Protection in practice: ‘what works’ to support non-governmental organisations in Tanzania to respond to child abuse

Abstract

Since 2002, there has been proliferation of safeguarding standards designed to ensure that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working within the international development and humanitarian sectors ‘do no harm’ and that allegations of abuse receive a swift and robust response. Although these standards have been adopted by leading agencies and are incorporated into the funding requirements of international donors, there have been very few evaluations of their effectiveness. The limited body of research which exists focuses almost exclusively on the experiences of adult beneficiaries in refugee settings. There are very few studies examining the effectiveness of safeguarding standards in non-refugee settings, and the experiences of NGO workers who are required to implement the measures has largely been ignored. This thesis makes a distinct contribution to existing knowledge by examining the role of safeguarding standards in improving the reporting and response to child abuse in nonemergency settings in Tanzania. Drawing on context-specific insights from NGO workers, this study explores the impact of individual capacity, inter-personal relationships and cultural norms on the decisions and actions taken by workers. It also considers how the institutional setting and constraints within the wider child protection system affect the outcomes which NGOs can achieve. The aim of this study is not to prove or disprove the effectiveness of international safeguarding standards, but rather to test the underlying assumption that safeguarding measures will improve the response to abuse irrespective of context This study takes a realist approach with findings drawn from three iterative stages of data collection and analysis. Firstly, a realist review of international standards to develop a theoretical understanding of the assumptions underlying existing safeguarding measures and how these are intended to improve the reporting of and response to abuse. Secondly, this initial understanding is tested and refined through interviews and focus groups with policy makers and representatives from international NGOS. Finally, empirical data drawn from indepth case studies with three NGOs in Tanzania provides an understanding of how safeguarding measures operate in practice. The findings demonstrate a significant gap between the assumptions underlying current standards, the understandings of international ‘experts’ and the practical realities facing NGOs in Tanzania. Whilst acknowledging the value of some of the safeguarding measures, this thesis challenges the assumption that improvements can be achieved through compliance with the pre-defined set of procedures and processes set out in international standards. Instead, this thesis highlights the importance of fostering local approaches to safeguarding which are grounded in the practical experience and context-specific knowledge that exists within NGOs. It also demonstrates the importance of fostering inter-personal relationships based on trust and mutual understanding and the need for additional financial resources to enable NGOs to enable cover the costs of responding to abuse. The thesis concludes by exploring the implications of these findings for international safeguarding standards and the way these are applied by international donors.