole process?
What has been the role of other
NGOs and children organizations in
the whole process?
What mechanisms are in place for
monitoring, evaluating and
documenting the action taken? How
much are children (which children)
involves in that?

Above guideline is for general use and specific information areas can be
adopted or discarded according to the needs of a specific situation.

C. Child Rights Violation Analysis

Child Rights violation Analysis helps in bringing a further focus to the

problems being addressed. Through a issues based approach such as child
labour, child sexual abuse, disability, gender based violence, children in
conflict with law, etc., analysis should be undertake of which rights are
violated for which groups of children in relation to the areas in which
organisation is planning to work or is already working. Following steps should
be followed in discussion with children’s groups, adult groups, individuals or a
desk based analysis based on other sources of information:

1. Identify the specific CRC provisions being violated (Specific Articles)

2. Identify the key relational articles from the CRC
3. Identify the Incidence and severity (intensity) of violations and relate to
the 4 CRP principles of survival and development; best interests of
children, non-discrimination and participation.
4. Consider information from concluding observations. Government
reports alternative reports and other information about chid rights
situation in the country

24
 5. Identify the most disadvantaged groups of children whose rights are
being violated and analyse what processes contribute to rights
violation. As far as possible consider disaggregated information by sex,
age, disability, ethnicity, religion, economic status etc.
6. Follow it up and combine with other analytical tools presented in this
document.

Tool on Violation of Rights

Following tool can help facilitate an analysis to identify the violations of rights
and establishing links to the relevant article of the CRC -both specific articles
and relational article.

Violation of rights on specified issues

(specific or many)(such as child labour,
chills sexual abuse, disability, children in
conflict with law)

Specific Articles

Relational Articles

- CRP principles apply to all the above as core principles.

- The CRC as a whole is equally applicable in developing programs and projects
on above themes.

Analysis of child rights violations

Analysis of child rights violations
- Make the linage between the various articles
- Highlight the importance of making the linkage
- Include the CRP principles in the analysis

25
EXAMPLE:
Violation of rights on specified issues Child domestic workers in ‘Banai ’ part
(specific or many)(such as child labour, of Dhaka (issues needs further
chills sexual abuse, disability, children in elaboration……………)
conflict with law)

Specific Articles8 32

Relational Articles 2, 12, 31, 28, 29, 33, 34, 17, 35…….

- CRP principles (article – 2,3,4,6,12) apply to all the above as core principles.
- The CRC as a whole is equally applicable in developing programs and projects
on above themes.

Analysis of child rights violations

- Make the linage between the various articles
- Highlight the importance of making the linkage
- Include the CRP principles in the analysis
- Concequescies if some aspects are left out (for example protection
against sexual abuse can be left out in relations to children’s right to
education)

8
Refer to the Guide to the Reporting Guidelines and the Eight Thematic
Areas of CRC

26
E. Analysis of Causes: Immediate and root causes analysis tool

To develop appropriate responses towards fulfilment of a child’s rights it is

important to analyse the situation from a rights perspective to see what rights
are denied/violated, and what are the causes. Its important to look at both
immediate causes as well as to do an in-depth analysis to see the deep
rooted causes. For instance for a girl child who has never been to a school
the immediate causes may lie in the family situation such as burden of
household work but the root cause might be social and cultural norms related
to women’s subordination and patriarchal norms. Using the method of
problem analysis the harmful features of a situation that children face in a
given situation can be identified. This will help identify the rights that are being
violated that the state is obligated to fulfil. The immediate and root cause
analysis once completed will present a comprehensive picture of causal
factors which should be key factors to inform the interventions.

Tool to identify the immediate causes and corresponding roots causes

of a particular situation

IMMEDIATE CAUSES ROOT CAUSES

Analysis of Immediate and Roots Cause Analysis

Establish the link between the immediate and roots causes
Describe the inter linkage between the different immediate and root causes
Describe the most vital cause/causes

27
Example

Immediate causes of CSA ROOT CAUSES of CSA

• Lack of appropriate sex education • Lack of children’s participation

for children (life skills) in society at large
• Availability of sex-sites on the • Patriarchal society. Masculinity,
internet roles of men, (boys sexual
• Denial/ignorance by adults on behaviour)
CSA • In equal power relations
• Parenting: Low participation of (gender, age, class, disability,
children in families (parents do not caste, religion, etc)
listen to their children.) • Overall violence in society
• Adults attitudes towards children, including violence against
social taboos e.g. blaming the children
child • Unequal sexual relations
• Inappropriate laws and ineffective between male and females
implementation • Stereotyped gender
• Sexualisation of children in the socialization.
media
• Poverty, ignorance and low level
of education

Analysis of Immediate and Roots Cause Analysis

Establish the link between the immediate and roots causes
Describe the inter linkage between the different immediate and root causes
Describe the most vital cause/causes

28
F. Gender and Power Analysis

Gender stereotyping is a systematic process that begins at birth and is

continually shaped and modelled throughout life. Learning sex specific gender
roles is a prominent feature of childhood. During the socialization process,
children learns throughout childhood that amount/level of power that she or he
can enjoy is very much based on the economic, social, cultural status that
they have. Thereby a pattern of discriminations sets its roots in the life of
children. They learn who is powerful and who is not; who has higher status
and who does not; who has almost guaranteed access to development
opportunities and who does not; whose voice would be heard and whose not;
who has access and control over resources that effect their lives and who
does not and whose rights are seen as important and whose are not.

For a just society and to enable all children to enjoy all their rights, it’s
important that they begin to recognize discriminatory social patterns and
understand its negative implications that would mark a person’s entire
lifespan. For programme staff it is important to understand specific nature of
discrimination to enable them to design appropriate interventions and adopt
appropriate approaches. It is also important to be aware that change do take
place and to identify how and why change take place, including the agents
that do bring about change.

Empowerment is a central aspect of bringing about change. Through a

process of empowerment girls and boys can gain strength, confidence, and
purpose to work for the positive change them. A dis-empowered person is
usually vulnerable to further violations of his or her rights. Personal
empowerment, especially when combined with collective action, can provide
an enabling environment to boys and girls to claim their rights and address
violation of their rights within the social and political institutions of family,
community, state and nation.

