Reforming UN Frameworks for Child Protection: A Call for Systemic Integration
Why child protection must be central in development
Child protection is fundamental to sustainable development. Yet, despite its critical importance, it remains underrecognized and underrepresented in major global development frameworks like the Common Country Analysis (CCA) and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF). The failure to treat child protection as a distinct area of international development, and its omission from these frameworks, often results in fragmented and ineffective interventions, leaving vulnerable children at greater risk. This article advocates for the systemic recognition and integration of child protection into these frameworks to ensure its prioritisation and funding as a core component of sustainable development. Furthermore, it stands as the most realistic accelerator for achieving the child protection targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.
When I joined the editorial board for Child Protection and Practice, a new publication of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN), the CEO Pragathi Tummala invited me to share ideas for special issues or articles. This article is my response, grounded in my experience in the field and my interest in the bigger policy questions about child protection in international development.
From local challenges to global advocacy: my path in child protection
When I took leave from my public service job in Australia in 2002 to do a consultancy on juvenile justice for UNICEF in Papua New Guinea (PNG), I realized I needed to make a career transition to international work. The work was challenging, meaningful, and inspiring. After joining UNICEF in 2004 as a staff member in the role of a child protection specialist, I quickly realized how much I had yet to learn about child protection within the broader context of international development. My experience highlighted gaps in my understanding of the sector, the UN system, and the overall architecture of international development. Around the same time, I had the opportunity to pursue a master’s degree in international development at Melbourne University, completing it online while working for UNICEF in PNG. My thesis, Child Protection in Development, explored child protection as a distinct area of practice within international development, rather than as a subset of law, social work, human rights, gender, or justice. This academic grounding, combined with my previous experience in Indigenous rights, violence prevention, and justice policy, has shaped how I conceptualize and practice child protection. For me, child protection is an issue of equity and policy, influencing governments to invest in the prevention of child maltreatment as sound public policy.
Limited funding for child protection in developing countries
In both ‘least developed’ and ‘middle-income’ countries, financing for child protection from national governments and donors is often insufficient. In international development, child protection is not seen as a development intervention in the same way that child health or education are. Instead, it is often fragmented into separate silos, such as violence, trafficking, child marriage, or child labour. As a result, the limited funding available is usually directed to these specific areas rather than to strengthening national and sub-national child protection systems that address these issues holistically.
Exclusion from the Millennium Development Goals
The absence of child protection from the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) posed significant challenges for the sector, particularly in terms of securing funding and political support. Not being part of the global development agenda meant child protection struggled to gain the resources and attention needed, leading to fragmented and under-resourced efforts.
Shift with the Sustainable Development Goals
The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 marked a positive shift. Aspects of child protection were explicitly included under Goal 16 and Target 16.2, addressing violence, exploitation, and abuse against children. This shift represented a transformative moment for the sector.
Ongoing challenges despite the shift
Despite successful advocacy by UNICEF and partners to include core child protection indicators in the SDGs, this transformative effort has not resulted in increased funding. At the halfway mark of the SDGs, there is little evidence that child protection has improved. On the contrary, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, forced migration, the climate crisis and conflict has exacerbated the situation, leaving children more vulnerable to harm than before.
An example of the funding challenge for child protection is the significant shift in priorities of the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children (End Violence). Its original goal was to build a safe world for children everywhere and provide a framework for action and collaboration. According to the United Nations:
“In 2015, world leaders made a commitment to end all forms of violence against children by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This moment presents an historic opportunity to unite the world behind a global, national, and local movement to protect the world’s most precious asset – its children. The Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children and its associated fund were created to help achieve this ambitious undertaking – in every country, every community, and every family.”
However, in October 2023, End Violence announced that it was scaling back its ambition to focus on making the internet and digital world a safe place for children.
End Violence attracted a team of brilliant, dedicated, and passionate individuals. However, despite their efforts, they struggled to secure donor investment in child protection and system strengthening. A more supportive UN planning environment for child protection could have made their mission more achievable.
Understanding and strengthening child protection systems
UNICEF's approach to child protection systems strengthening aims to develop systems that protect all children and adolescents from violence, exploitation, abuse, neglect, and harmful practices such as child marriage and child labour. This approach addresses the needs of children across different contexts, including those affected by conflict, climate change, displacement, and those in contact with the justice system or living with disabilities. By focusing on making child protection systems effective and adaptable, UNICEF works to ensure the rights and safety of all children.
Donors struggle with the term ‘child protection systems’. This is in stark contrast to health systems and education systems, which everyone seems to understand and recognize the importance of.
Reforming UN frameworks: elevating child protection
The global policy priority for child protection is to change this dynamic, starting with UNICEF, the United Nations Sustainable Development Group and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs). ISPCAN also has a crucial role to play by leveraging its research and policy knowledge to help propel the case forward.
At the global level, the UN Sustainable Development Group serves as a high-level forum for joint policy formation and decision-making. It guides, supports, tracks, and oversees the coordination of development operations in 162 countries and territories. According to the UNSDG:
“Country team programming and policy support is increasingly well regarded by host governments, with stronger alignment to national needs and priorities.”
The United Nations Country Team (UNCT) is essential in coordinating the activities of all UN agencies operating within a country, ensuring that their efforts are aligned with national development goals and international commitments. The CCA is a crucial tool that provides a comprehensive understanding of the country’s socio-economic, political, and environmental context, serving as the foundation for the UN’s strategic planning. The UNSDCF translates this analysis into a coherent plan that guides UN interventions, promotes coordination, and ensures alignment with national priorities.
