Every Child is A Child

PROTECTION OF FAMILY’S DIGNITY BY ABANDONING BABIES

IN KAZAKHSTAN

2013 Summer Program on Advances in Social Norms and Social Change of the University of Pennsylvania and UNICEF, July 2013.

Radoslaw Rzehak

About a country

17,000,000 population 5.94/km2 density

Country statistics Basic Data on Children in Kazakhstan

Child population (mln, under 18 years)(2012) 5.1Child population (mln, under 5 years) (2011) 1.7U5MR (per 1,000 live births in 2006, MICS 2010-11 / MoH) 31/17.5Underweight (%, moderate and severe, MICS 2010/11) 3.7Maternal mortality ratio (per 100,000 live births, WHO, 2011) 23.0

Monetary poverty rate for children in poor households (%, CWB study, 2011) 45

Primary school enrolment (% net, male/female, MICS 2010/11) 99.3/99.4Total number of children without parental care (thousand, CPC, 2012) 34.8

- Of them in residential institutions (thousand, CPC) 10.9 Total number of children with special needs (thousand, CPC, 2012) 151

- Of them with disability (thousand, MLSP) 65.8Youth suicide rate (per 100,000, 15-19 years/20-24 years, SA, 2011) 23.5/30.9

Can be cold

And pretty

Upper Middle Income Country with growing disparities

• Every year more than 2,000 children are deprived of parental care and placed in state institutions

• 35% of children have parents/mothers due:- lack of parental skills, - rejections from own families- poor living or housing- or child’s disability

• Those children are denied of their basic rights, incl. right to grow up in a family environment, education, health or protection from harm.

• Small children who are institutionalized before the age of 6

months suffer long term developmental delay.

A case study

Equity approach A Mother with a child

A single young woman having a child

A single young woman from a small village having a child

staying away from her traditional family

A single Nomad young woman from a small village

having a child with disabilities staying away from her

traditional family

Up to date progress 1/2Protection of child rights is gaining priority in policies and practices: In last 10 years over 100 laws adopted

During 2000-2012 the number of 0-3 children in institutions reduced by 40%. 26 ‘groups of hope'

Gov./UNICEF develop model on prevention of 0-3 child abandonment: focus on integrated multi-disciplinary approach

So far Gov. focus on legal framework for expected behaviors and absorb costs of baby abandonment (child care institutions, adoption processing, cash assistance to single mothers) The leaders advocate for the socio-economic development with no space for “left behind” traditional communities with “village people thinking”

Up to date progress 2/2 - social normsNo sufficient understanding of social norms in abandonment

A young woman who abandoned a child is supported in new to her environment (a city) Attempts to change public altitudes through TV, radio and press - effective for policy makers less for rural population and poorer households (communication messages not appropriate)

There is a lack of child protection and social services (poorer even if convinced no assisted to change decision) Interventions on mother-to-be and young mother oriented (shelters, cash, vocational training) - seldom included parents and no targeting of the fathers

Socio-cultural and economic context 1/3Young women from small cities/villages travel to big cities seeking higher education and/or employment.

Their stay in the urban areas planned as temporary

Changing the living environment exposes young girls to new opportunities and risks related to loosening of social/parental control (alcohol, random sex, night life)

Social and economic aspirations rapidly growing while living in the cities (sex a solution for increase socio-economic status)

This new style of life could be easy hidden from family

Socio-cultural and economic context 2/3Use of contraceptives and Abortions

Weak sex and family planning education

Use of contraceptives is little known and shameful despite the its availability (especially in urban areas)

Abortions are legal and relatively not expensive

Abortions - common “contraceptive” with little consideration of health and moral consequences

Men refuse to use condoms, incl. with commercial sex workers (women forced by man not to use condoms)

Socio-cultural and economic context 3/3

Religions and traditions

Majority are Muslims but due to long-lasting Russian/Soviet rules the religious beliefs weakened

Some of the previous religious beliefs become customs used by traditional communities

Married within own communities justified by historical fight to preserve own nation (conquered by different values and tradition of Chinese (Confucianism), Monglos, Arabs or Russians (Orthodox)

Social Norm

Ideal: A young woman marry a man (preferable older then her) from the same community.

Disrupted: a young woman deliver a baby not being married, or a father is a alien to community (or both) - sanctioned by exclusion from the family and community using shame, cutting family connections and withdrawal of family’s economic assistance. So left “on her own” with limited chances to get married and set up a new family.

