Stigma is an important roadblock in the way of moving children from institutions to families. As well as to ensure that children are not separated from their families unnecessarily in the first place. There are a lot of children who are affected by stigma, including but not limited to children with disabilities, children affected by HIV, children of unwed mothers, children belonging to marginalised minorities, children on the move, children living in the street, former child soldiers, survivors of child trafficking, survivors of sexual abuse, and children who have lived in ‘orphanages’. In discussions around moving children who are stigmatised in some way from institutions to families, there is often a perception that this cannot be done, it is just not safe for the children to be moved into a community that does not accept them.
Continue reading “Breaking Stigma Through Exposure”Tag: #awarenessraising
Harmful Practices and Children with Disabilities
All around the world, there is a growing recognition that certain traditional practices that have been handed down from generation to generation are in fact harmful to children. Even though these traditional practices continue to have great cultural significance, more and more people are convinced that this does not outweigh the risks posed to the children. While progress in protecting children from harmful practices is gradual and at times slow, it is undeniable that there is progress and that the momentum is growing. However, unfortunately, in many cases what people consider harmful practices is confined to a very specific list.
Continue reading “Harmful Practices and Children with Disabilities”The Promise of Institutions
I have mentioned it in various ways on various occasions, but I think it is important to lift this point out and look at it closely. The point being that children ending up in institutions is not just about push-factors – such as not having anywhere else to go – there are major pull-factors. If you are not aware of this and do not take it into account, it will not be possible to avoid the unnecessary separation of children from their families or to successfully remove children from institutions.
Continue reading “The Promise of Institutions”Call-to-Action: Awareness-Raising
Earlier this week, I sent out another advocacy email to a number of big organisations, with a call to action to mobilise an awareness-raising movement to prevent children being separated from their families unnecessarily. Here is that email:
Continue reading “Call-to-Action: Awareness-Raising”Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Awareness-Raising & Advocacy 2
Part 8 of the explanation with the ToC: Last Thursday, an overview was given about the kind of issues that require awareness-raising and advocacy and why this is important to take seriously. In this blog, more information will be given on this, and on breaking the news that you are planning to move from institutional to family-based care.
Continue reading “Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Awareness-Raising & Advocacy 2”Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Awareness-Raising & Advocacy 1
Part 7 of the explanation with the ToC: It could be said that awareness-raising and advocacy are two sides of the same coin. Advocacy is raising awareness in the government and its representatives and through doing so lobbying for necessary changes. Awareness-raising is providing communities, families, and the general public – either individually, in small groups or en masse – with information about issues that they might not have had knowledge or proper insight about previously, to change their mindset and opinion.
Continue reading “Model for Setting Up Alternative Care System: Awareness-Raising & Advocacy 1”Medical Prejudice on HIV
The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS is still strong in most parts of the world, and this can have a greater debilitation effect on people who are HIV positive than their medical condition does. In a general way, I already touched on this in the blog that I wrote for World AIDS Day last December (you can find it HERE). Today I want to shine a spotlight on the way people with HIV are still discriminated against even by medical doctors, who really should know better.
Continue reading “Medical Prejudice on HIV”Busting Stigmas with Awareness
When you suggest that it might be possible to move towards family-based care by reuniting children with their families or by finding foster families for them, it is not uncommon to be told that this is not possible with ‘those’ children. Or sometimes, people will tell you that they have tried to convince families to take back their children or have tried to recruit foster families, and no one was willing. In a way, these nay-sayers are right, because it is not that easy, but it is possible.
Continue reading “Busting Stigmas with Awareness”Plans for Why Family-Based Solutions
In the previous blog, I described how, coming up to the 1-year-aniversary of the start of Why Family-Based Solutions, I have been putting a lot of thought into what I would like the organisation to be about and what I can and want to aim to achieve. In today’s blog, I would like to share some of the conclusions that I have drawn.
Continue reading “Plans for Why Family-Based Solutions”