Key considerations.
• Situation/issue specific sex and diversity disaggregated data and gender
and diversity analytical information by age group, rural urban situation,
working-non working children etc. This might reveal for example
differences between girls and boys – of various backgrounds- in school
attendance, retention and achievements, difference between work burden
at home and work place; access to social infrastructure. This kind of
information is important for planning and monitoring processes.
• Gender and diversity sensitive duty bearer analysis and participation –
consultation process ensuring that the boys and girls, from various ages
and backgrounds, perspectives, problems and priorities are recognized
and addressed. Girls may be expected not to speak out publicly in many
cultures, hence its important to provide them with friendly spaces to enable
them to express their views. Its important to recognize that girls might
have different needs from boys and also that girls in urban poor families
may not necessarily represent the views and priorities of rural poor girls. It

29
 is important to recognize that not all girls and boys may have the same
interests in the same location. Their choices might be determined on the
basis of class, ethnicity, age, family composition, caste, and other factors.
Its important not only to consult but also to involve both boys and girls in
decision making, implementation and monitoring processes.

A useful tool of understanding issues related to power and discrimination is

the Access and Control Tool. Access can be defined as resources to which
people have access to for fulfilling their needs such as access to land where
people can farm, access to other employment opportunities, access to
educational facilities, access to water resources etc. It’s important to
determine the level or degree of access and who can determine level or
degree of access and if there are any conditionality attached to access. The
control could be defined as situations where people can have a say in how
resources are managed in addition to also being able to access them.
Corresponding examples could be people not just owning land but also able
to determine what seeds they will grow, what types of fertilizers they will apply,
where they will sell their produce and at what prices. Children able to not just
study in schools but also able to determine that the curricula is relevant to
their lives, school timings are suitable to their collective lifestyle, that their
rights are not violated within the premises of school by anyone. All members
in a rural community not just able to access water for survival but own their
rightful share, determine its quality, able to access as per their need and when
they need it. Children and Women may have access to key resources, but if
they lack control, then they have little say when decisions need to be made or
when resources are threatened. Similarly in working children’s case control
over their own income lies in the hand of adult men.

Save the Children Gender Equity Policy Framework

The Gender Equity Policy provides the legitimacy within the organisation for
this analysis. The International Save the Children Alliance (The Alliance)
believes in social justice and challenges all forms of discrimination,
especially that based on sex, age, social class, disability, HIV status, sexual
preference, religion, race and ethnicity. Through its work with children, the
Alliance has unique opportunities to transform social attitudes towards boys
and girls, as well as gender relations among boys and girls for the next
generation. The Alliance recognises that the achievement of full and equal
rights for girls will result from changes in social values, public policy and
practice. The Alliance works to support both girls and boys to fulfil their
potential and become active members of their societies. It recognises the
need to understand better the different needs of girls and boys, and to
address those needs by directing resources through its programme work in
order to improve their positions in society.

The policy states that the SC Alliance will seek to ensure that girls are not
discriminated against and have equal access as boys to adequate food,
education, healthcare, shelter, leisure, emotional support and respect. It also
promote activities to enhance girls self esteem , their access to information
and knowledge about their rights and their participation in activities and

30
decisions that affect their lives. At the same time the Alliance recognises
that boys and girls have different socially defined gender roles and
responsibilities and as a result will seek to be aware of these differences
and design appropriate programmes and advocacy work in order to respond
to these needs. The SC Alliance will challenge all types of violence. The SC
Alliance recognises that gender issues vary between cultures and over time
and will address issues of gender equity with great sensitivity in different
cultural contexts. Equally partnership, respect and co-operation between the
sexes are values that will be promoted throughout our work.

Gender guidelines form part of the child rights programming (CRP)

framework. Addressing gender differences is vital to CRP, just as it is vital to
address other differences such as age, disability, ethnicity, race, sexual
preference and HIV status.

Access and Control Tool

This tool can be applied in selected areas of work and adopted in any context.
For example work on education can look at resources and benefits related to
education like books, time for studying at home, water and sanitation
facilitates in schools, distance of school, etc. The tool for analysis of access
and control can also be used in relation to other issues on non-discrimination
such as class, caste, disability, religion, etc.

Access and Control over Resources

Examples Access Control

of
Resources/ Girls Women Boys Men Girls Women Boys Men
Services/
Benefits
Education

Income

Food

Health
Services

Leisure &
Play

Time, Etc.

Or

31
Examples Access Control
of
Resources Girls Disabled Boys Disabled Girls Disabled Boys Disabled
/ girls Boys girls boys
Services/
Benefits
Education

Income

Food

Health
Services

Leisure &
Play

Explanation of the Tool Done in issues based framework, this concept

emphasizes the importance of differentiating between access (for instance,
being able to farm on someone else’s land) and control (for instance owning
that land and being able to decide how that land is used). Children and
Women may have access to key resources, but if they lack control, then they
have little say when decisions need to be made or when resources are
threatened. Similarly in working children’s case control over their own income
likes in the hand of adult men and boys and girls access and control.

G. Responsibility Analysis

Identification of those who have responsibility or are accountable towards

child rights is vital in order to develop appropriate responses to a problem
area. This could be perceived in two ways, i.e. those who have responsibility
for fulfilling rights of children and secondly, those who are responsible for child
rights violations and denials. Very often are those responsible for fulfilling
rights are also those who violate children’s rights. It’s important to probe if
there any negative actions that duty bearers might be taking that could
potentially harm child rights.

Mechanisms for accountability can take a diverse range of forms from formal
top down processes of consultations, children’s groups to bottom up
strategies such as

The tool for identifying duty bearers is quite useful in this context that also
help identify what their duties are, what actions they may or may not have
taken to fulfil their duties and why its important to work with a particular duty
bearer. This tool can be supplemented with Stakeholder analysis if needed.
The later is for identification of the project’s key stakeholders, an assessment
of their interests and the ways in which these interests affect project riskiness
and viability. It is linked to both institutional appraisals and social analysis;

32
drawing on the information deriving from these approaches, but also
contributing to the combining of such data in a single framework9. The key
difference between duty bearer and stakeholder is that the former has an
obligation to fulfil child rights while the later may or may not have an obligation
to fulfil rights but may impact a child’s rights indirectly. For an instance
relevant government officials, parents and teachers are duty bearers and can
be held accountable for their actions with children; stakeholder will be those
people/groups who have interest in activities/events concerned with children
and may benefit or loose due to that interest. For example consumers of child
labour produce are not duty bearers but they stand to benefit from the cheap
labour of the child and therefore have a stake in projects concerned with
working children.

