The Alliance for the Protection of Children Project is a 3-year initiative supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to strengthen the protection of children exposed to all forms of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and violence in Haiti. The project aims to leverage local assets and collaborate with government agencies, ministries, and community-based organizations to reduce violence against children, mitigate trafficking and forced labor, and protect vulnerable children.
The project has four distinct phases: Research, Design of Pilot Interventions, Implementation of Pilot Interventions, and Evaluation and Learning for Scale Up. The first year of the project focuses on research and design, with three primary research questions guiding the effort. One of the research questions addresses the existing evidence regarding small- and large-scale interventions that reduce or prevent any form of violence against children in Haiti or similar developing country contexts.
A rapid qualitative assessment (RQA) was conducted to gather information from NGO and community leaders about the existing child protection system in Haiti. The RQA employed three main methods: key informant interviews, mapping exercises, and brief open-ended surveys. A total of 44 key informant interviews were conducted across four study departments, with representatives from local and international NGOs and community leaders participating in the mapping exercises. The surveys aimed to collect perspectives from a broader range of child protection stakeholders, but only a few responses were received.
The RQA data collection focused on four Haitian departments: Ouest, Artibonite, and the Border area (Northeast and Southeast departments). Community selection was influenced by the current situation of children in these areas, including reported cases of domesticity, child labor, and exploitation. The project collaborated with local NGO partners, IBESR, UNICEF, UEH, and other stakeholders to finalize the site selection.
The RQA findings aim to provide context and inform future interventions focused on child protection in Haiti. The report identifies common practices and challenges faced by NGO and community leaders when working with children, youth, community members, and government stakeholders in child protection. The results section presents the causes of violence in Haiti, leader assessments of child protection-related interventions, and perceived child protection activities completed by respondents of different local and international NGOs and government actors.
The project’s research questions and RQA findings will inform the design of pilot interventions and ensure that the APC project does not duplicate existing activities. The evidence gathered will also provide context for refining and informing future interventions focused on child protection in Haiti. The project’s ultimate goal is to strengthen the protection of vulnerable children and reduce violence against children in Haiti.