Rehabilitation and Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse Project

Rehabilitation and prevention of Sexually Abused children project has been implemented since November 2002. Rehabilitation center for sexually abused/raped children was established in November 2002. The center provides its services to children who are under the age of 15 and from economically weak families living in Addis Ababa.  The beneficiaries are usually referred from the Police, multi sectoral joint project, sub city women and children affair offices, hospitals/health institutes, Federal Court or self-reporting.

General Objective: to rehabilitate the victims of sexual abuse children by providing medical, financial and psychological counseling and prevent the negative impacts of rape sexual abuse among children and youths by community mobilization.

Specific Objective: 

• To recover the physical and restore the mental and social well being of 250 rape victims in Addis Ababa during 2007-2009 to cope with the problem through psychosocial counseling and care, capacity building, facilitating access to basic social services like medical treatment and financial support for the children and their families.

• To reduce the negative impacts of sexual abuse in Addis Ababa by creating awareness of the public about children's and women’s rights & to enable them play a significant role in the reduction of sexual violence by distributing IEC materials conduct workshops, trainings advocacy meetings for schools, CBO, RBO, SBO, gender and age based associations, local NGOs, government partners, the raped children and their families on reproductive health issue in Addis Ababa.

I. Rehabilitation unit

• Target groups: Sexually abused children below age 18 from vulnerable families

• Target area: Addis Ababa City Administration

• Direct Beneficiaries: 208 children [192 female and 16 male]

• Type of services: Psychosocial counseling including individual, group and family counseling, therapeutic training [music, drama, photographic and scenery], therapeutic and educational entertainment program, financial support, medical support, and legal counseling. Foster care and foster homes are also provided for those children who have no families.

• Indirect Beneficiaries:  1040 families

• Impact: Sexually Abused children restored their mental and recover their physical and social well being.

II. Prevention Unit

• Target group: Community members

• Target area: Addis Ababa Addis Ketema Sub city, Kebele 10/11/12 and 13/15.

• Direct Beneficiaries: 1200 workshop participants, 22 school community members, 300 women and children solidarity club members

• Ultimate Beneficiaries: Children’s exposed for sexual abuse

• Type of services: Awareness creation and community mobilization.  

• Impact: created transformed boys and protected the girls from abuse.

Major Activities:

• Rehabilitation Activities:

• Identification and selection of New Beneficiaries
• Provide Regular sponsorship support
• Support for Medical check ups and Counseling Service
• Provide Skill Training
• Provide emergency support
• Provide a one-time grant

• Psychosocial Support Activities:

• Counseling Service
• Conduct house and School visits
• Meetings

• Residential Homes/Foster homes:

• Selection and fostering seriously affected children in homes

• Prevention Activities:

• Training on prevention of sexual abuse
• Cross visit to sister CBOs
• Forum drama

Achievements:

• A total of 360 sexually abused children (334 female and 30 male) have been provided with different psychosocial services of the project. Among these services, 364 children got counseling and medical services, 355 children got educational materials support. The family members of these children were also supported to engage in income generating activities. 69 families were provided with one time grant and entrepreneurship training to start with their own business. 34 school drops out youths from the families of the children are also supported to enroll in different marketable vocational skill trainings.

• Foster home service, where children are provided with shelter, food, clothing, medical treatment and educational support, arranged by the project. A total of 74 children have been getting this service. Of these children, 47 are female and 27 are male.

Status of Project: Ongoing

For more information on the current status of the project in terms of  different indicators such as number of children supported by donors, medical treatment and nutrition support provided, counseling support, provided school and home visits made, educational and entertainment programs conducted, trainings, workshops and meeting conducted, residential and foster homes provided, including lessons learned and problems encountered during the execution of the project is available in the  2011 Annual Report of IFSO.