In an ideal situation both duty bearers and stakeholder analysis should involve
participation of key duty bearers and stakeholders ensuring a balanced
representation of interests and to help other duty bearer to develop a full
comprehension of the certain roles of certain duty bearers. This would enable
the participants to be realistic and practical in their approach.

Checklist: Questions to ask regarding power relations

1. What forms of power relations exist within your local community, in the
larger social context and in activities planned?

2. Who is involved? Who is least visible or least involved?

3. Who is controlling the process?

4. Who is in the ‘power up’ position (men, majority group, particular caste,
class, ethnic group, etc) and who is in a powerless position? (Women,
girls, boys, minority groups, etc)

5. Who has access to and who controls resources?

6. Who are the most influential and who controls the social, economic and
political arenas?

7. What changes in power relations have taken place in the last ten years?

8. How do participatory processes contribute to changing power relations

among girls/boys from different groups in the community?

TOOL ON INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK

Key question to consider while reviewing institutional commitment

• What legal frameworks could be used for the implementation of children's

9
Guidance on Stakeholder Analysis, Department for International Development.

33
 rights? (CRC, CEDAW, CAT, CERD, laws, policies, NPAs, etc)?

• What obligations have been made by the state in relation to these

frameworks?

• Which institutions are responsible for implementing these obligations?

• What coordination mechanisms are available within various institutions?

• Which monitoring mechanisms are in place?

• Are statistics and information desegregated? (Gender, age, ability, etc)

• What resource has been allocated in order to implement these

obligations? (How much has been allocated for the implementation of
children's rights? % of overall budget?)

• How are these resource allocations being spent?

• What has been the impact on girls and boys from various backgrounds? (i
think we should deleted this – it is too broad o be asked here)

• How much has the views of children (girls and boys from various
backgrounds) been incorporated when making commitments and
allocating resources?

• What independent watchdog mechanisms are available for monitoring that

commitments are fulfilled?

H. Duty Bearer Analysis:

If children and young people are the holders of rights and have a legal
entitlement that their rights are secured, then it is essential that those
responsible for fulfilling these rights are identified and made accountable and
responsive. Although governments are often seen to be the primary duty-
bearers and indeed it is their responsibility to ensure that rights are secured,
other adult members of society – both individuals and groups – are also duty-
bearers. Children also have responsibilities – not violating other children’s and
adult’s rights. This means that these individuals and groups have an active
role to play in ensuring that the rights of the young people in their care are
secured10. It is important that the duty bearer analysis takes place as early
as possible during the project planning stage as this will enable proper
identification of the issues and interventions.

10
Child Rights Programming, A handbook for International Save the Children Alliance Members, Save
the Children, 2002

34
Identification and Selection of Duty Bearers: This will mainly depend on
the type of intervention being planned to achieve a set of objectives. The aim
should be to identify and select the key duty bearers (after and in-depth
analysis of all the potential duty bearers) who are responsible for bringing
positive (expected changes as per project goals and objectives) changes in
children’s situation.

In order to identify and select key duty bearer(s) an objective assessment of

the duty bearers needs to be done in relation to they level of impact they have
on children’s situation. The other aspects which could also be considered
while selecting the duty bearers could be: what added value they will have on
the overall children’s situation; cost implications of their involvement (not vital
if benefits are more); their (duty bearers) commitments; and possible
obstacles which may arise due to their involvement in the project. The key
duty bearers could be identified and selected by using a simple matrix
described in this section. Importance of being very specific when selecting key
duty bearers to work with/address.

Why is it important to Work with duty bearers? While considering the

selection of duty bearers one should look into the following aspects and on
this basis should make an objective assessment and selection of duty
bearers:

• Their Maximum Impact on Children’s Situation i.e. They will play an

important role in bringing the expected changes in children’s situation.

• Less Risks Involved i.e. we are certain that not big risks are involved and
if for some reason the identified duty bearer is not able to play the required
role, the project will not be too much affected.

• Their Role is clearly Identified/defined i.e. some duty bearers role has
clearly been identified or defined due to their proximity with children or
their responsibilities towards children have clearly been defined in their job
placements e.g. teachers, vaccinators etc.

• Added Value i.e. their inclusion besides improving the situation of children
in project context will also have positive influence on other duty bearers
which are not identified or selected. e.g. Involvement of religious leaders in
a project, besides helping in achieving the objectives may also bring
positive changes in other social, cultural and religious practices like girls
education, early marriages etc.

Cost Effectiveness i.e. their involvement will not be too expensive (in project
context) as compared to other duty bearers.

MATRIX ON IDENTIFICATION AND SELECTION OF DUTY BEARERS11

11
Developed by Mehmood Asghar, Lena Karlsson and Ravi Karkara, Save the Children Sweden, 2003

35
Duty Bearers What responsibility do Why is it important to work
they have to fulfil with Reasons/Justifications
children rights and what
actions have they taken?
GOVERNMENT
Local
E.g. leaders
village planning
committee, etc.

Sub-National
E.g. head of
district/
provincial
education
department, etc.

National
e.g. Additional
secretary
Education
Ministry, etc.

Family
E.g. father,
mother, uncles,
etc.

Community
E.g. religious
leaders, etc.

School
E.g. teacher,
principles, etc.

NGOs/CBOs

Workplace (informal or formal sector)

36
E.g. employer,
supervisor, etc.

Girls and boys

E.g. Children’s
organisation, etc.

International community
E.g. UN, World
Bank, SC, donor
agencies, etc.

Media and Private Sector

e.g. Sector
specific
journalist,
employers
associations,
etc.

Note: There is a need to be very specific when identifying the key duty
bearers e.g. village governing body – who is the village governing body’s can
make a difference in combating and taking action against child rights
violations.

