Disclosure, reporting and help seeking among child survivors of violence: a cross-country analysis.

BACKGROUND: Violence against children is a pervasive public health issue, with limited data available across multiple contexts. This study explores the rarely studied prevalence and dynamics around disclosure, reporting and help-seeking behaviours of children who ever experienced physical and/or sexual violence. METHODS: Using nationally-representative Violence Against Children Surveys in six countries: Cambodia, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria and Tanzania, we present descriptive statistics for prevalence of four outcomes among children aged 13-17 years: informal disclosure, knowledge of where to seek formal help, formal disclosure/help seeking and receipt of formal help. We ran country-specific multivariate logistic regressions predicting outcomes on factors at the individual, household and community levels. RESULTS: The prevalence of help-seeking behaviours ranged from 23 to 54% for informal disclosure, 16 to 28% for knowledge of where to seek formal help, under 1 to 25% for formal disclosure or help seeking, and 1 to 11% for receipt of formal help. Factors consistently correlated with promoting help-seeking behaviours included household number of adult females and absence of biological father, while those correlated with reduced help-seeking behaviours included being male and living in a female-headed household. Primary reasons for not seeking help varied by country, including self-blame, apathy and not needing or wanting services. CONCLUSIONS: Across countries examined, help-seeking and receipt of formal services is low for children experiencing physical and/or sexual violence, with few consistent factors identified which facilitated help-seeking. Further understanding of help seeking, alongside improved data quality and availability will aid prevention responses, including the ability to assist child survivors in a timely manner.

Converging drivers of interpersonal violence: Findings from a qualitative study in post-hurricane Haiti.

OBJECTIVE: Interpersonal violence affecting women and children is increasingly recognized as a public health priority in humanitarian emergencies. Yet, research and intervention efforts have been fragmented across gender-based violence and child protection sectors. Using data from the Transforming Households: Reducing Incidence of Violence in Emergencies (THRIVE) project, this study sought to qualitatively investigate the intersecting drivers of multiple forms of violence in Côteaux, Haiti, while obtaining insight on how these drivers may be influenced by a humanitarian emergency. METHODS: This analysis used transcripts obtained using a photo elicitation approach over the course of three sessions per person. Thirty-six individuals participated in the study: eight adult females, ten adult males, eight adolescent females, ten adolescent males. Participants were given cameras to capture images related to family relationships, family safety, and changes to family dynamics due to Hurricane Matthew and its aftermath. In subsequent sessions, these photographs were used as prompts for qualitative interviews. RESULTS: Multiple and converging drivers of interpersonal violence were identified including the accumulation of daily stressors, loss of power/control, learned behavior (intergenerational cycle of abuse), and inequitable gender norms, all of which were influenced by the humanitarian context caused by Hurricane Matthew. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest multiple and converging drivers of violence may be exacerbated in times of crises, requiring interdisciplinary responses. In order to comprehensively address the drivers of violence, practitioners and policy makers should consider the needs of individuals and their families holistically, integrating community-led, gender transformative efforts and positive parenting with basic needs provision.