UNICEF launched The END Violence initiative, which highlighted that violence occurs throughout the world, but often happens out of sight or is tolerated because of cultural norms. In order to gain a better understanding of the violence that children face on a daily basis, UNICEF commissioned InfoPro to hold 42 focus group (FG) discussions with children and caregivers. The children were broken into two different age groups: 6-11 and 12-17. All of the FGs were made up of a single gender and nationality; either Lebanese, Syrians, or Palestinians. The objectives of the focus groups were to assess the caregivers and children’s understanding of childhood and violence against children and what can be done for improvement. InfoPro, in specific, delved into the following issues:
- Assess the understanding of childhood
- Assess violence against children and the means to prevent it
- Raise awareness concerning violence against children
- Identify ways for improvement against children’s violence.
- Feedback mechanism and their ability to raise complaints
- Identify vulnerable groups, profile and motivations of such people