Cooperation for Social Improvement Organization – CSIO intends to facilitate child protection ​in target communities, CSIO is focused on the Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse ​(PSEA), Children’s nutrition, and children’s WASH.

The interventions under this goal are supported by part A, article 7, of the Cairo Declaration ​on Human Rights in Islam “As of the moment of birth, every child has rights due from the ​parents, the society and the state to be accorded proper nursing, education and material, ​hygienic and moral care. Both the fetus and the mother must be safeguarded and accorded ​special care.”; Part P, article 19, universal Islamic Declaration of Human Rights “Every person is ​entitled to material support, as well as care and protection, from his family during his ​childhood, old age or incapacity. Parents are entitled to material support as well as care and ​protection from their children”.

The intervention under this strategic goal contributes towards the achievement of United ​Nations Sustainable Development Goal - SGD 6 “Ensure availability and sustainable ​management of water and sanitation for all” targets 6.2 “By 2030, achieve access to ​adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying ​special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations” and 6. b ​“Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and ​sanitation management.” And United Nations Sustainable Development Goal - SDG 2 “End ​hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture”, ​target 2.1” By 2030, end hunger and ensure access by all people, in particular, the poor and ​people in vulnerable situations, including infants, to safe, nutritious and sufficient food all year ​round”

Forty years of war, recurrent natural disasters, and increasing poverty are deeply affecting the people of ​Afghanistan. Conflict still continues to induce physical and psychological harm, and is forcibly displacing ​thousands of people. Armed clashes are going on, with no sign of a lull, and women and children continue ​to be disproportionately impacted.

Afghanistan’s population is estimated to be 41.7m in 2021, A staggering 47 percent of the population are ​under 15 years old, giving Afghanistan one of the highest youth populations in the world. With a projected ​population growth rate of 2.3 percent per annum, one of the steepest in the region, the country’s ​financially dependent youth population is set to grow even further[1].

Afghanistan represents one of the world’s most complex and protracted crises in which deep-rooted ​poverty and socio-cultural factors have converged with decades of conflict to generate different types ​and layers of need. The humanitarian situation in Afghanistan deteriorated significantly with the recent ​political and socioeconomic developments. Essential services are on the brink of collapse, exacerbating ​the needs of an already vulnerable population. The situation is directly affecting children, the statistics ​show Undernutrition contributes to 45 percent of child deaths in Afghanistan. acute malnutrition is above ​emergency thresholds in 27 of 34 provinces and rapidly worsening[2], 1.1 million children have been in ​need of treatment for acute malnutrition during 2022[3]. 12.9 million children need humanitarian ​assistance[4], and access to safe drinking water is shrinking as 15.1 million people have been in need to ​access safe drinking water during 2022.

Children are exposed to extreme situations of violence and abuse due to ongoing fighting, displacement, ​a poor economy, and harmful social norms and practices. Afghan girls face early marriage, honor killings, ​domestic abuse, and sexual violence. Afghan boys suffer many of the same risks, along with military ​recruitment into armed conflict, and sexual exploitation. Both girls and boys are exposed to hazardous ​labor practices, contact with landmines and violence at home.[5]

There is a huge need for social behavior change at all levels, especially in communities, to safeguard the ​lives of children through life-saving practices and measures, facilitate safe environments, and access to ​basic services including nutrition, WASH, health, and education for children.

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[1] Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO), UN-OCHA

[2] Ibid

[3] Afghanistan Humanitarian situation report, Report #10, 1 – 30 September 2022

[4] Children in Afghanistan (The situation of Children and women in Afghanistan), UNICEF

[5] https://www.unicef.org/afghanistan/child-protection

Child protection in Afghanistan requires multi-dimensional approaches to sensitize, mobilize, and engage ​all stakeholders and influential to work as a chain for better protection and initiating lifesaving ​interventions.

Thus, CSIO is applying a multidimensional approach to facilitate self-reliance in the target communities to ​promote child protection and lifesaving behaviors through education, outreach, sensitizing, mobilizing, ​and engagement of parents, community elders, religious leaders, Imams, teachers, Arabs, youth, and ​other influential individuals as well as the institutions engaged with the daily life of families and children ​including schools, mosques and other religious and faith-based institutions in discussions and decision ​makings through contextualized mechanisms and plans.

Education and Sensitizing:

Cooperation for Social Improvement Organization - CSIO equips the parents with the knowledge and skills ​on Child Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), underage marriage, ​nutrition, WASH, Health education, and psychological well-being through nurturing parenting programs at ​the community level.

Along with that, CSIO educates adults to be better prepared to protect children from sexual abuse. Adults ​who are parents, caregivers, teachers, and other professionals want children to have abuse-free ​childhoods

Outreach:

Cooperation for Social Improvement Organization – CSIO will conduct outreach campaigns to raise the ​knowledge and sensitize the stakeholders and target beneficiaries on Child Safeguarding and Prevention ​of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), under-age marriage, nutrition, WASH, Health education and ​psychological well-being through face-to-face sessions, public service announcement (PSAs) using TVs, ​radios and social media, hiring/engaging the tribune of faith-based institutions especially mosques and ​Madrasas and…

Engagement:

1. Safe Environment Committees (SECs)

CSIO will establish community-level safe environment committees through which parents, community ​influencers, religious scholars, and youth will be mobilized and engaged to facilitate safe environments for ​children in the communities. CSIO will build the capacity of SECs members on lifesaving key behaviors, ​social mobilization, community engagement, community feedback, and Accountability to Affected ​Populations (AAP).

SECs will facilitate:

1.1. Community-level discussions on key lifesaving practices.

1.2.Addressing the issues and problems disturbing a safe environment for children through collective ​discussion and decision-making.

1.3. Referring issues and problems not addressable at community levels to relevant decision ​makers/essential services.

SECs in support of CSIO will develop contextualized mechanisms to facilitate Accountability to Affected ​Populations (AAP), observation and reporting of the behavior changes at the community levels as well as ​development of plans for mobilizing and engagement of community members in key lifesaving behaviors.

2. School children protection groups (SCPGs):

Cooperation for Social Improvement Organization - CSIO will engage school management and teachers ​for child protection through the establishment of school children protection groups and equipping them ​with knowledge on Child Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), whistle-​blowing on misbehavior or abuse, children hygiene, children psychological wellbeing and skill to facilitate ​safe educational environments, support children to develop life skills to flag misbehaves and abuses as ​well as become self-relied in safeguarding their selves, provide psychosocial supports to the children ​effected and disturbed by malnutrition, misbehave, abuse etc. the SCPGs will refer incidents of ​misbehave, abuse and exploitation, malnutrition and psychological disturbance to the SECs for further ​support at community levels and initiating measures for recovery and preventing repetition.

Advocacy:

Cooperation for Social Improvement Organization – CSIO will advocate with all the stakeholders for ​development and enforcement of better policies for child protection.

Cooperation for Social Improvement Organization – CSIO educates, sensitizes, and engages ​communities, fait-based institutions, government, non-governmental stakeholders on child ​safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), prevention of under ​age marriage, whistle blowing on misbehavior or abuse, children life skills to flag misbehaves ​and abuses in target communities.