Further use of following tool to support previous analysis of responsibility and

gender and power analysis can help determine precisely the ways towards
realization of rights. This tool helps undertake a combines analysis several
factors such as:

1. What are the still unrealized/violated or denies rights of the child?

2. What are the causes for the same?
3. Who are the responsible actors/duty bearers?
4. What is the reason/s for their inaction?
5. What obstacles do they face? Information from secondary sources also
can inform as to if these obstacles lie at the policy level or at a more
practical level?
6. Taking into consideration what actions can be taken to influence the
duty bearers to be more responsive/accountable?

37
Unrealised Causes Responsible Reasons Obstacles Actions to be
rights actors for taken /ways to
Examples: - inaction overcome
inaction/to make
duty bearers
responsive/acco
untable

Immedi Government
ate • Local
causes • Sub-national
• National

Family members

Community
Members

NGOs/CBOs
Root Girls and boys
Causes
International
community

Private sector &

media

38
NO!!!
Stakeholder Analysis:

The term Stakeholders is used to describe all those individuals, groups of

people and organisations that would be directly or indirectly affected by an
intervention or that might have interest in it or an influence on it. Stakeholders
can be divided into two categories – primary and secondary. Primary
stakeholders are those ultimately affected, either positively or negatively.
Secondary stakeholders are the intermediaries in the aid delivery process.
This definition of stakeholders includes both winners and losers and those
involved or excluded from decision-making processes. Key stakeholders are
those who can significantly influence or are important to the success of the
project.

Stakeholder analysis aims to12:

 Identify and define the characteristics of key stakeholders;

 Assess the manner in which they might affect or be affected by the
programme/project outcome;
 Understand the relation between stakeholders including an
assessment of the real or potential conflicts of interest and expectation
between stakeholders;
 Assess the capacity of different stakeholders to participate

Stakeholder Analysis Servers three main purposes:

1. It forms the basis of effective participation in design, implementation

and monitoring of the project or programme.
2. It makes visible the important stakeholders and as a result can
contribute to identifying ways and means of empowering them to
become more influential.
3. It highlights the dynamics of relations between stakeholder categories,
identifying potential risks to achievement o project purpose. The
findings of the stakeholder analysis should be used to shape project
design and where this is not possible should be highlighted as a risk.

Why do stakeholders Analysis?

A stakeholder analysis helps in assessing the project environment and

to inform the negotiating position in the planning and implementation
stages. It identifies needs, interests, and possible effects. It helps:
• Draw out the interests of stakeholders in relation to the problems
that the project is seeking to address
• Identify conflicts of interests between stakeholders that will
influence assessment of the projects riskiness before the
financial commitments are made.

12
Stakeholder Participation and Analysis, Social Development Division, DFID, 1995.

39
 • Help to identify the relations between stakeholders that can be
built upon and may enable coalitions of project sponsorship,
ownership and cooperation.
• Help to assess the appropriate type of participation by different
stakeholders, at successive stages of the project cycle.

When should the Stakeholder Analysis be done?

The stakeholder analysis should be done at the start of a project or

programme. A stakeholder analysis will be useful throughout the project life
from planning to implementation to monitoring and evaluation stages.

Who should do Stakeholder Analysis?

Ideally a stakeholder analysis should be done by a team of concerned parties

such as project officers, NGO staff, children, community representatives,
government officials, employers of children etc. A analysis at such a meeting
can generate information that is sensitive, as many interests are covert and
sometimes real agendas are hidden. In such a situation there are few benefits
of direct confrontations between different interest groups. Its important that
information generated is treated diplomatically as there is not much benefit in
uncovering such agenda in public.

Stakeholder Participation:

It’s a process whereby those who are holders of rights and or have interest in
the outcomes of the project play an active role in decision-making and in the
consequent activities that affect them. However it is also true that children as
primary stakeholders may lack the political power or institutional support (such
as children’s groups) for their views to be taken into account. Sometimes its
wise to ensure that the initial phase of the project focuses on the development
of representative’s capacity to participate, for example establishing children’s
groups in the first six months or so of a project’s life. The primary stakeholders
may also lack the information they need for making effective and appropriate
decisions. Such a gap can be bridged through education work or using life
skills training, exposure visits etc. Within the groups of primary stakeholders –
for example children residing in a slum area, there may be some children who
are more active, articulate and dominant and hence more powerful than other
children. Often girls might be in a disadvantaged position if they are required
to participate in activities together with boys. Targeted activities may be
needed to include powerless groups, such as girls, children from extremely
poor families, physically challenged children, children from lower caste groups
or other ethnic minorities.

At times the legitimacy of children’s participation might be challenged by

adults in the area or may not be given the due respect. At times boys might
challenge the participation of girls. A final decision should always depend
upon fulfilling the rights of all stakeholder involved without while minimizing
the adverse impact on the participation of others. Sometimes children who
are economically active or girls and boys who have household chores

40
responsibility or responsibility to care for younger siblings may view the time
and money costs of participation as being too high when compared to benefits
of the project. Information, consultation, planning and management activities
must be designed to respond to this challenge.

Steps in Stakeholder Analysis:

Draw up a stakeholder table that lists all potential stakeholders; identifies their
interest/s in relation to the issue being addressed; briefly assesses the likely
impact of project on each of these interest areas; and indicate the priority that
the project should give to each stakeholder in meeting their interests.

Types of Stakeholders

Both primary and secondary stakeholders should be identified and listed.

Primary stakeholders are those children or groups of children who are
ultimately affected by the project. This includes intended beneficiaries or
those negatively affected (for instance victims of abuse).

Primary stakeholders should be further categorized by social analysis such

as gender, age group, social or income classes, working and non-working
children, etc. Participation of primary stakeholders is essential in projects
that are expected to have a direct positive impact on defined group of
children.

Secondary stakeholders are those who are concerned with delivery of the
programme and would include most duty bearers, employers of children,
and a range of other intermediaries such as politicians, social or religious
leaders, local leaders, respected persons in the community, businesses
within and outside the country, traders etc who can potentially influence the
fulfillment of child rights in a negative or positive manner.