The high cost of not recognising child protection as a development intervention
The lack of recognition and the omission of child protection and child protection systems from the CCA and UNSDCF are not just a gap—they have profound implications. Without a systemic approach, interventions often become fragmented and ineffective, leaving vulnerable children at greater risk. For example, in countries where child protection is not prioritized, we see higher rates of violence, trafficking, and exploitation, with insufficient resources allocated to prevent or respond to these violations. To address this issue, it is critical that strengthening child protection systems is fully integrated into the UN’s strategic frameworks to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach to safeguarding children.
Overcoming challenges in securing child protection funding and support
Individual UNICEF country offices struggle to get the CCAs to assess government investments in child protection, which in turn means they also struggle to get the UN system to include child protection systems strengthening in the UNSDCF. This is a significant failure in the UN development framework.
During my 17 years with UNICEF, I reviewed and contributed to at least six CCAs and UNSDCFs in four countries. Each and every time was a struggle, and often a losing one. The exceptions were in countries where the UNICEF Representative took up the cause; in each of these cases, we got the result we wanted. In my current role as a consultant and adviser, I have been involved in evaluating several UNICEF child protection programmes. Most recently, in 2023, I worked on large system design in one country office in East Asia. The CCA had been drafted but made no mention of child protection or child protection systems, despite including a long list of child protection issues in a section called ‘leaving no child behind.’ Ironic, I know!
With advocacy from our team, UNICEF had the report revised to highlight the government’s investments in child protection and how these investments had not always delivered the intended results due to an under-resourced system.
A critical step would be for the UNICEF child protection team in New York to request that the UNICEF Executive Director address this issue directly. A policy directive from the UN Secretary-General to the United Nations Sustainable Development Group could initiate the necessary changes. In the interim, an instruction could be issued to each UN Country Team (UNCT) to acknowledge this shift and ensure compliance while the details are finalised. The positive impact of such a decision would be profound.
Impact of action: the benefits of prioritising child protection
Implementing this directive would have far-reaching positive effects on child protection globally. By formally recognising child protection as a development intervention and integrating child protection systems into the CCA and UNSDCF, the UN would signal a clear commitment to protecting children as a fundamental aspect of sustainable development. This would not only lead to more consistent and coordinated efforts across UN agencies but would also increase pressure on member states to prioritise child protection as a distinct area within their international cooperation programmes. Such a shift would significantly boost financing for the child protection sector, enabling greater investments in national and sub-national systems.
Strengthened child protection systems would, in turn, lead to more effective prevention and response mechanisms, with increased resources directed toward holistic approaches to address the multiple and overlapping protection violations children face. This comprehensive approach would result in significant reductions in child maltreatment, ultimately improving the lives and futures of millions of vulnerable children worldwide.
ISPCAN's role in advancing child protection
ISPCAN plays a pivotal role by leveraging its expertise to influence both global and national policy agendas. Since its inception in 1977, ISPCAN has been at the forefront of efforts to improve child protection worldwide, providing a platform for professionals from various disciplines to exchange knowledge, develop strategies, and advocate for stronger child protection policies. The organization’s mission is to prevent child abuse and neglect by enhancing the quality of care provided to children through education, research, and policy influence.
ISPCAN's active engagement in global forums, such as the upcoming first-ever Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children, represents a significant opportunity to advocate for the prioritisation of child protection in international development frameworks. By leveraging its influence, ISPCAN can help address one of the key challenges highlighted—ensuring that child protection is integrated into national development agendas and that governments and the UN system allocate appropriate funding to this critical area.
In addition, ISPCAN contributes to strengthening child protection systems by disseminating cutting-edge research and practical strategies through its two main journals: Child Abuse & Neglect and Child Protection and Practice. Child Abuse & Neglect and Child Protection and Practice. These publications not only offer valuable insights into child maltreatment and system gaps but also provide evidence-based solutions that can inform national policies, including the CCAs and UNSDCFs. By promoting a holistic approach to child protection that spans prevention, intervention, and systemic reform, ISPCAN supports the kind of coordinated efforts needed to overcome the fragmentation of funding and initiatives.
Key research areas for strengthening child protection
A growing body of evidence from formative and outcome evaluations of UNICEF child protection programmes across multiple countries, along with country-led evaluations, presents a unique opportunity for meta-analysis. Such research could explore critical questions such as: How effective are existing child protection systems in preventing violations? What common barriers exist across different contexts? How has the integration (or lack thereof) of child protection into broader development frameworks influenced outcomes? These insights could guide future policy and programme development.
A call to action: integrating child protection in development
Child protection must be recognised as a distinct and valued international development intervention, equal in importance to child health and child education. It must be systematically integrated into key development frameworks such as the CCA and UNSDCF. Without this recognition and integration, we risk failing the most vulnerable children, leaving them exposed to violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. Global institutions like UNICEF, ISPCAN, and INGOs must unite in advocating for this essential shift. Integrating child protection systems into development planning is not merely an option—it is an urgent necessity and likely the most realistic accelerator for achieving the child protection targets of the SDGs.
Acknowledgement
I utilised OpenAI’s ChatGPT to assist in organising the research and drafting portions of this blog post. Any errors or omissions are entirely my responsibility.
