Resources

Los líderes y las comunidades de fe están liderando iniciativas para crear y apoyar sistemas que funcionen para proteger a los niños y las niñas tanto a nivel doméstico como nacional. Esta página presenta ejemplos y proporciona recursos que demuestran…

Los líderes religiosos y las comunidades pueden actuar como socios importantes de las iniciativas gubernamentales y globales para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños y las niñas. Las organizaciones religiosas pueden tener mayor capital social que los gobiernos…

  Los expertos consideran que empoderar y relacionarse directamente con los niños y las niñas es esencial para poner fin a la violencia infantil. La participación infantil es en sí misma un factor protector de la violencia, al tratar a…

El estudio de alcance identificó tres tipos principales de respuestas basadas en la fe que se extienden sobre el ciclo de prevención y atención. Estos abarcan desde pequeñas respuestas informales de base a programas organizativos bien estructurados y el papel…

Los actores y comunidades basadas en la fe pueden prevenir la violencia infantil al trabajar para cambiar las actitudes y prácticas dañinas hacia los niños y las niñas. Además de hacer hincapié en los mensajes de protección de la niñez,…

Las comunidades de fe pueden mejorar sus enfoques de salvaguardia contra la violencia infantil mediante la identificación de las brechas en la comprensión de las políticas de protección infantil dentro de sus instituciones de fe. Las instituciones de fe pueden…

¿Cómo pueden los actores y las comunidades de fe servir como primeros agentes en responder a la violencia contra los niños y las niñas? Son capaces de denunciar y referir casos de abuso, proporcionar apoyo de emergencia, ofrecer asesoramiento psicológico…

"La evidencia confirma los casos históricos y actuales de violencia no declarada contra los niños dentro de las instituciones religiosas a través de múltiples religiones" (Eyber, C. y Palm, S. 2019). En los esfuerzos por mantener una reputación positiva o debido…

Este es un documento de una serie de dos sobre la acción de las comunidades de fe para poner fin a la violencia contra los niños y niñas. Su objetivo es informar a los actores religiosos, profesionales del desarrollo, formuladores…

In Cambodia, more than half of all children experience physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. This article examines how Cambodians view the causes and effects of child abuse and analyzes its underlying cultural forces. A conceptual framework developed in earlier research…

Just and Resilient Communities Project Gender-based Violence and Child Protection: Diocese of Mt Kenya West Partners: Anglican Overseas Aid and Anglican Church of Kenya This project is implemented in Nyeri County in the Diocese of Mount Kenya West from 2014-2017.…

Since its creation in 1950, UNHCR has engaged with faith-based organisations, faith communities and faith leaders in carrying out its work. Recently, UNHCR has been more actively exploring the role of faith in humanitarian responses. The fifth High Commissioner’s Dialogue…

Report from UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) As the civil war in Syria further deteriorates, accounts of systematic human rights abuses continue to emerge, including torture, starvation, and widespread sexual violence against civilians and combatants. More than five million…

Organisers: Working Group on Children and Violence of Child Rights Connect - Global Partnership to End Violence against Children - Office of the Special Representative to the Secretary General on Violence against Children - Office of the High Commissioner for…

In the Valley of Cochabamba, Bolivia, A Breeze of Hope Foundation (ABH) is giving a voice and support to victims of childhood sexual violence. Grounded in the experiences of those who have lived through sexual violence and using an innovative model…

The harm suffered by refugee children is not limited only to traumatic experiences suffered while in South Sudan or in transit to Uganda but is also especially prevalent in the new settlements, where usual child protection systems and coping mechanisms…

Millions of children are on the move across international borders – fleeing violence and conflict, disaster or poverty, in pursuit of a better life. Hundreds of thousands move on their own. When they encounter few opportunities to move legally, children…

Contemporary discussions on strengthening national child protection systems agree that community-based child protection mechanisms (CBCPMs) are fundamental elements of child protection systems.1 Because they are relatively easy to access, or perhaps are the only alternative that is available in responding…

This handbook accompanies The Mosque Management Handbook previously developed by Faith Associates. It is intended as a clear guide to help Madrassah and Mosque management successfully run their Madrassah and contains practical advice including the legal requirements, for the United…