Empirical expectations A young unmarried woman abandons a child as

everybody does the same in a similar situation. If a child has disabilities a decision is stronger motivated. • Every “unwanted” baby is abandoned • Every young women having a baby out of marriage

leaves a child at the hospital • Every young women having a baby with disabilities

gives it away to be cared by specialists who know how to do it

• Every young students having a baby abandon it to continue education

Normative expectationsA young unmarried women is convinced that her

family/community members believe that she should abandon a child not to bring a shame to the family

and to keep chances to marry • My parents think I should abandon a child if I am

unmarried to protect the family from a shame • Everybody thinks that to finish my study I should

abandon my child • Everybody thinks I would not be able to look after a

child with disability as this need to be done by specialists

Core values Core values of community are to preserve its culture, tradition and genetic pool. Rejection of children from “unknown” sources is natural protective measures

Need to establish/re-establish core values referring to old norm of family protection:

• A child is a blessing • Having a child is a gift from a God• Every child is a gift regardless with or without

disability • A grandchild ensures that your family will last (still

same blood)

Personal normative beliefs

No in-depth study on personal normative believes yet

Anecdotal evidence: young women not always aligned with the normative expectations. (cases of young “Nomad” women who tried to keep a child)

Motivation not to abandon due to connections with a baby but community’s sanction stronger

In a case of a father in most cases conformed normative believes with social norms

Who Was Anticipated to support a young women in a Crisis Situation

Child’s father, 43.8

Parents, 18.8

Relatives, 43.8

Friends, 9.4

Nobody, 18.8

Child’s father Parents Relatives Friends Nobody

[Public Union Centre «Family», “Study on the causes of child abandonment (age 0-3) in Karaganda oblast”, UNICEF Kazakhstan 2012

Pluristic Ignorance

Not having strong evidence yet

In rapid socio-economic development a growing number of community population dislike the social norm on rejecting the out-of-marriage children.

They continue to practice it because they think that other people support this practice

SchemataA young woman - obedient, look after household, deliver healthy children (preferably boys).

Higher education of a young woman is not a desirable skill.

A man is a breadwinner but also a controller of the family income distribution.

A woman leaving for city to study is trespassing her schema (still acceptable); when pregnant in city deprived from “benefiting” of having a breadwinner

Scripts 1/3

Ideal: A young woman gets married as soon as possible within the community and delivers a first baby-boy. The family is getting generous dowry.

Diverted but acceptable: A young woman, despite advice of parents, continue higher education in a city. After graduation returns to community, gets married and delivers a first baby-boy. As not young may not marry the most desired man but re-unite with the community. The family wife is still getting reduced dowry

Scripts 2/3

Script diverted but unacceptable: A young woman, despite advice of her parents,

decides to continue higher education in a city. During her stay in city she gets pregnant and delivers a child.

Scripts 3/3 As a results two envisaged 2 scenarios:

1. (A fix) She abandons a child, finish university, returns to community, gets married and delivers baby-boy. Not a virgin so challenged in finding a husband but possible: she can still re-unite. The family gets dowry but small

2. (A devil) She keeps the baby what leads to exclusion from family and community, left alone in a city with small chances to graduate, unemployed and with limited chances to get married. The family don’t get dowry

A positively re-written Script (an alternative)

A young woman, despite advice of her parents, decides to continue higher education in a city. During her stay in the city gets pregnant and delivers a child. She successfully re-unites with the family within community. The family and community are upset with pregnancy but forgive the “mistake’ and assist a young woman in settling her life within the community. The family of a wife may still get some dowry but lack of dowry is compensated with a new member of the family – a grandbaby !

Reference network• Parents living in the village of young mother’s

origin• Extended family living in the village of mother’s

origin or in the city • Neighbors, members of community of the village

of young mother’s origin • Spiritual, not necessary religious, leaders of the

village of young mother’s origin

Who Can Influence the Mother’s Decision to Abandon her Child? (answer from relatives)

Child’s father,

5.1

Relatives, 23.1

Specialists, 28.2

Others, 12.8

Nobody, 12.8

I do not know, 20.5

[Public Union Centre «Family», “Study on the causes of child abandonment (age 0-3) in Karaganda oblast”, UNICEF Kazakhstan 2012

Power relations and marriageability A clear power misbalance:

- women conform to be obedient - men being bossy and decisive, maintain economic

power in the family - men have more space for immoral behavior (sex

before marriage): better bargaining power in marriageability

- brides to be virgin: weaker bargaining power in marriageability

- men may walk away from a pregnant woman: better bargaining power in marriageability

- women expected to stay with a child: weaker bargaining power in marriageability.

Legal and policy framework Rather modern family legal framework - law is no obstacle in changing the social norm

For a person below 18 a legal obligation of parents to look after a child also a child’s child (most mothers above 18) There is legislation on alimony but practically not enforceable. The state tries to stipulate a demographic grow (cash assistance not enough for independent living) In a state’s interest to reduce children in public care (harm and costs)

Creating a new attitude To introduce a new attitude that every child is important regardless born in or outside of a marriage because:It is a child It is a grandchild It secures future of the families (new generations) (custom: communities should know at least seven past generations but also should think about seven future)

However, the new attitude should not influence existing general attitude towards having out-of-marriage sex it could destabilize moral values

Changing a social normAim: creating a new social norm that rejection of child born from unmarried women would be sanctioned by community

Parents have moral obligation to support own daughter who got pregnant in out-of-marriage relations while a social norm of condemning unmarried sex would be maintained

A new social norm to address a “mistake” of youth but also stress importance of maintaining the integrity of the family. Community introduces sanction on families which rejected to accepting back own child who has an unplanned child

Sanctions should be created for men who abandon pregnant women or own children. Exposing a man to public shame (guilt) for changing his behavior.

