Understanding the linkages between social safety nets and childhood violence: a review of the evidence from low- and middle-income countries

Abstract

As many as one billion children experience violence every year, and household- and community-level poverty are among the risk factors for child protection violations. Social safety nets (SSNs) are a main policy tool to address poverty and vulnerability, and there is substantial evidence demonstrating positive effects on children’s health and human capital. This paper reviews evidence and develops a framework to understand linkages between non-contributory SSNs and the experience of childhood emotional, physical and sexual violence in low- and middle-income countries. We catalogue 14 rigorous impact evaluations, 11 of which are completed, analysing 57 unique impacts on diverse violence indicators. Among these impacts, approximately one in five represent statistically significant protective effects on childhood violence. Promising evidence relates to sexual violence among female adolescents in Africa, while there is less clear evidence of significant impacts in other parts of the developing world, and on young child measures, including violent discipline. Further, few studies are set up to meaningfully unpack mechanisms between SSNs and childhood violence; however, those most commonly hypothesized operate at the household level (through increases in economic security and reductions in poverty-related stress), the interpersonal level (improved parental behaviours, caregiving practices, improved psychosocial well-being) and at the child-level (protective education and decreases in problem or risky behaviours). It is important to emphasize that traditional SSNs are never designed with violence prevention as primary objectives, and thus should not be considered as standalone interventions to reduce risks for childhood violence. However, SSNs, particularly within integrated protection systems, appear to have potential to reduce violence risk. Linkages between SSNs and childhood violence are understudied, and investments should be made to close this evidence gap.

Conditional cash transfers and the reduction in partner violence for young women: an investigation of causal pathways using evidence from a randomized experiment in South Africa (HPTN 068)

“…Mediation pathways we examined included sexual behaviours, perceived sexual relationship power and household economic wellbeing. We chose to explore these variables based on hypothesized conceptual pathways through which the cash transfer might reduce IPV . For one, sexual behaviours that increase the risk of IPV (e.g.…”

A Mixed-Method Review of Cash Transfers and Intimate Partner Violence in Low and Middle-Income Countries

“…We exclude studies that explore the impact of transfers on other types of violence that may have implications for IPV, including community-level violence or intra-household violence perpetrated or directed at other household members. For example, there is increasing interest and some potential for social safety nets, including CTs, to decrease violence against children, although the evidence is weak for most types of childhood violence apart from sexual violence and abuse among adolescent girls (Peterman et al 2017a). Conclusions around promising mechanisms for reduction of violence against children relate to several of the same that we identify, including increases in economic security and decreases in poverty-related stress.…”

Special Report: The Biology of Inequalities in Health: The Lifepath Consortium

“…Quasi-experiments are a posteriori evaluations, most often in one sample, of variations in existing wider policies (e.g., extending eligibility to the US EITC, Earned Income Tax Credit), more often than stand-alone programmes evaluated experimentally. As noted (113), these designs are robust but also limit translation to other national contexts. Our results also point to broad regional variations in terms of the type of programs considered and their effects on ACEs.…”