All children should be cared for in a family environment by their parents, relatives or other loving adults. But there are growing numbers of children who do not enjoy this most basic right and suffer from neglect and extreme vulnerability.…

Ending Violence Against Children Scoping Study Brief 1. This is one brief in a series of two on faith-based action to end violence against children globally. These briefs are intended for faith actors, development practitioners, policymakers, and donors. Both briefing…

A tenth anniversary guide for reflection and discussion The Kyoto Declaration has served as an invaluable resource for those engaged in multi-religious cooperation and advocacy for children. It explicitly recommends prohibition of corporal punishment and has provided a guide for…

En Francais: ARGUMENTAIRE RELIGIEUX HARMNISE RELATIVE A LA PROMOTION DES DROITS L’ENFANT (FILLE ET GARCON) AU BIEN-ETRE This religious document relating to the Rights of the child (Girl and Boy) and their well-being, is the result of a commitment by…

This case study focuses on several situations in Kenya, Senegal, and Cambodia where religious attitudes and actors are directly involved in specific challenges facing children, notably the roles that religious beliefs and religious communities play in appreciating the challenges of…

This case study is one of a series produced by the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University and the World Faiths Development Dialogue (WFDD), an NGO established in the World Bank and based today at…

This note to religious communities developed by Arigatou International for the World Day of Prayer and Action, outlines the scope and consequences of child marriage. It also provides examples of practical action, which religious communities can take all year long…

The American Jewish World Service (AJWS) and its partners in 2014 launched the Early and Child Marriage Initiative in India to support and strengthen a national effort to end child marriage and enable girls to realize the full spectrum of…

Report conducted by Arigatou International GNRC and Goldin Institute (GI), on Experiential Stories of Former Child Soldiers (FCS), it is noted that the human race is losing close to 20,000 children daily on brutal wars. Children are conscripted against their…

This groundbreaking new research investigates current knowledge and raises awareness of child abuse linked to faith or belief. Internationally, cases of child abuse linked to faith or belief (CALFB) continue to cause concern (Bartholomew, 2015; Hansen & Ruggiero, 2013). In…

In 2018, world leaders will come together to draft and adopt two landmark compacts that have the potential to impact the lives of millions of migrant, displaced and refugee children. UNICEF has joined the voices of many who have called…

Children in Syria live under the constant threat of violence. The blatant flouting of international humanitarian and human rights law has earned this crisis the dubious honour of being recognised as the most significant humanitarian protection crisis in living memory.1…

Protestant Pastors Survey on Sexual and Domestic Violence June 2014 Sexual and domestic violence inflicts deep emotional, physical, and spiritual harm on the individuals who endure it. It also inflicts long-term damage to communities by reinforcing discriminatory social, economic, and…

A common value shared across diverse people of faith is the belief that each person, regardless of age, has infinite value, dignity and worth. The responsibility to care for and protect vulnerable children also forms an explicit mandate in many…

This Call to Action lays out a series of goals and actions to achieve greater inclusion of local faith actors (LFAs) in humanitarian action. The Call to Action is informed by the rich conversations that took place before, during, and…

Authors: Kirsten Laursen Muth, Chou Nuon, Vanessa Pizer, Abiy Seifu Link to other SVRI Faith-related Presentations

For more than 15 years “Fundacion Una Brisa de Esperanza” (Breeze of Hope Foundation) has been using an innovative approach for comprehensive management for children victims of sexual violence. This document of the case study does not use religious language…

Channels of Hope (CoH) is an interactive, facilitated process to create a safe space for faith leaders and faith communities to learn, share and debate. It reaches to the root causes and deepest convictions that impact attitudes, norms, values and…

In 2005, World Vision International designed a longitudinal operations research (OR) project to assess the effectiveness and impact of the three core HIV models (Channels of Hope, Community Care Coalition and Values-based HIV life-skills for children). This OR was implemented in two World Vision area development programmes (ADPs) in Uganda and Zambia. Each ADP had two study sites: intervention and comparison. This paper presents a summary of key findings focused on the CoH model.