How to change a social norm?Using the concept of social dynamic of norm shift presented by Gerry Mackie:

A core group stimulates values deliberations process during which the current social norms are being discussed what can lead to …

…Organized diffusion when wider community started challenging existing norms creating situation where…

…Enough people are ready to change so there is a wide consensus for changing a social norm so through…

…Coordinated shift the new norm is eventually established by the community.

Need for more studies to understand the construction of rural communities and know what the core group is (“snowball approach” survey). The sample questions could be:Who are their friends?Who they respect?Whose ideas they usually follow?To whom they go for advice on family matters? Core group assumption:• Village spiritual leaders/elders (agents of change)• Mothers of children born out of marriage who successful

reunited with community (role models)• Parents of a young girls who refused to abandon out-of-

marriage baby (roles models) • Man who married a mothers with out of marriage children

(role models)

Targeting the core group and use of social networks

Values deliberations (VD) 1/2Need an in-depth study on root causes of child abandonment due to tradition values to design strategy for the VB

Go beyond KAP to understand social expectations. Questions:Impact of dowry on decision to marriage? Roots of a social norm? Tradition? Religion?Attitude towards disability?Etc. A state social worker to introduce deliberation but process to be led by the core group. Start from a small group and gradually include wider community The VD process to be open to all views and reveal inconsistency in existing social norms and harm made to young mothers and their families.

Values deliberations (VD) 2/2VD based on a right of a child to grow up in family environment and refers to traditional family protection values

Examples out-of-marriage children who become “Nomads” historical figures (worriers, actors, poets, etc.) Include a vision of a “real man”. What makes a man a “real man”? Leaving a pregnant women? Or a “real man” never abandons its baby? A “real man” by marrying a woman with a baby? VD supported by media campaign on prevention of baby abandonment (TV, Radio, posters, soap operas, comedy programs, debates), use of local celebrities, use of role models

Organized diffusion A core group convinced to a new norm starts engaging new members into the debate which incl. parents facing similar situation and dissemination of info among the community

Community negates out-of-marriage sex but promotes more tolerate approach for young women who made a “mistake” Process stimulated by external factors, like media campaign to believe that other people are also thinking in a “new way”. Diffusion for making self-sustained beliefs questionable by the community

Referring to well-known positive cases (from “Nomads’ history or present) would be very important to change saying new norm is not so NEW

Enough people are ready to change “enough people are ready to change”: hard to specify when

• When first family accepts a mother with and an out-of-marriage child back home without any (or mild) sanctions?

• When a man decides to marry a woman with a child without community sanctions?

Such deviant family or deviant men start a new rule of the game proving the community reached stage of having enough convinced people for a change.

Pending for a “deviant” cannot be prolonged for too long as the initial investments would be forgotten In a case of a lack of such a deviant, another trigger would need to be identified jointly with the core groups

Coordinated shift The coordinated shift and a method of it to be agreed among the community!

Examples of possible coordinated shifts:- an open welcome of returning young mother to the village,

having a majority of the village greeting her upon arrival - community organized wedding celebration of a man who

agreed to marry woman with a child.

Important to document/broadcast coordinated shift in media to reach other communities for scaling up

During the broadcasting the message to protect an identity of a mother to limit her exposure to potential sanctions from not transformed communities.

Supporting social services Creation of a new social norm would not be effective if a state would not provide supportive services like:

• Professional social workers (initiate changing norms, facilitate, support/protection services)

• Cash assistance (reduce economic burden with extra expenses of a daughter with a baby, ease the lack of dowry)

• Day care services (mother’s employment/education, no burden to family with extra child’s nursing)

• Psychological support to build self-esteem of mothers: that getting pregnant is not the end but new beginning.

• Parental education: equip young mothers and fathers with necessary skills (especially in case of children with disabilities)

Therefore, changing of social norms should be conducted in a

wider context of social/child protection system reform

Addressing marriageability A part of the strategy: marriageability of single mothers.

Preferable solution: marriage within own community but how long one can wait to change a norm? (years if not generations)

Parallel approach: widening prospects of young mothers to get married (specialized internet matching services)

Internet platform could also present “successful stories” of other single mothers who has not abandoned a child and were able to set up a new family (solidarity)

Increasing percentage of mothers getting married could have a positive impact to weaken social sanctions as

are not working any longer.

Supporting social services Creation of a social norm would not be effective if a state would not provide supportive services in form of:

Professional social workers (initiate changing norms, facilitate, support/proteciton services)

State cash assistance (reduce economic burden with extra expenses of a daughter with baby, ease the lack of dowry) Day care services (mother’s employment/education, no burden to family with extra child’s nursing) Psychological support to build self-esteem of young mothers that getting pregnant is not the end of her life but new beginning.Parental skills education to equip young mothers (and fathers) with necessary skills for performing its parental responsibilities, especially in case of children with disabilities. Therefore, changing of social norms should be conducted in a wider context of social/child protection system reform, including relevant legislative reforms, as both processes are closely interdependent.

Are we ready to change?