Child protection and harmful traditional practices: female early marriage and genital modification in Ethiopia

Author(s)
Boyden, Jo
Pankhurst, Alula
Tafere, Yisak
Publication date
2012-06-01
Subject
Gender
Governance and citizenship
Keywords
Protection
Gender-based programmes
Advocacy
Campaigning
Country
Ethiopia

Metadata
Show full item record
Publisher(s)
Oxfam GB
Routledge
Journal
Development in Practice
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10546/269921
DOI
10.1080/09614524.2012.672957
Document type
Journal article
Language
English
Description
This article explores divergent perspectives on female early marriage and genital modification in Ethiopia. It contrasts international norms and research evidence with local understandings, the latter focusing on the part these practices play in securing family social heritage, well-being of girls, and their transition to adulthood. The article explains the persistence of these practices in the face of campaigns to eliminate them and questions assumptions behind the international child protection model. It points to unintended adverse consequences of interventions that do not pay sufficient regard to local meanings and social relations, and suggests how policy might be approached differently.
Pages
12
ISSN
0961-4524
EISSN
1364-9213
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