Attachments
- Introduction
1.1 Children’s right to participate
All girls and boys have the right to express their views and opinions on matters that affect them, and to have those views and opinions taken into account.1 For UNHCR, consultation with children is essential to understand the specific protection risks they face, identify appropriate solutions and enable them to partner meaningfully with UNHCR in their own protection.
1.2 What is participatory assessment?
Participatory assessment involves structured dialogue with refugee men and women, girls and boys of all ages and backgrounds about their particular protection needs and risks.2 This information then feeds into and informs the UNHCR programme planning cycle. Participatory assessments can be undertaken at specific points in the planning cycle – for example, to assist with the preparation of country or annual reports. However, participatory assessment should not be an annual, one-off event, but an on-going process of dialogue, partnership and participation. Used in different contexts, participatory assessment can be an effective way of maintaining regular contact with children of concern, gathering reliable data and building a complete picture of the protection risks they face.
1.3 Participatory assessment with children and adolescents
Children and adolescents view, experience and communicate their protection concerns in different ways to adults. They often lack access to and are excluded from adult decision-making processes and face additional barriers to their participation. A key objective of UNHCR’s Age, Gender and Diversity Policy3 is to ensure that all persons of concern enjoy their rights on an equal footing, and are able to participate fully in the decisions that affect their lives and the lives of members of their families and communities. Participatory assessment is an important way to ensure that boys and girls of all ages and backgrounds are at the centre of decision-making concerning their protection and well-being. Effective participation also recognizes children and adolescents as rights-holders, it builds their capacity and resilience, and allows them to better protect themselves and their peers.
A Tool for Participatory Assessment in Operations was developed in 2006, which provides guiding principles and practical steps for conducting meaningful participatory assessment. However, its methodology is based on discussion and structured dialogue, which is not necessarily the most suitable way to engage with children and adolescents. A range of alternative methods are needed which specifically target girls and boys, to address the power differential between them and adults and to build trust and relationships between them. These methods need to use all the ‘languages’ of children (not just formal dialogue or discussion), to enable them to participate fully and meaningfully. This new Tool addresses the existing gap by providing a practical, specific ‘how-to’ guide on the participatory assessment process with adolescents and children. It should, however, be read in conjunction with the 2006 Tool.
1.4 About the Tool
This Tool sets out some specific considerations to be taken into account when working with girls and boys. It suggests a new approach to participatory assessments for children and adolescents. It describes the need for an ethical approach to participatory assessment and sets out the elements of such an approach. After providing some tips on preparation, the Tool then describes a range of participatory workshop methods that could be used by UNHCR, culminating in a sample workshop module. The list of methods is not exhaustive, and activities may need to be adapted to specific cultures, contexts and situations. A Resource Toolkit suggests further reading and links to useful websites, for additional support. The Annex contains a number of practical tools to assist in planning and conducting participatory assessments.
This tool was developed and field tested in 2011 in both camp and urban contexts in Jordan, Nepal, India and Kenya as part of a UNHCR consultation with refugee children and adolescents (aged 6-17) on UNHCR’s global strategic directions regarding the protection of children.