“Grave Violations” Survey in Central African Republic
Professor Les Roberts and research assistants Kathleen Myer and Alina Potts conducted a nationwide survey of children’s rights violations in the Central African Republic (CAR) in collaboration with UNICEF. The survey examined the “grave violations” of children’s rights that are to be monitored in selected conflicts according to the UN Security Council Resolution 1612, namely killing or maiming, abductions, recruitment, and rape or sexual abuse of children.
The survey was conducted using the Neighborhood Method, a survey methodology developed at Columbia University and built on the assumption that, in certain contexts, people are able to speak knowledgeably about the experiences of their neighbors. The research team divided the country into two strata (the North being more affected by conflict and less exposed to government services than the South), surveyed 60 clusters throughout the country, and calculated prevalence rates for the grave violations listed above, as well as crude and under-five mortality rates.
They found the most prevalent violation experienced by children to be rape. Surprisingly there was a relatively high rate of abduction of adult men. Overall more violations were reported in the Northern part of the country.
The survey uncovered a staggeringly high mortality rate throughout the country, with a crude mortality rate double the emergency threshold mortality rates established by the Sphere Project, Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
These findings are being shared with UNICEF and partners in CAR to develop advocacy and program responses to address the highest mortality rate uncovered and further explore its causes; to direct programming related to the grave violations surveyed; and to improve current monitoring and surveillance processes.
The work, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, would not have been possible without a strong team of six female interviewers, recruited in the capital city Bangui.
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