For instance in a project that addresses the education needs, primary

stakeholders will be boys and girls in different age groups, teachers. While
secondary stakeholders will be officials of Ministry of education, employers
of children, parents,

Checklist for identifying stakeholders:

Have all the primary and secondary stakeholders been listed?

Have all potential supporters and opponents of the project been
identified?
Has child rights analysis been used to identify different
stakeholders in primary and secondary categories?
Has gender analysis been used to identify different stakeholders?
Have the interests of girls and boys and vulnerable boys and girls
been identified?

Checklist for which stakeholders are important for success of the

project:

41
 Which child rights issues, affecting which stakeholders does the
project/programme seek to address or alleviate?
Which stakeholders interests converge most closely with the
objectives of the programme?

Do an assessment of each stakeholder’s importance to project success and

their relative power/influence

YES
Drawing out interests of the stakeholders:
Interests of the stakeholders can be drawn out by relating each stakeholder
to either the child rights violation that the project/programme is seeking to
address or the established objectives of the project. Interests may be drawn
out by asking:

What are the stakeholder’s expectations of the project?

What benefits are there likely to be for the primary and secondary
stakeholders?
What other interest does the stakeholder have which may conflict with the
project?
What resources will the stakeholder wish to commit or not commit to the
project?
How does the stakeholder regard other stakeholders in the list?

Assessing the influence and Importance of the stakeholders:

Key stakeholders are those who can significantly influence or are

important to the success of the project. Influence refers to how powerful
a stakeholder is in terms of impacting the process negatively or
positively. Influence is the power that stakeholders have over a project –
to control what decisions are made, facilitate its implementation or exert
influence that affects the project negatively. Influence is perhaps best
understood as the extent to which people groups or organisations are
able to persuade others into making decisions and following certain
courses of action.

Importance refers to those stakeholders whose problems, needs and interests

are the priorities of the programmes, i.e. if these stakeholders are not
supported then the programme cannot be deemed to be a success. By
combining the influence and importance using a matrix diagram stakeholders
can be classified into different groups, which will help identify assumptions
and the risks that need to be managed through the programme/project cycles.
Before outlining this matrix ways of influence and importance are suggested.

42
A stakeholder analysis can help in deciding how the key stakeholders can be
included in the project. The stakeholder analysis can help identify the risks
and assumption in relation to various stakeholders and enable planners and
participants to address these issues right from the start. A stakeholder
analysis helps during the monitoring and evaluation process.

43
Annex

GUIDELINE FOR CHILD RIGHTS SITUATION ANALYSIS - GENERAL

COMPONENTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE Pages

CHILD RIGHTS SITUATION ANALYSIS

A. Description

1. A short description of the overall social, economical,

cultural and political situation linking to the situation of
girls and boys in Bangladesh (country) and map trends
and foreseen prospects.

2. A short description of the cultural context (s), traditional

values, practices and perceptions towards girls and
boys. (For example in relation to age of maturity, child
development, gender socialization, sexuality, marriage,
child work, etc)
 Describe child rearing practices and harmful
traditional practices that exists.
 Which are the capacities and support structures that
exists at various levels to protect children?
 Which changes have taken place and are foreseen
to take place in the near future?
 Disaggregate sex, age, disability, ethnicity, religion,
economic status.

B. Budgetary/Administrative/Structural Analysis

3. A short description of the legal framework and the

political system/policies in relation to children and
children’s rights will be included.

4. A short description of relevant laws and its

implementations

5. Analysis of budgets allocation and use of resources and

implementation of child rights
 Analysis of increase or decrease of budget allocation
on implementation of children rights

6. Analysis of functioning of administration (the relation

between various layers of the governance structure like
local, sub-national and national) with specified
capacities.

7. Where does the major responsibility lies and analysis of

44
 their coordination, cooperation, capacity and activities of
various bodies involved in implementation of children’s
rights. Including cooperation and relation with civil
society

8. Description of Accountability, transparency, and

efficiency of public institutions

9. Mapping of independent reporting mechanism and

ombudsperson

COMPONENTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE CR SITUATION Pages

ANALYSIS

C. Child Rights Violation Analysis

1 A description of which rights are violate for which groups

0. of children in relation to the areas in which organisation
is planning to work (or is already working)
 Specific article (s) violated
 Key relational articles

1 Incidence and severity (intensity) of violations and relate

1. to the 4 CRP principles (ensure accuracy of source of
information with reference)

1 Identify the most exposed groups of children or those

2. most risks of having their rights violates and describe
how the rights are violated and make them visible in the
analysis.

D. Immediate and Underline Causality Analysis

1 A detail description on immediate causes (laws, policies,

3. lack of child participation, gender disparities, etc.)

1 A detail description on underline causes (power

4. relations, patriarchy, norms and values on participation,
etc.)

1 Analysis of inter linkages between the immediate and

5. underline causes

45
COMPONENTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE CR SITUATION Pages
ANALYSIS

E. Power and Gender Analysis

1 General power relations in the family and overall society

6. (divagate by age, sex, disability, etc.)

1 Describe how power is distributed in the community,

7. who control over resources and decision making
(money, labour, food, time, leisure, schooling,

1 Describe who has what needs to prioritise – which

8. groups of children and excluded and discriminated
against.

F. Responsibility Analysis

1 Identify duty bearers at different levels: family,

9. community, local, sub national, national, regional and
international

2 Prioritise the most relevant and effective duty bearers

0. and explain why

Be specific while describe the duty bearers person or

institutions, for example (government – planning
ministry, under sectary, etc.)

Describe key actors/duty bearers and their actions or

inactions

2 Describe obstacle and reasons for inactions of key

1. actors/ duty bearers

2 Describe what others actors/duty bearers are doing

2. (other NGOs, private sector, media, etc.)

2 Analysis of governments commitments made at

3. national, regional (SAARC) and international forums

F. Decentralisation
2 Decentralisation entails that within the country, political,
4. economic and/or administrative power is transferred
from the central level to regional and/or local level. Has
such a decentralisation that is relevant for the sector/the
area taken place?

46
 2 To which level(s) have powers been transferred?
5. Which powers have been transferred (decision-making,
financing, administration)?

2 Has the decentralisation opened up space for local-level

6. participation, including children’s participation? Describe
how.