‘The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities held its first global forum on child dignity in the digital world in Abu Dhabi in November 2018. The forum was attended by 450+ attendees including senior faith leaders and senior representatives from governments,…

Child Focused Community Transformation (CFCT) is FH’s model for transformational development. At the heart of the CFCT model is the welfare of the most vulnerable population in most societies -children. The CFCT model grew out of FH’s Child Development Program…

Faith leaders are well-positioned to address violence against children, but the extent to which they do so is unclear. This mixed-method study examined faith leaders’ child protection practices, attitudes towards child rights, and views around physical punishment in Senegal, Uganda,…

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) sets high standards for children’s protection and well-being in the family, school, society and institutions – standards that religious leaders and groups are particularly well-placed to communicate and hold society accountable…

Preliminary report by Child Rights International Network (CRIN) that maps the scale of child sexual abuse committed by clerics of the Catholic Church and evidence of cover up attempts by the Vatican and Church authorities. It provides an overview of…

The Rohingya Refugee Crisis is a children's emergency. Over a five-month period, 655,500 people have fled widespread violence in Myanmar, 58 percent of which have been children. Since arriving in refugee camps in Bangladesh, many of these children have reported the…

End of Project Management Report September 2016 to February 2018 Children as Peace Builders in Damara Sous prefecture Locations: Gbago, Dombe, Bossele, Damara, Binima, Oumba, Tangue, Vangue, Gbozo, Guerengou Project Goal: To increase access to livelihood assistance to conflict-affected children, especially…

This guide book is an update of Child Care in Islam, which was previously published by Al-Azhar in cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the year 1405 Hijrah (1985 AD). The previous document constituted an important advocacy…

This paper seeks to examine how Palestinian children’s agency integrates Islamic religious idioms in daily life to combat Israeli oppression. While children are often seen as objects that are merely subjected to political and cultural processes, this research shows that…

This research was conducted in March and April 2020 to explore children's and young people’s reflections and perceptions on the COVID-19 outbreak. Children and young people have already started mobilising themselves, using online platforms to share their experiences and support…

The Christian Sermon Guide provides christian leaders with messages about maternal, newborn, and child health that can be incorporated into sermons and thus disseminated into local communities.

The reality and influence of sexual violence and crime is enormous and already proving to have devastating effects. Some call the disregard for human life a feature of a culture of violence. The Unit for Religion and Development Research (URDR)…

Suggestions and good practices for Sunday schools, church-run schools and summer camps to implement the “Churches’ Commitments to Children” This toolkit provides resources for churches, church-run schools, and summer camps to support intergenerational climate and environmental justice and promote care…

Suggestions, Background Materials, and Templates for Consultations Introduction The views and ideas of children and adolescents are of utmost importance for the success of the  “Churches’ Commitments to Children” currently being implemented. The World Council of  Churches (WCC), UNICEF, and…

The changing nature of armed conflict over the past century has seen an increasing impact on civilians. It is estimated in most current conflicts that up to 80% of those affected by displacement, injury and death are women and children.…

Churches' Commitments to Children - Caring for children by addressing global warming A Research Report funded by the Keeling Curve Prize This document was developed as a result of the World Council of Churches (WCC)’s Churches’ Commitments to Children initiative…

Series 4: Resource Guide for Religious Leaders and Faith Communities Violence against children and women increases during emergencies, conflicts, and health crises. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception. Infection prevention measures that require staying at home have brought on a…

This Toolkit brings together material developed from Viva’s work partnering with 35 networks worldwide, including Understanding Gods Heart for Children (UGHFC), the Celebrating Children Course (Viva Equip People) and the Quality Improvement System (QIS-Viva Equip Projects). It also includes material…

Experiencias Adversas de la Niñez y Fortalezas Familiares durante la Niñez y su relación con Factores de Riesgo para la Salud La Universidad Nacional de Avellaneda y World Visión, a través de su Iniciativa Argentina se unieron para desarrollar el…

DECLARATION “Conference on the Role of Religions and Religious Leaders in Confronting Corporal Punishment of Children in the Family and Educational Settings” Qom – October 20, 2011 During 19th - 20th October 2011, religious leaders from different faiths in Iran…

This report produced by the Frontiers Programme explores why Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is linked with Islam. The practise of FGM among Somalis is investigated in this report and studies are carried out in the Mandera and Wajir districts and…

La participación infantil es un pilar fundamental para prevenir y poner fin a la violencia contra los niños y las niñas. El Centro de aprendizaje Para poner Fin a la Violencia contra la Niñez (EVAC) de JLI invitó a niños…

A Fact Sheet to Address Religious Justifications of Corporal Punishment Sonke Gender Justice (2014). Does Sparing the Rod Really Spoil the Child. Fact Sheet 5: For Promoting Positive Discipline. Sonke Gender Justice, MenEngage Africa and MenCare: South Africa.

