Growing Stronger Together: A Family Strengthening Approach to Reduce Child Engagement with Armed Forces
Children associated with armed forces and armed groups (CAAFAG) represent an egregious violation of human rights which impedes their long-term wellbeing and overall peacebuilding and development efforts in the aftermath of conflict. Despite the critical importance of addressing this issue, there is scarce rigorous evidence on what works to support caregivers in preventing child recruitment and supporting their reintegration from engagement with armed forces and armed groups in humanitarian settings. Growing Strong Together (GST) is an innovative approach that combines curriculum- and group-based effective parenting programming with tailored support for families who have had children engaged in or at risk of recruitment into armed groups. Our study will undertake a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in Central African Republic (CAR) to answer the following questions:
- What is the effectiveness of GST in preventing child recruitment by armed forces and armed groups and supporting their reintegration into communities?
- Through which potential mechanisms does GST operate (e.g., promoting parenting skills, improving caregiver-child relationship quality, child resilience, or mental health)?
- What are the feasibility, acceptability, and implementation factors needed for successful implementation of GST