Ethiopia: Ensuring Child Well-Being Remains a Challenge for the Poor in Ethiopia

27 November 2024
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Anne Okello and Mulu Teka

Satisfaction with the government's support for vulnerable children is significantly lower among poor people than among the wealthy.

Key findings

  • A slim majority (51%) of Ethiopians say parents are "sometimes" or "always" justified in using physical force to discipline their children, while 48% oppose the practice.
  • More than half (52%) of citizens say the use of physical force to discipline children is not very common in their communities.
  • A majority of respondents say child abuse and neglect (60%) and out-of-school children (59%) are infrequent problems in their community. o Perceptions of child abuse/neglect and out-of-school children as frequent problems are more common among the poor than among economically well-off citizens.
  • Majorities say resources are available in their community to help children with disability (62%), abused and neglected children (59%), and children and adults with mental or emotional problems (59%). o But the poor are considerably less likely than better-off citizens to report that support services for vulnerable children are available in their community.
  • A majority (53%) of Ethiopians rate the government favourably in its efforts to protect and promote the well-being of vulnerable children. o But approval of the government's performance is significantly lower among the poor (40%) than among economically well-off citizens (76%).

Ethiopia has adopted legal and policy measures to enhance child well-being, including ratifying and domesticating the United Nations (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Union's (1990) African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, 2005). Article 36 of the Federal Constitution guarantees children's rights to life, care, and protection from exploitation, while the National Children's Policy emphasises meeting their physical, emotional, and cognitive needs (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, 1995, 2017). The 2023 National Early Childhood Development and Education Policy Framework promotes a multi-sectoral approach to fostering holistic child development by ensuring quality care and improving access to education (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, 2023a).

In line with the International Labour Organization (1999) Convention No. 182, Proclamation No. 1156 prohibits the employment of persons under 15 years of age, while the Revised Family Code requires guardians and caregivers to safeguard children's physical and intellectual development (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, 2000, 2019).

According to Ethiopia's 2019 Mini Demographic and Health Survey, 37% of children under age 5 suffer from stunting due to inadequate nutrition, and one in every 17 die before their fifth birthday (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, 2021). Reports indicate that 43% of Ethiopian children are engaged in child labour, with 23% involved in hazardous work (UNICEF, 2020).

Despite making significant progress toward universal primary education with a net enrolment of 94%, only 47% of Ethiopian children progress to middle school, and just 33% advance to secondary school (Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, 2023b). Studies also reveal that about 41% of children experience sexual abuse (Mekonnen & Tsega, 2024), and 27% are married between the ages of 11 and 14 (UNICEF, 2016).

This dispatch reports on a special survey module included in the Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021/2023) questionnaire to explore Africans' attitudes and perceptions about child well being.

Survey findings show that slightly more than half of Ethiopians support the use of physical force to discipline children, though majorities say that neither corporal punishment nor child abuse and neglect are common in their community.

About six in 10 citizens say that support resources are available in their community for abused or neglected children, for children with disability, and for children and adults with mental or emotional problems. A slim majority of Ethiopians are satisfied with the government's performance on child welfare.

But compared to economically well-off citizens, poor respondents are significantly more likely to report that child abuse/neglect and out-of-school children are common problems, less likely to say that resources to help vulnerable children are available in their community, and less likely to commend the government for its efforts in protecting and promoting the well being of vulnerable children.

Anne Okello Anne is the assistant project manager for East Africa

Mulu Teka Mulu Teka is the national investigator for Ethiopia.

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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