A policy brief on Early and Forced Marriage This policy briefing presents Islamic Relief’s position on issues of early and forced marriage (EFM), the key definitions, causes and impact of these practices. It presents briefly our strategy to end EFM…

This six-part series of manuals is intended to strengthen the technical capacity of women religious and congregations in Kenya, Malawi, and Zambia that are involved in Early Childhood Development (ECD). The curriculum was created within the CRS-led project called “Strengthening the Capacity of Women Religious…

This case study will briefly examine MERATH’s localized approach, including a spotlight on child-focused programming in education in emergencies in Lebanon and child protection in Syria, providing quantitative and qualitative evidence of its community-level impact based on focus group discussions,…

Ending Corporal Punishment of Children- a handbook for  multi-religious gatherings This resource, which has been written in collaboration with religious leaders and faith-based communities, is based on the premises that the major religions profess respect for the inherent dignity of…

Corporal punishment violates children’s rights and contributes to the perpetuation of violence. Achieving the prohibition and elimination of corporal punishment is a legal and ethical imperative that needs to be placed visibly in our efforts to prevent and eliminate all…

A curated list of academic references around faith and ending violence against children. This is an ongoing resource list that will be updated periodically.

Updated as of August 2017. For review and comment by members of the hub

On February 26th 2020, JLI's Ending Violence Against Children Hub began their webinar series with a discussion on spiritual capital. Dr. Selina Palm from Stellenbosch University led the discussion and presented her findings to the webinar attendees. Dr. Palm presented…

Working paper 591 The world is facing multiple challenges with huge impacts on humanity, requiring action from citizens, policy-makers and activists. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets demonstrate the scale and ambition of the current global agenda.…

The Ending Violence Against Children Learning Hub Concept Note as of 2017

Report of the side event at the margins of the 37th Human Rights Council 05 March 2018 Palais des Nations, Geneva Co-organized by Arigatou International Geneva, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence Against Children, World…

This report has been prepared to inform discussions at the second meeting of the South Asia Religious Leaders Platform for Children on 28–29 January 2020 in Bhutan. The meeting will bring together delegations of religious leaders and scholars from Afghanistan,…

2015-2017: A Program Model Case Study Partners: Episcopal Relief & Development and the humanitarian arm of the Episcopal Church of Liberia Two-year evaluation of program in Liberia   Program Website on Episcopal Relief & Development

Religion plays a significant role in the lives of most people, including nonbelievers. Religious belief systems and institutions pervade almost every segment of human society and influence attitudes and behaviors that shape how we view and relate with the world…

As presented at March 2018 Member Meeting   Please send any comments to [email protected]

The initial draft of this text was developed based on discussions at workshops in Geneva (May 2018), New York (July 2018), and Rome (July 2018). It included comments and feedback received from partner organizations, the international advisory committee members, and…

See the resource below for FIVE WAYS faith leaders and communities can protect children from violence. Related readings: Arigatou International Faith in Action for Children  in response to COVID-19 , videos of children's and religious leaders' perspectives, includes 12 Messages and…

On November 20, 2019, the international community will commemorate the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) by the United Nations General Assembly. The CRC has been ratified by 196 States, making…

A quick analysis guide Part 1: For health and development actors - Engaging Faith actors in COVID-19 vaccine rollout COVID-19 vaccine rollout poses challenges. Systematic approaches to engaging faith actors proactively, fairly, equitably, and appropriately are critical. Immediate issues where…

One of the most powerful influencers of individual behaviours, social norms and collective action at community and societal level is religion.
To maximize opportunities for more positive and impactful influence towards improving child and family wellbeing, UNICEF (Communication for Development Section and Civil Society Partnerships Unit in NYHQ), the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities and Religions for Peace in 2018 embarked on a new global Initiative on Faith and Positive Change for Children.

