violence against children WORLD REPORT ON - CRIN

5ary group including educators, social workers,representatives of the facility, and others.Children who go out into the world at the endof a long period of institutional care or detentionshould not simply be left to fend for themselves,without follow-up and support. Manychildren feel as if they have ‘been pushed off acliff’ when they leave care and have to managetheir lives independently; they may have noexperience of making the simplest decision ontheir own behalf. They may lose their friendsand what they regard as ‘home’, and have greatdifficulty adjusting to any new regime, whetherindependent or in another form of care. Forexample, children formerly in care in the USAwho became homeless after leaving the systemidentified the need for instruction in everydaylife skills, transitional living programmes, andhelp from social workers in locating homes andavailable services. They also explained howhighly regimented settings in group homes limitedtheir ability to practice independent decision-makingand learn other skills that wouldprepare them for adulthood before leaving thesystem. “Don’t over-shelter us and then expect usto be independent,” said one young woman. 183Public education: getting themessage outSocietal attitudes play an important part in howinstitutions treat – or mistreat – children intheir charge. Efforts should therefore be madeto conduct public campaigns to promote children’srights and counter negative stereotypesof certain groups of children, such as childrenliving or working on the streets, children fromracial and ethnic minorities, parentless children,children with disabilities, and childrenaffected by HIV/AIDS, since exclusion anddiscrimination exacerbate the risk of violence.Individuals and families should be encouragedto demand more support in caring for theirchildren themselves, and to resist pressures togive children up to institutional care.Where resources are scarceMany of the responses described in this chapterdepend on the capacity of care systems andthe availability of qualified social workers. Inmany countries, that capacity is at a very lowlevel, or non-existent, particularly in ruralareas. For example, the lack of social workers isacute in many countries. Government officialsin Namibia reported in 2002 that there wereonly 118 registered social workers in the entirecountry, and that in the Caprivi region, therewas only one social worker to serve a populationof 79,000. In Zimbabwe, the Child ProtectionSociety reported that the loss of socialworkers through emigration led to significantdelays in the review of child welfare cases,children becoming ‘stuck’ in institutions, andto delays in foster family placements.However, much can be achieved by community-basedorganisations and resources. Theseinclude faith-based groups, neighbourhoodassociations, women’s groups, and committeesof village elders or other community leaders.While some may be formed or take on suchresponsibilities spontaneously, or in reactionto specific events, building the capacity of localcommunities and para-professionals is crucial.215Violence against Children in care and justice institutions