The goal of this study was to expand the present understanding of the plight of child labourers who work in dangerous environments by discovering issues that are related to education and social relationships. The study presents the current situation of child labourers' rights, as well as their working environment and family in Bangladesh. The study's approach was based on both primary and secondary data. A sample survey was undertaken to gather primary field data once the relevant data was gathered from secondary sources. On the basis of the questionnaire, data were gathered, and the study's sample was purposefully chosen. The study's key findings show that both at work and at home, child labourers are highly exploited by both their employers and families. This study makes the case that the exploitation of child labourers can be stopped by raising public awareness, implementing measures to improve working conditions, establishing children's rights, and working with GOs and NGOs to end child labour. Child work stands out as a flagrant violation of human rights. The socioeconomic situation in Bangladesh makes it a dismal reality, though.
Institutional care for children without families is still widely used globally as a child protection intervention, despite concerns that it violates child rights, separates children from their families, puts children at risk of abuse and neglect and is harmful for child development. This article applied attachment theory to analyse the use and risks of institutional care. It also discusses the challenges and consequences of implementing deinstitutionalisation strategies, a series of policy-driven activities aimed at transitioning a child protection system from an institutional to family-based model of childcare. A secondary data analysis found the progressive elimination of institutions can be effective where deinstitutionalisation strategies implement an attachment approach to improve institutions alongside building permanency planning capacity for children. This article proposes that institutional care may have a role as a child protection intervention where it is temporary, recognises a child's need for secure attachment and facilitates safe permanency in a family setting.
The aim of the work is to critically examine the encounters of an Indian child with the Jugendamt ('Youth Office') in Germany. The article examines the tension between protection and alienation of the child from its family and culture, questioning whether migrant, non-German children in such systems have rights, and if so what could they be? Through interviews with the family and document analysis, the study aims to establish whether the progression of the case from the position of the child has been in accordance with various United Nations human rights treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child. By examining the case from a cultural, social justice and children's rights perspective, this article concludes that unless steps are taken to dismantle the power and privilege dynamics of such institutions, children of ethnic communities will continue to be at risk of being separated from their families, in addition to being at risk of losing a variety of their rights, including the right to their cultural and religious identity.
Aim The objective of the present study was to explore the menstrual health experiences of adolescents residing in institutional care. Method An in-depth interview with 25 adolescents residing in institutional care was conducted from February to March 2022. The data collected through semi-structured interviews were transcribed and then translated for the report writing purpose. Results After inductive thematic analysis, four themes were identified, namely, menstrual experiences, access to menstrual products, social support and coping behaviours. Conclusion Based on the result findings, it can be concluded that it is high time for the policy makers, non-government organisations and government to join hands to address the needs of institutionalised adolescent menstruators. Only then, holistic women empowerment goal can be achieved. Limitation The present study was limited to qualitative analysis of 25 in-depth interviews from adolescents residing in one of the institutional cares of Gujarat state. Recommendations Future multicentric research studies could be conducted with large sample size by incorporating mixed method research design in order to gain deeper insights into the problem stated. Implications In the light of the experience of adolescent menstruators residing in institutional care, they can be educated about menstrual management. Counselling is necessary and the need of hour for adolescent menstruators to deal with how to handle emotions before and during menstrual phase.
Despite popular intents and plans to eradicate child-care institutions from the national scenario, institutional care remains the dominant model of alternative care for children among countries in the global South. Moreover, complete eradication of these residential institutions has multiple practical constraints. Given these limitations, building resilience among institutionalised children and youth has been considered a worthier goal for intervention. There is, an urgent need to appreciate the notion of resilience amid these settings from an ecological perspective rather than as an individual attribute. This study outlines certain best practices regarding how multiple stakeholders within resident children's immediate ecological context might facilitate healthy adjustment in an atmosphere of trust and support.
India and Sri Lanka have a shared history, which has led to the longstanding use of institutional care of children. Children in institutions were often disabled, the victims of gender violence and their families lacked the necessary resources to provide care. This was true in the past and is today. There is a slow movement to end institutional care in India and Sri Lanka through the development of family-based alternative care (foster care). For this change, stakeholders needed to engage at all levels in changing policy and practice. Noteworthy is the legislative taken in India in the year 2015 to amend and revise its existing Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000. The new Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015 included provisions on foster care under the chapter Reintegration and Rehabilitation. Sri Lanka took formal action in 2019 with the passage of The National Alternative Care Policy for Children in Sri Lanka. This Act defines all forms of alternative care including foster care and kinship care. These legislative changes aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) asserting a child's rights framework. Collaboration, training and exchange of practices have been key to the development of foster care and will continue to help this monumental change process.
Our article focuses on the national efforts advancing children's right to alternative care services in Nepal. It presents the government's existing laws and policies in providing responsible care to children in need of special protection and for children who cannot be placed in parental care due to various reasons for family separation. This article also looks into the history of alternative care in Nepal and discusses the alternative forms of care practised in the communities and their evolution, upholding the best interest of the child. We share the promising practices of kinship care and foster care (informal and formal) for children at risk of separation and child institutionalisation and for children removed from orphanages and children's homes for family reintegration, implemented by The Himalayan Innovative Society in Nepal in partnership with Forget Me Not and Hope and Homes for Children. We, finally, conclude by sharing the key challenges and opportunities in the implementation of alternative care services for children in Nepal driving the care reform in the country.
