East Asia and the Pacific Countries in Partnership Against Child Abuse

Towards a Solution

The study visit process was participatory, in that the draft itinerary was developed in close consultation  between the two Governments and included meeting with and engaging groups of children as well as different stakeholders from government agencies, CSOs and NGOs.

In addition, to complement other survey research underway as part of the same programme, the Philippines developed a Systematic Literature Review to better understand the drivers of violence affecting children in the country, while Vietnam conducted a study on the same topic in its national context. This has contributed to building research partnerships in the region.

The learning and experience sharing exchange between Vietnam and the Philippines is ongoing, with anticipated opportunities for regional learning to increase in phase two of the programme. For example, the UNICEF Innocenti Office of Research is planning follow up on the initial regional social norms training, as discussed in a meeting on building research capacity on violence against children, held in Bangkok in October 2016, with the participation of Vietnam and the Philippines.

UNICEF’s Regional Office in Bangkok has furthermore facilitated teleconferences with countries interested in working together and sharing information on online sexual exploitation and abuse. Emphasis is currently on developing strategies to engage private sector partners, such as internet service providers. South-South learning is also being promoted through work on parenting support interventions to prevent and reduce violence, including a Regional Roundtable event to be hosted in Manila on 29 November 2017, with the participation of Vietnam and other countries in the region.

In this context, the Philippines is hosting a major conference concerned with positive parenting and has invited other countries to join regional discussions with a team of experts currently implementing a programme known globally as Parenting for Lifelong Health.

Programmatic efforts to secure behavior change are underway. For the Philippines, the Social Norms Workshop in Hanoi informed the design of the Protecting Children from Violence Advocacy Plan currently being crafted, as well as the initiation of research on social norms around child online sexual exploitation and abuse, with a focus on two communities.

For Vietnam, as result of the study visit and the Child Protection Network partnership, the establishment of two Women and Children Protection Units in Ho Chi Minh and Hanoi is projected. In addition, three multi-disciplinary trainings on child abuse and online protection are planned. The Child Protection Network and UNICEF will mentor at least two participating ministries in Vietnam and monitor the implementation of the Women and Child Protection Units. If the implementation is successful, social workers will be assigned in government hospitals to address child abuse cases in Vietnam for the first time.

The collaboration between the Philippines and Vietnam has given rise to exchanges with neighbouring countries in the region. Indonesia is among those countries who have reached out to the Philippines to learn more about the country’s experience with a National Baseline Survey on Violence Against Children, as well as its overall unique approach in this area. This resulted in an Indonesian delegation - including UNICEF, government and non-governmental members - attending a Violence Against Children research forum in March 2016.