Term of Award
Fall 2019
Degree Name
Doctor of Public Health in Public Health Leadership (Dr.P.H.)
Document Type and Release Option
Dissertation (open access)
Copyright Statement / License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Department
Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health
Committee Chair
Ashley Walker
Committee Member 1
William Mase
Committee Member 2
Heidi Altman
Abstract
Violence against children (VAC) is a global problem with significant consequences. Recognizing the need to better understand the problem of VAC in Côte d’Ivoire (CI), the government of CI recently completed a survey on violence against children. The recent data will support an evidence-based national action plan for the prevention of VAC. Research shows that initiatives tackling specific problems will only be as successful as the community’s readiness to take action. This study applied the community readiness model to assess the readiness of the multisectoral task force (MSTF) to implement the national action plan in CI. Eight MSTF participants’ interview scores determined the overall and dimension-specific level of readiness. The findings suggest that the MSTF’s overall stage of readiness is in the “preplanning stage,” indicating that a clear recognition exists that something must be done to address the issue of VAC in CI, and there are even mechanisms to address it. Nevertheless, the present efforts are neither sufficiently focused nor comprehensive. The study also evaluated six specific dimensions of the system, revealing varying stages of readiness across dimensions. The dimension of efforts had the highest stage of readiness, whereas the dimension knowledge of efforts had the lowest stage. Based on these findings, the recommendation is to strengthen the dimensions with the lowest readiness level. The system’s immediate strategy must be to increase awareness and knowledge of all policies and programs addressing violence against children and to intensify political engagement to support existing and new programs addressing the problem.
Recommended Citation
Seya-Sery, M. K. S. (2019). Prevention of Violence Against Children: A Systems Readiness Assessment in CÔTE D’IVOIRE (doctoral dissertation). Georgia Southern University, Georgia, USA.
Research Data and Supplementary Material
Yes
Included in
African Studies Commons, Civic and Community Engagement Commons, Community-Based Research Commons, Domestic and Intimate Partner Violence Commons, Health Policy Commons, International and Intercultural Communication Commons, International Public Health Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Organizational Communication Commons, Other Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration Commons, Other Public Health Commons, Policy Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Social Welfare Commons, Social Work Commons