Article 20 of the Child Rights Convention (CRC) confers responsibility upon states for ensuring such care in situations where children are 'temporarily or permanently deprived of his or her family environment'. Bangladesh, being among the first two countries in Asia to ratify CRC, enacted Children Act 2013 to implement the CRC standards. The Act has dedicated a chapter on alternative care covering type of disadvantaged children, alternative care options, child protection mechanism including gatekeeping measures, referral mechanism and the periodic review of alternative care arrangement. Though there is no defined alternative care system yet but several alternative cares such as kinship care, family-based care, family like care, residential/institutional care, etc. have been facilitated by Government, NGOs and private sectors. Challenges remain in assuring quality alternative care for all children including lack of resources and capacity, inadequate number of social welfare workforce; caregivers, limited access to mental health and disability services. Based on the literature and observation, this article explores ideas on the alternative care of children, particularly relating to its modalities and challenges in the context of Bangladesh. The authors opine that the children's best interest cannot be achieved when a group grows without quality care.
Reflecting on the last decade, a promising trend is emerging in the promotion of family-based alternatives for children in Sri Lanka. Despite some plateauing due to certain humanitarian, environmental, financial and political issues, there is a move to reduce the number of children in residential care. The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has a history of institutionalised care dating back to the nineteenth century and formalised care starting in the mid-twentieth century. Back then, the country faced many challenges including economic crises, a brutal war and a devastating tsunami that left thousands of children in desperate need for out-of-home placements; the only secure alternative being formal residential care. Since then, various legislative enactments were revised and passed for the care and protection of children. One of the most significant policies in relation to promoting family-based care is the National Alternative Care Policy for Children. This policy has sparked a fire across the Island drawing attention to the plight of some 10,632 children in institutionalised care and providing clear family-based alternatives. Despite a three-year delay, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant humanitarian crisis, action plans are now under way to implement the policy in all nine provinces. Additionally, new legislation on Foster Care is in the pipeline. During the last few decades, several research studies conducted in Sri Lanka have brought a variety of issues to light on the conditions of children in residential care and the devastating effects to their overall physical and mental health including a significant impact on development. Although residential care has improved in meeting a child's basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and education, it still does not provide the individual attention a child needs to thrive. The country is no doubt moving towards family-based care, giving priority to family strengthening and strong gatekeeping mechanisms to prevent children from being unnecessarily separated from their families. The reduction in the number of institutions as well as in the number of child enrolment over the past 10 years attests to this. However, there is a long road ahead as Sri Lanka struggles to emerge out of a financial crisis with high inflation, making it difficult for people to buy essential goods and services. This crisis has affected many families, driving them to the breaking point and placing children more at the risk of separation. Moving forward, a collaborative force is needed to find solutions to these issues facing families, and there is hope as favourable prospects begin to appear in the horizon.
The main objective of this article is to understand the full spectrum of alternative care, various aspects covered under this theme and its progress in the SAARC countries over a decade respective country. This article hopes to understand and address the issues that can influence policy reforms, decision-making and improve practices and standards of care in the country. In addition to this, it is also to learn and get diverse ideas of practices prevalent in other societies, which will help in to strengthen research, knowledge and counselling practices currently prevalent. It is to bring forth the best practices that other regions might have been practicing. This article explores the existing policies and services that are prevalent in the country enhancing childcare and protection. It also tries to bring forth the good practices that are currently in place and how it can be strengthened further by addressing challenges within the system. It also provides insight into history and evolution, and role of stakeholders involved in alternative care in the country.
This research article explores the situation of children in alternative or institutional care in Pakistan, aiming to shed light on the challenges they face, interventions implemented to address their needs, and the associated laws and policy implications. Drawing on the existing literature, empirical studies and reports from reputable organisations, this research article examines the factors contributing to the placement of children in alternative care, highlights the impact of institutionalisation on their development and assesses the effectiveness of interventions and policies aimed at improving their well-being. The findings emphasise the importance of family-based care alternatives, comprehensive support systems and evidence-informed policies to ensure the holistic development of children in Pakistan's alternative care system.
Alternative Care is a form of care provided to children by caregivers other than their birth parents. In India, the existing alternative care mechanisms include institutional care, foster care and kinship care. As a continuum of support for care experienced youth, there is a provision of aftercare in the country. Child Protection System and Alternative Care in India have become more structured with relevant laws and policies in place, which guide the service delivery mechanisms to rehabilitate children in vulnerable circumstances, and those separated from their birth parents. In the recent past, India has witnessed pertinent changes in the child protection space, reflected at both policy and practice levels, with a visible move towards family-based alternative care and a focus to prevent unnecessary separation of children from their families. This paper intends to capture the landscape of alternative care and its evolution in India, drawing from the review of the legal and policy framework, existing literature, and detailed discussions with Civil Society Organisations(CSOs) and State functionaries. It brings out the role of stakeholders, good practices and challenges in implementing alternative care over the last decade, and provides recommendations for achieving a safe and nurturing family environment for children in vulnerable situations.