Integrating Faith for Social and Behaviour Change into Pagoda Structures for a Systems Approach to Capacity Development Overview:  UNICEF Cambodia and the Ministry of Cults and Religion (MoCR) have a strong level of collaboration, which allows for widespread engagement with…

Multi-level, Multi-theme and Multi-platform Inter-faith engagement Overview The partnership between Al-Azhar University and UNICEF Egypt initially started through advocacy in the 1980s. With an enabling government environment, the involvement of the Ministry has shown success in joint advocacy and policy…

Inter-faith initiative on engagement of young people in support of ending violence against children Overview UNICEF and COEPA’s (the inter-religious council of Panama) partnership has brought together diverse denominations in Panama to advocate for ending violence against children. The core…

Humanitarian-Development Nexus in South Sudan: Overcoming fragile weakened governance through faith-based institutions to promote sustained community engagement for child wellbeing   Overview UNICEF South Sudan C4D is focused on sustaining community engagement during an L2 emergency with widespread food insecurity,…

Children thrive in strong communities, equipped and strengthened to address child protection challenges. Faith leaders, their spouses and faith communities play a critical role in shaping community social norms and catalysing shifts in attitudes and behaviours that can protect children…

Leaders of faith communities will be able to use these theological reflections combined with technical information and actions to disseminate key messages during prayer and worship sessions. (young child. feeding, disease prevention, hygiene and sanitation).

Leaders of faith communities will be able to use these theological reflections combined with technical information and actions to disseminate key messages during prayer and worship sessions. (young child feeding, disease prevention, hygiene and sanitation).

Leaders of faith communities will be able to use these theological reflections combined with technical information and actions to disseminate key messages during prayer and worship sessions. (young child. feeding, disease prevention, hygiene and sanitation).

The Interfaith Alliance for Safer Communities conducted a survey with faith leaders across the world to gauge their levels of awareness and understand the challenges that they face, in order to develop the right tools and knowledge resources to better…

Faith-based support is an integral part of the global movement for prohibition of all corporal punishment of children. Growing numbers of religious communities and organisations regard ending legalized violence against children as both a moral and a religious imperative. For…

A recent UNFPA (2012UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund). 2012. Marrying too Young: End Child Marriage. New York. [Google Scholar]) report presents data on child marriage, including the correlates of the practice and its consequences. The report comments on the general situation…

A recent UNFPA (2012) report presents data on child marriage, including the correlates of the practice and its consequences. The report comments on the general situation of child marriage and provides detailed country profiles on 10 countries where child marriage…

Religions for Peace and UNICEF, with input from religious leaders and
child protection specialists, have developed this guide as a tool to support
religious communities’ work to promote child rights and to prevent and
respond to rights violations, in particular violence against children.

Report following the ‘From Faith to Action’ online conference, 10 - 11 December 2020 The “From Faith to Action” initiative focuses on children escaping conflict, persecution, natural disaster or poverty, and brings together UNICEF and stakeholders from faith-based communities who…

Melton, Gary B. PhD; Anderson, David PsyD In both popular and professional discourse, religious institutions are often perceived as sources of risk to children either as places where children are unusually vulnerable to abuse or as belief systems that sometimes…

This article is based on the findings of a 40-day summative evaluation (Brown, 2016) that was carried out at the end of the SCORE ECD project, employing a triangulating data collection method that included 20 focus group discussions of 30-90…

Many promising initiatives remain that are currently informal practices or not documented. This means that robust and detailed documentation on impact and causality must be a priority and should underlie all initiatives in this area. Future research topics emerged in…

Globally, an estimated one out of two children aged 2–17 years old suffer some form of violence each year. Over their lifetime, children exposed to violence are at increased risk of mental and physical health problems, and negative educational outcomes.…

On 21st May 2020 the Alliance for the Protection of Children launched a Guide for the Prevention of Violence Against Children, developed under the leadership of Arigatou International, to support and inspire the work of faith-based organizations and communities in the area of…