G. Legal and Political Framework

2 Relevant laws, their contents and possible limitations in
7. relation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child?

2 Implementation of relevant laws and possible

8. shortcomings?

2 Government policies, strategies and action plans that

9. are relevant for the sector/the planned work in the area?

3 Separate between responsibilities of national level

0. authorities, regional and local decision-making bodies
and institutions.

3 Implementation of these policies, strategies and action

1. plans?

3 In there a national child rights ombudsperson? Describe

2. role and functions?

3 Is there a local child rights ombudsperson or other

3. defence office to which children and their families can
turn when their rights are violated? If yes, describe.

H. Economic and Budget Analysis

3
4. Budget allocations and actual spending from national,
regional and local level on the sector/the area.

3 Trends in budget allocations and spending over the last

5. years.

3 Other types of resource mobilisation (e.g. from donors

6.
I. Civil Society
3 Actors within the sector/the area? Brief description of
7. what the civil society actors do. (This can be done
separately in a more comprehensive actors’ analysis or
can be left aside for the time being if relevant partner(s)
have already been identified. In that case, describe only
what the identified partner is doing.)

47
 3 Type of civil society actors within the sector/the area.
8. (Mainly membership-based organisations or
intermediary agencies? Service providers, advocacy
organisations, organisations working with
empowerment? How well embedded13 are the civil
society organisations in the society?)

3 Relationship between state actors and civil society

9. (ranging from non-acceptance from the state to active
state promotion of autonomous organisations)

4 Cooperation between the state and civil society actors in

0. relation to the sector/area.

J. Analysis of Children and Young People’s Recommendations

4 Analysis the outcome of the children’s consultations

1. (from various backgrounds: sex, age, disability, ethnicity,
religion, economic status, etc.)
 What issues were raised by children coming from
different age, sex, class, region, religion, ethnicity,
ability especially girls and boys, disabilities and
younger children?
 What were the key issues discussed and what was
the final outcome?
 Are there common issues and recommendations in
all the consultations? If yes what are they?
 How were the prioritisation made- in separate groups
of boys and girls – age specific groups, disable girls
and boy’s ground etc.?
 Analysis of priorities set by children and young
people

4 If not held then - organize a meaningful consultation on

2. the problems that the project wants to address with
children and young people

13
Seen as important, respected.

48
Handout 13
GUIDELINE FOR CHILD RIGHTS SITUATION ANALYSIS AT SECTOR
LEVEL

COMPONENTS OF MICRO LEVEL CHILD RIGHTS Pages

SITUATION ANALYSIS

A. Description

1. Describe the economic, political, social and cultural

issues that affecting the lives of the children of the
geographical area.
 Disaggregate sex, age, disability, ethnicity, religion,
and economic status.

2. A short description of the specific cultural context that is

affecting the specific group of children and the
capacities of the support structure those are in place.
 Which changes have taken place and are foreseen
to take place in the near future?

B. Budgetary/Administrative/Structural Analysis

3.  Describe the local governmental structure. Has it got

any decision making power?
 What resources has it got from central level and
local level?
 Whether children’s issues are their part of their
activities or not.

4.  Describe the role of local administration in protecting

the rights of the children.
 How the NGO coordination committee is functioning,
especially in relation to children issues?
 What are the roles of civil society?

5. Is there any space for people participation?

C. Child Rights Violation Analysis

6. A brief description of which rights are violate for the

specific group of girls and boys (from various
backgrounds; age, sex, disability, ethnicity, etc.).

7. Incidence and severity (intensity) of violations and relate

to the 4 CRP principles (ensure accuracy of source of
information with reference)

49
D. Immediate and Underline Causality Analysis

8. Which are the immediate causes of children’s rights

violations?

9. Describe the underlying causes (e.g. power relations]

1 Analysis of inter linkages between the immediate and

0. underlying causes

E. Power and Gender Analysis

1 Are there any specific power relations that are affecting

1. the lives of the children?

1 Describe how power is distributed in the community, who

2. control over resources and decision-making (money,
labour, food, time, leisure, schooling etc].

1 Which groups of children (from various backgrounds;

3. age, sex, disability, ethnicity, etc.) are excluded and
discriminated?

E. Responsibility Analysis

1 Identify duty bearers and their actions or inactions at

4. different levels: family, community, local sub national,
national, regional and international

1 Prioritise the most relevant and effective duty bearers

5. and explain why

1 Describe obstacle and reasons for inactions of key

6. actors/ duty bearers

1 Describe what others actors are doing (other NGOs,

7. media, etc.)

1 Analysis of governments commitments made at national,

8. regional (SAARC) and international forums

F. Decentralisation
1 Decentralisation entails that within the country, political,
9. economic and/or administrative power is transferred
from the central level to regional and/or local level. Has
such a decentralisation that is relevant for the sector/the
area taken place?

50
 2 To which level(s) have powers been transferred?
0. Which powers have been transferred (decision-making,
financing, administration)?

2 Has the decentralisation opened up space for local-level

1. participation, including children’s participation? Describe
how.

G. Legal and Political Framework

2 Relevant laws, their contents and possible limitations in
2. relation to the Convention on the Rights of the Child?

2 Implementation of relevant laws and possible

3. shortcomings?

2 Government policies, strategies and action plans that

4. are relevant for the sector/the planned work in the area?

2 Separate between responsibilities of national level

5. authorities, regional and local decision-making bodies
and institutions.

2 Implementation of these policies, strategies and action

6. plans?

2 In there a national child rights ombudsperson? Describe

7. role and functions?

2 Is there a local child rights ombudsperson or other

8. defence office to which children and their families can
turn when their rights are violated? If yes, describe.

H. Economic and Budget Analysis

2
9. Budget allocations and actual spending from national,
regional and local level on the sector/the area.

3 Trends in budget allocations and spending over the last

0. years.

3 Other types of resource mobilisation (e.g. from donors

1.
I. Civil Society
3 Actors within the sector/the area? Brief description of
2. what the civil society actors do. (This can be done
separately in a more comprehensive actors’ analysis or
can be left aside for the time being if relevant partner(s)
have already been identified. In that case, describe only
what the identified partner is doing.)

