Protection of Children Rights in Rwanda: Perspectives of Social Workers

Abstract

To analyze social work interventions related to protection of children‘s rights in Rwanda and identify best practices and lesson learned by social workers while ensuring children’s rights. Empowerment approaches to families promote children rights to survival, development, protection and participation. Master thesis is composed by two main parts: the first part analyses the theoretical aspects of promotion of children rights and analyses best practices and lesson learned by social workers. The second part demonstrates the methodology, the structure and results of the research of best practices and lesson learned in ensuring children rights. Through purposive sampling 7 social workers from Rwanda were chosen and interviewed where the method of semi structured interview was used for collecting data. The theoretical analysis of promotion of children rights and the analysis of scientific literature revealed that Some problems in social work practice are recurring as the social problems are a vicious cycle, if the approach to management of those problems is documented and shared with others, the time spend on solving them is used in other matters that advance children rights and family wellbeing in general. Evaluating social work practice in Rwanda, provide insights on approaches that lead to success and can be tested by others to reach good results. Delivery of proactive and preventive services which allow families to take up their care duties and promote autonomy is paramount in upholding children rights. The findings of qualitative research revealed that upon identification of threats to realization of children rights, poverty and unsafe family environment are big humpers to wellbeing of families and jeopardize all efforts that actors use to uphold children rights. Creation of strategies to realize children rights included policy knowledge and implementation, creation of effective and strong partnerships and conduct capacity building activities for families .a combination of these was qualified as a best practice in ensuring children rights and application of strength based approaches and right based approaches have shown good outcomes in life of children and mentioned as lesson learnt y social workers.