Coram International has recently been awarded a large-scale institutional contract to carry out a Situation Analysis (SitAn) of Children Affected by Migration in Southeast Asia on behalf of UNICEF EAPRO. The consultancy falls under a wider EU-funded programme to protect children affected by migration in Southeast, South and Central Asia between 2018 and 2021. The SitAn aims to contribute to the evidence base on ‘children affected by migration’ in the region, including migrant children, internally forcibly displaced children, cross-border migrants, refugees and asylum seekers and ‘children left behind’, as well as undocumented, stateless, smuggled and trafficked children. The research will investigate the protection risks facing these populations of children, including new risks emerging in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the scale and drivers of child migration in the region, with a particular focus on Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The study will employ a mixed-methods approach to data collection. Qualitative interviews will be conducted with key stakeholders at the regional and national level, as well as community members, children and families in each of the focus countries, in order to gather in-depth contextual information on the realities of child migration in the region. Quantitative methods will be employed in order to elaborate upon and quantify the drivers, risks and experiences identified by the qualitative research. Primary data collection will be preceded by an in-depth literature review and legislative analysis of regional, bilateral and national laws relevant to children affected by migration in the 10 ASEAN states.
In 2020, Coram International was awarded a grant from the Chubb Rule of Law Fund for a project designed to strengthen local laws on human trafficking in Indonesia. Recognising the gap between national legislation and local implementation, the project proposes to strengthening the capacity of local governments to effectively prevent, respond to and support victims of human trafficking. The project will include the development of a Guidance Note in order to support provincial, district and town / village Governments in developing and implementing sub-national laws on human trafficking that are in line with national laws and international standards and best practice. The project activities include legislative analysis, supported by Chubb’s legal team in Indonesia, as well as consultations and development of the technical guidance note.
In 2019 Coram International carried out a human rights-based and equity- and risk-informed assessment and analysis of the situation of children and adolescents in Indonesia, through a comprehensive analysis of existing data sources, and engagement with key stakeholders. The immediate purpose of the study was to inform the strategic planning discussions for the development of the UNICEF – GoI Country Programme 2021-2025 and other planning processes, such as UNSDCF (UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Frameworks – previously UNDAF). The broader objectives were to: improve the understanding of UNICEF, decision makers and partners of the current situation of children and adolescents by conducting a secondary analysis of the social, political, human rights, environmental and technological trends affecting children and adolescents, identifying progress made and areas for improvement; identify factors that influence outcomes for children and adolescents, including barriers and bottlenecks that prevent them from reaching their full potential, and identify and analyse pre-existing and new opportunities for children and adolescents that UNICEF and its partners need to leverage to enhance their wellbeing; and analyse the extent to which interventions and services proven to address deprivations are prioritised in national policies, laws, strategies, plans and budgets, and are supported by UNICEF and partners. Research involved desk-based analysis of existing data and research reports and a series of key informant interviews and participatory action research with groups of adolescents and youth.
In 2019 Coram International was contracted to conduct a situation analysis of children in the ten ASEAN member states (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam). The analysis and report first considers progress in the region in the 30 years since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the child across health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, child protection and social protection. It then moves on to consider remaining challenges, emerging issues and opportunities in the early years (early moments matter), in the context of environment (safe and sustainable environment) and in adolescence (adolescent potential unleashed), particularly in light of the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda. The report concludes with recommendations for future action. The final report is available via this link.
In 2016, Coram International completed a study on the influence of the law on young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health services in Indonesia. This study is part of a larger multi-country project for the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and UNFPA in South and South East Asia, with studies also taking place in Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and India. The Indonesia study explores legal and policy barriers to young people’s access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, using qualitative and quantitative methods, and provides recommendations for legal and policy reform. The study followed a previous multi-country study for IPPF carried out in five case study countries: El Salvador, Senegal, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The final report of the Indonesia study can be found here.
In 2015, Coram International was contracted by UNICEF Indonesia to carry out systematic literature reviews, a secondary statistical analyses of existing data sources (DHS, VACS, GSHS, MICS, and P4P surveys), and a comprehensive interventions mapping on violence against children in Indonesia. This in-depth study involved an in-country scoping of un-published and local-language material and a comprehensive mapping of interventions and programmes aimed at responding and/or preventing violence against children. The study also used existing primary data sources and regression models to uncover the risk and protective factors associated with violence against children. The findings were presented at in-country validation workshops in Jakarta, which included representatives from national governments, civil society and academia.
In 2014-2015, Coram International designed the research plan and analytical framework for Plan International in Asia, developing the methodology and tools for research in Indonesia, Bangladesh and Pakistan into attitudes and norms on child marriage, as well as training national teams of qualitative and quantitative researchers. Coram International analysed the large data-sets, developing final reports and recommendations for programming. The research report is available here.
In 2013, Professor Dame Carolyn Hamilton and Coram International conducted a mapping and analysis of national legislation related to violence against children in each of the ten ASEAN Member States (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam). This mapping and analysis compared national legislation to international laws, standards and best practices, including the recommendations and findings from UNICEF’s Violence Against Children Study. The project included a detailed comparison across the ten ASEAN Member States, highlighting common issues, concerns, or successes and making recommendations for legislative reform.