51
 3 Type of civil society actors within the sector/the area.
3. (Mainly membership-based organisations or
intermediary agencies? Service providers, advocacy
organisations, organisations working with
empowerment? How well embedded14 are the civil
society organisations in the society?)

3 Relationship between state actors and civil society

4. (ranging from non-acceptance from the state to active
state promotion of autonomous organisations)

3 Cooperation between the state and civil society actors in

5. relation to the sector/area.

J. Analysis of Children and Young People’s Recommendations

3 Analysis the outcome of the children’s consultations

6. (from various backgrounds: sex, age, disability, ethnicity,
religion, economic status, etc.)

 What issues were raised by children coming from

different age, sex, class, region, religion, ethnicity,
ability especially girls and boys, disabilities and
younger children?
 What were the key issues discussed and what was
the final outcome?
 Are there common issues and recommendations in
all the consultations? If yes what are they?
 How were the prioritisation made- in separate groups
of boys and girls – age specific groups, disable girls
and boy’s ground etc.?

 Analysis of priorities set by children and young

people
3 If not held then - organize a meaningful consultation on
7. the problems that the project wants to address with
children and young people

14
Seen as important, respected

52
Annex

Guide to the reporting guidelines and the eight thematic areas of CRC15

The Committee on the Rights of the Child during its first meetings drafted
Guidelines for Initial Reports. These divide the Convention into eight “clusters”
of Articles which, in the words of the Committee, “reflect the Convention’s
holistic perspective of children’s rights: that they are indivisible and inter-
related, and that equal importance should be attached to each and every right
recognised therein.”

The Committee’s Guidelines for Periodic Reports, drafted in 1996, demand a

critical analysis by States of the further progress they have made towards full
implementation

These Guidelines use the same structure of clusters of Articles, but spell out
in 50 pages the detailed information required to enable the Committee to
judge each State’s progress for its children. Reports must contain “sufficient
information to provide the Committee with a comprehensive understanding of
the implementation of the Convention in the country concerned”. Additionally,
“the process should be one that encourages and facilitates popular
participation and public scrutiny of government policies”.
The following are the clusters:

I. General Measures of Implementation

 Article 4: implementation obligations;
 Article 42: making Convention widely known;
 Article 44(6): making reports widely available (in Guidelines for Periodic
Reports, also covers
 Article 41: respect for existing standards).

II. Definition of the Child

Article 1.

III. General Principles

 Article 2: non-discrimination;
 Article 3(1): best interests to be a primary consideration; (the Guidelines
for Periodic Reports also covers
 Article 3(2): The State’s obligation to ensure necessary care and
protection; and
 Article 3(3): standards for institutions, services and facilities);
 Article 6: the right to life, survival and development (see also, VI, below);
 Article 12: respect for the views of the child.

15
CRP SC Hand Book, Save the Children, 2002

53
IV. Civil Rights and Freedoms
 Article 7: right to name, nationality and to know and be cared for by
parents;
 Article 8: preservation of child’s identity;
 Article 13: freedom of expression;
 Article 14: freedom of thought, conscience and religion;
 Article 15: freedom of association and peaceful assembly;
 Article 16: protection of privacy;
 Article 17: child’s access to in-formation, and role of mass media; Article
37(a): right not to be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment.

The Guidelines for Periodic Reports indicate (para 48) that these are not the
only provisions in the Convention, which constitute civil rights and freedoms.

V. Family Environment and Alternative Care

 Article 5: parental guidance and child’s evolving capacities;
 Article 18(1) and (2): parental responsibilities and state’s assistance;
 Article 9: separation from parents;
 Article10: family reunification;
 Article 11: illicit transfer and non-return;
 Article 27(4): recovery of maintenance for the child;
 Article 20: children deprived of their family environment;
 Article 21: adoption;
 Article 25: periodic review of placement and treatment;
 Article 19: protection from all forms of violence;
 Article 39: rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of violence (see also
VIII below).

VI. Basic Health and Welfare

 Article 6: right to life, survival and development (see also, II above);
 Article 18(3): support for working parents;
 Article 23: rights of disabled children;
 Article 24: right to health and health services;
 Article 26: right to social security;
 Article 27(1)-(3): right to adequate standard of living.

VII. Education, Leisure and Cultural Activities

 Article 28: right to education;
 Article 29: aims of education;
 Article 31: right to leisure, play and participation in cultural and artistic
activities.

54
VIII. Special Protection Measures

A. Children in Situations of Emergency

 Article 22: refugee children;
 Article 38: children and armed conflict;
 Article 39: rehabilitation of child victims (see also above).

B. Children Involved with the System of Administration of Juvenile

Justice
 Article 40: administration of juvenile justice;
 Article 37(a) prohibition of capital punishment and life imprisonment;
 Article 37(b)-(d): restriction of liberty;
 Article 39: rehabilitation and reintegration of child victims (see also V
above).

C. Children in Situations of Exploitation

 Article 32: child labour;
 Article 33: drug abuse;
 Article 34: sexual exploitation;
 Article 35: sale, trafficking and abduction;
 Article 36: other forms of exploitation.

D. Children Belonging to a Minority or an Indigenous Group

 Article 30.

55
GLOSSARY (ADAPTED FROM UNDP HDR 2000)

Culture is comprised of values, attitudes, norms, ideas, internalised habits

and perceptions as well as the concrete forms or expression they take in. For
example, social roles, structures and relationships, codes of behaviours and
explanations for behaviour that are to a significant extent shared among a
group of people. Culture is learned and internalised, and influences people’s
actions and interpretations of circumstances at the same time as people in
turn influences the content of culture by their compliance with it or by
challenging it.

Declarations articulate agreed upon principles and standards. These

documents are not in themselves legally binding. But some declarations, most
notably the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, have been so widely
recognised that their provisions are considered as binding on all states.

Duty-bearers: Human rights are linked to duties, accountability, obligation

and responsibility. Duty-bearers are the actors collectively responsible for the
realisation of human rights. Those who bear duties with respect to a human
right are accountable if the right goes unrealised. When a right has been
violated or insufficiently protected, there is always someone or some
institution that has failed to perform a duty.

