Relations between family situations, social work and schools to foster childrens resilience towards violence
Swiss partners
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HES-SO, Haute école de travail social Geneva: Joëlle Libois (main applicant), Anne-Françoise Wittgenstein Mani, Sylvia Garcia Delahaye
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Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva: Alexandre Dormeier Freire
Partners in the MENA region
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An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine: Samah Saleh (main applicant)
Presentation of the projet
The MENA leading house seed money grant helped us organize two research field missions to Tulkarem in October 2018 and September 2019. First research mission objectives were to gather data on forms of violence within schools and map actors involved in efforts to mitigate violence in Tulkarem. Our team of researchers met with the Syndicate, teachers, school counsellors, headmasters, local authorities, academic institutions and social workers. All pointed out a lack in numbers of trained social workers to address the forms of violence.
The first research mission exposed other challenges faced by social workers: revealing family issues and feelings to 'strangers' is considered taboo in Palestine, and there seems to be a misunderstanding of the role of social workers, who are often perceived as psychiatrists. On the academic side, the 'metier' of social worker is perceived as a pathway for undecided youth doomed to insecure jobs after graduation. Furthermore, actors involved in social work are diverse: school counsellors, community workers, social workers affiliated to a hospital, or social workers contracted by bureaus of the Ministry of Health, protection officers, to name a few. This diversity of actors poses challenges for coordination amongst actors and for the effectiveness of social interventions. First gathered data analysis supports the various, however outdated, reports of violence in schools between students and against teachers. Our interlocutors also mentioned the issue of violence against women and children in the family space, cases of suicide - yet considered taboo in the Palestinian society - and drug abuses. The practice of "honour killing" of women and girls remains an undocumented and difficult issue to address. The phenomenon of violence is more complex and culturally rooted than we might have expected.
Throughout the second mission, our team of researchers met with women's associations, AI-Najah University researcher in the field of domestic violence, Tulkarem's diverse associations with activities in the field of mitigating violence and Tulkarem's Police Emergency Unit. All interlocutors stress that the wall that separates villages and families in Tulkarem has affected family climate structures and relations. The prolonged absence of men and women illegally crossing the wall to the Israeli side to ensure a livelihood for their families, leaving women, girls and boys vulnerable to abuses. Access to new technologies and media, the increased participation of women in the labour force and the number of women crossing the wall themselves to ensure their livelihood are all phenomena that affect the family structure, with a yet under-researched impact on the level and forms of violence. Meetings with actors involved in efforts to mitigate violence indicate a real need for capacity building of frontline interveners and comprehensive approach to mitigating violence. Main activities described by actors in Tulkarem with regard to mitigating violence are awareness raising activities organized via workshops and summer camps. An intervention/referral system exist, however too weak to address the yet unaccounted number of cases of violence. The prevention approach amounts mainly to awareness .raising activities and the intervention network is solely equipped with psychosocial support. Other approaches exist in the West Banks, such as the 'freedom theatre' and the 'theatre of the oppressed'. The sustainability, the 'venting' approach and the coverage of these projects remain uncertain to our researchers. However, new approaches need to be considered given the complex forms of violence and diverse profile of individuals in need (child sexual abuse, domestic violence, honour killing, drug abuse, sexual stigma, bullying).
During the project duration, an 'Innovation starting grants' project proposal was submitted to the Leading House for the Middle East and North Africa. The main objective of the approved proposal is to explore, through a participatory approach, the feasibility and features of an interactive, user-friendly online application - or 'App' - for potential or actual victims of violence and/or actors involved in social work and engaged in mitigating violence. This longerterm initiative with An-Najah University and the Syndicate will contribute to efforts in institutionalising social work in Palestine as there is a confirmed need for a better system to collect, monitor, systematise, and share data (UNESCO, 2010; INEE, 2004; World Bank, 2005; Burde, 2006 and Wedge, 2008). The project proposal was accepted and will contribute to the 2nd phase of our research for action. In preparation for the implementation the 'Innovation starting grants' project, our researchers met with various known artists in Palestine with diverse artistic approaches. These preliminary meetings sought to prepare the ground for a participatory art-based approach that will engage key actors and stakeholders to test the idea of building an "app" as a tool for violence mitigation. In July 2019, a proposal was submitted to the Rapid funding of unconventional ideas SPARK (FNS) with the end objective of mobilizing funds for the actual development of a prototype of the 'App', which features will be defined during the 2nd phase of our research for action.
Regarding the Seed Money call's objectives on intensifying interaction and scientific cooperation between Swiss scientists or institutions and those of the partner countries, our researchers believe that throughout these two field missions, possible areas for collaborations were identified. A meeting with AI-Najah new Dean of Research and new Dean of Academic Affairs had confirmed their interest in further widening the scope of collaboration and establishing research partnerships of mutual interest and benefit.
Finally, discussions were held with the Qatar Fund for Development to support a capacity-building programme on social work development in the MENA region. This programme would be included in the Executive Master in Development Policies and Practices (OPP) delivered by the Graduate Institute. Collaborations with the HETS, a Qatari university (Doha Institute for Graduate Studies) and An-Najah University will be part of this project.
Article published in Animation, territoires et pratiques socioculturelles (2021)