Promoting Rights of Children in Ghana - Essay Example

The Role of International And Local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Promoting the Right And Welfare of Children (A case study of Ghana) Theoretical Framework The theories used serve as a theoretical lens for the study questions as well as a means to provide broad explanation (Creswell 2003). The major theories on which the study was based are the attachment theory and the ecological theory of human development. Ecological systems theory The ecology of human development theory as propounded by Bronfenbrenner has defined as the " mutual accommodation between an active, growing human being and the changing properties of the immediate settings in which the developing individual person lives". In accordance with this theory, the child is envisaged as developing within a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the environment surrounding the child. In Ghana, this has been complicated by HIV/AIDS,children are experiencing death pf parents at an early age and are taken care of by other foster parents. Attachment theory Development and emotional functioning of children occurs in a context of relationships (Bronfenbrenner 1979,Osofsky 2004). Children depend on their caretakers as sources of protection and safety. Aims and research questions: The aims of our research and the questions that we want to answer through the research are as follows: Are NGOs actually helping children to progress in any way In what ways are children being helped What are the aspects of life of the children that are affected by the NGOs To prove that NGOs are needed not only for orphan kids but also for kids who have parents taking care of them. To prove NGO workers and volunteers are sometimes more effective in child welfare than the Government or police. Background Child welfare is an important issue in any country. In Ghana, this responsibility is shouldered by the nuclear or extended family of a child. Nuclear family include the parents, while Extended family includes, the grandparents, uncle, aunty, or any other relative. However, poverty, HIV, child abuse and child labour is affecting families, and eventually affecting the children. Our concern is the role that is played by the international and local N.G.Os in these children's life. Methodology While the two common types of research methods are the Qualitative and Quantitative research methods, I would be using the mixed method procedure that is a mix of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. It is a relatively new research approach in the social and human sciences. It is unique because it included the advantages of both the qualitative and quantitative methods. While quantitative methods asks how many, and qualitative asks what and how, mixed methods asks why. The mixed method research has both thematic and numerous One of its strength is also that its validity and reliability standards. It has both closed ended measures and open observations. The study used would be Qualitative methods of data collection and data analysis , which will be followed by quantitative methods of data collection and analysis. The data collection for qualitative methods were INTERACTIVE INTERVIEWING The aim of the interview is to find out the participant's perception, hence their views should be unbiased. Interviews can also be a group interviews. The answers should preferably not be, YES or NO, as that makes details unachievable. The researcher should choose an environment that makes the participants comfortable. PARTICIPANT OBSERVATION The researcher should monitor observation and record personal bias of the participant. The researcher himself should be very neutral and not have any prejudice while observing participant. FOCUS GROUP The focus group session is, indeed, an interview (Patton, 1990) not a discussion group, problem-solving session, or decision-making group. Comprises of both the elements of both interview and participant observation. The data collection for quantitative research included mostly surveys with the help of questionnaires designed specially for both NGO workers and volunteers, for the children living in orphanages, for the children living with their families and also the parents and caretakers. Topics to be explored while interviewing the people concerned Are NGOs actually helping children to progress in any way In what ways are children being helped by the NGOs What are the aspects of life of the children that are affected by the NGOs How does NGOs deal with child labour How does NGOs deal with child abuse, sexual abuse, and violence (at home and outside home) Step taken by the NGOs to stop sex trafficking, child labour and child violence. Ways to stabilise children who are emotionally traumatised. Ways to rehabilitate rescued children, both physically and emotionally. After rehabilitation, providing them proper education, and providing healthy environment Are biological parents sufficient for a child's all round growth or some external help is needed from NGOs also Does children living with biological parents receiving proper education and required nutrition How can NGOs help children living with parents and not in an orphanage Sources of fundraising and resources. Analysis and dissemination The practical activities involved in data collection and analysis are firstly getting in touch with the participants, namely, various NGOs, orphanages, parents and off course children, both privileged and underprivileged. Some NGOs that work actively in Ghana are Save the children UK, Care international, Oxfam, World Vision International and WISE. Interviews will be taken of all these participants. Families with children need to be visited and interviewed, along with their kids. Chidren who are exploited as labours, or were abused or are abused or were rescued from being trafficked need to be found out and interviewed (of course maintaining ethics).Surveys should also be made and quantitative samples will be eventually collected. After the research is over, if better ways are found for promoting Child Rights and for their welfare, then feedbacks and ideas can be delivered to the NGOs. That would help them to incorporate those ideas and work towards a better future for the children. Ethical Considerations Ethical issues are always to be taken into consideration while undertaking a research.The qualitative method of research includes participant observation and also interaction with them, and it is quite obvious that ethical issues may arise. Miles and Huberman (1994) list several issues that researchers should consider while analysing data. Researchers are advised to be aware of these issues during the research is being conducted. Some of the issues involve the following: Informed consent (Do participants have full knowledge of what is involved) Risk and harm (Can the participants be hurt by the study In this case, questions should be made carefully so that traumatized kids are not affected by the questions, and parents should not feel uncomfortable or offended. Racist questions should also not be designed) Honesty (Is the researcher honest in data presentation For example, are the NGOs reporting honestly about their support to the children) Privacy and anonymity (Will the study invade too much into group behaviors (Parents and NGOs demanding anonymity should be respected) Advocacy and intervention (What should the researchers do if they witness harmful or illegal behavior from the participants) Apart from ethical issues concerning ethnography and participant observation, there also exists issues related to other sections: Issues with the integration and honesty with the organization which funds the research; the researcher cannot destroy or hide data from the concerned organisation Issues with the questionnaire Issues related to data collection Issues related to sampling and analysis Issues with plagiarism. CITATION http://www.clarku.edu/activelearning/departments/government/grier/grierInt.cfm http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/ois/pdfs/ChildrenandWarImpactProtectionandRehabilitationReport.pdf Claudette Crawford-Brown, 1999,Who Will Save Our Children The Plight of the Jamaican Child in the 1990s. Canoe Press University of The West Indies Covell,K & Howe,RB2001. The Challenge of Children's Rights for Canada Wilfrid Laurier University Press . Lewis J & Surender R ,2004. Welfare State Change: Towards a Third Way Oxford University Press. Jounal articles Toward Mediating the Impact of Forced Migration and Displacement among Children Affected by Armed Conflict Journal article by Beverlee Bruce; Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 55, 2001 . Welfare Reform and Indigenous Empowerment Journal article by Nerelle Poroch; Australian Aboriginal Studies, Vol. 2006, 2006 . If This Is the Global Community, We Must Be on the Bad Side of Town: International Policing of Child Pornography on the Internet Journal article by Jennifer Stewart; Houston Journal of International Law, Vol. 20, 1997 . Implementing the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: Children's Rights under the 1996 South African Constitution Journal article by Lauren M. Spitz; Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 38, 2005 Magazine articles Top of Form UN Takes Aim at Children: The UN Children's Summit Feigned Compassion, but Its True Agenda Was to Bypass National Sovereignty, Usurp Parental Authority, and Make All Children Subject to the State Magazine article by William F. Jasper; The New American, Vol. 18, June 3, 2002 Global Strategy to Secure Well-Being of Children Asked Magazine article; UN Chronicle, Vol. 26, September 1989 . U.N. Would Rule World's Children Magazine article by Diana Ray; Insight on the News, Vol. 17, September 17, 2001 . A Society like Ours Has No Need of Slaves Magazine article by Cameron Duodu; New African, June 2001 Bottom of Form Read More