Gender: Cultural interpretation of biological sex; definitions of what is

considered to be feminine and masculine in particular cultural and social
settings, and expectations of women and men, boys and girls with respect to
these definitions; social, economic and political relationships between males
and females in specific societies.

Human rights are the rights possessed by all persons, by virtue of their
common humanity, to live a life of freedom and dignity. They give all people
moral claims on the behaviour of individuals and on the design of social
arrangements. Human rights are universal, inalienable and indivisible. They
express our deepest commitments to ensuring that all persons are secure in
their enjoyment of the goods and freedoms that are necessary for dignified
living.

Human rights treaties, covenants and conventions are part of international

law. Used interchangeably, treaty, covenant and convention refer to legally
binding agreements between states. These agreements define the duties of
states parties to the treaty, covenant or convention. They apply in times of
peace and conflict. Human rights treaties regulate obligations of states
towards persons in their own territory (rather than towards other states). Even
though the UDHR is not a convention, it has become “common law” and is
now considered legally binding for all states.

Humanitarian law (Geneva Conventions) rules the behaviour of states and

other combatants in armed conflicts. It clarifies obligations between states,

56
e.g. on: hi-jacking, nuclear weapons, airspace, extradition, laws ruling the
behaviour of parties in armed conflict.

Inalienability: Human rights are inalienable: they cannot be taken away by

others, nor can one give them up voluntarily.

Indivisibility: Human rights are indivisible in two senses. First, there is no

hierarchy among different kinds of rights. Civil, political, economic, social and
cultural rights are all equally necessary for a life of dignity. Second, some
rights cannot be suppressed in order to promote others. Civil and political
rights may not be violated to promote economic, social and cultural rights. Nor
can economic, social and cultural rights be suppressed to promote civil and
political rights.

Ratification of an international agreement (treaty, covenant, convention)

represents the promise of a state to uphold it and adhere to the legal norms
that it specifies. Ratification is an act of government or parliament that makes
a treaty binding and enforceable in the state.

Realisation of human rights. A human right is realised when individuals enjoy

the freedoms covered by that right and their enjoyment of the right is secure.
A person’s human rights are realised if sufficient social arrangements are in
place to protect her/him against threats to her/his enjoyment of the freedoms
covered by those rights.

Reservation to a treaty (covenant, convention) indicates that a state party

does not agree to comply with one or more of its provisions. Reservations are,
in principle, intended to be used only temporarily, when states are unable to
realise a treaty pro-vision but agree in principle to do so.

Signing a treaty (covenant, convention) is an act of government or

parliament. It represents a promise of the state to adhere to the principles and
norms specified in the document without creating legal duties to comply with
them. Signing is the first step that states undertake towards ratifying and thus
becoming states par-ties to an agreement. Presidential signature of an
agreement must be ratified by parliament for the agreement to become legally
binding.

States parties to an international agreement are the countries that have

ratified it and are thereby legally bound to comply with its provisions.
Governments are representatives of states. Once they have ratified an
international treaty, all subsequent governments of that state have to abide by
them. If they don’t abide by the treaties ratified by earlier governments, the
international community can impose sanctions.

Treaty bodies are the committees formally established through the principal
inter-national human rights treaties to monitor states parties’ compliance with
the treaties. Treaty bodies have been set up for the six core UN human rights
treaties to monitor states parties’ efforts to implement their provisions.

57
Universality. Human rights belong to all people, and all people have equal
status with respect to these rights. Failure to respect an individual’s human
right has the same weight as failure to respect the right of any other – it is not
better or worse depending on the person’s gender, race, ethnicity, nationality
or any other distinction.

58
Acronyms and Abbreviations
CAT Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment
CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
Against Women
CICL Children in Conflict with the Law
CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child
CRP Child Rights Programming
CSA Country Situation Analysis
CSP Country Strategy Paper
HR Human Rights
ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
ICERD International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination
ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
ILO International Labour Organisation
NPA National Plan of Action
RBP Rights-based Programming
Sc save the Children
UDHR Universal Declaration of Human Rights
UN United Nations
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund
UNIFEM United Nations Development Fund for Women

Annex

Alliance Child Rights Programming Working Group TOR

Annex

CRP Checklist for Assessing a Project Proposal

59
References:

Child Rights Programming, How to apply Rights based approaches in

Programming: A handbook for International Save the Chidlren Alliance
Members, Save the Children, 2002

Comprehensive Participatory Planning and Evaluation. Lefevre Pierre;

Kolsteren Patrick; De Wael Marie-Paule; Byekwaso Francis; Beghin Ivan;
Tropical Medicine, December 2000.

Implementation handbook for the convention on the Rights of the child,

UNICEF, 1998

International Save the Chidren Alliance Child Protection Policy

Gender in Early Childhood Edited by Nicola Yelland, 1998

Hand Book For Child Rights Programming, Save The Children, 2002

Tools for CRP, Joachim Thesis, 2001

Tool Kit On Child Rights Programming Save The Children Denmark, 2002

60
6. OVERALL PRIORITISATION
Brief Description of the session:
Participants are introduced to the Tool for CR Situational Analysis by talking
them through each step of the guideline

Time:

Objectives:
By the end of the session participants will -
 Be able to describe the application of Guideline for Child Rights Situation
Analysis

Methods/Tools: Discussion and presentation

Training Materials: OHP, flip chart, pen, markers, etc.

List of Handouts: Guideline for Child Rights Situation Analysis

Process:

Step 1
Ask participants to discuss in small groups
 What have boys and girls prioritised?
 Which are the prioritised duty bearers and what are the duty bearer’s
priorities?
 What are the other actor’s priorities?
 What are the (own) organisation’s priorities from SWOC analysis?

Step 2
Ask participants to discuss in small groups
 Which priorities would have the highest impact on address children’s
rights violations?
 How will it priorities help in strengthening on accountability of duty
bears?
 How will the priorities enable children and young people (from all
backgrounds: age, sec, ethnicity, disability, etc.) active participation in
programme?
 How will priorities help to address discrimination in the society?

Step 3
Participants agree ion a plenary the key organisational priorities for
strengthening their programme work.

Special Notes:
 Participants use this information top develop their programme strategy or
review their existing programme strategy

61