1. Webinar Series on the Measurement of Child Protection
Presentation of the MICS Modules
for Child Protection
13 February 2013 at 9am and 9pm NY/ET
Claudia Cappa and Attila Hancioglu
Statistics and Monitoring Section/DPS
UNICEF HQ

2. Outline
Discuss some conceptual, methodological, ethical challenges related to the collection of data on child protection through household surveys
Provide an overview of the MICS survey program
Review existing Child Protection Modules in MICS

3. Some preliminary questions
Why do we need data/evidence?
What data/evidence do we need?
What data/evidence do we have?
How can we make be better use of what we have?
How should we get the data/evidence we need?

4. What data/evidence do we need?
World Health Organization
27 March 2017
What data/evidence do we need?
Prevalence data on nature and magnitude of CP violations
Risk and protective factors
Evidence on how and why certain violations occur and persist
What works and what does not work for prevention and response
Data and information for the monitoring and evaluation of programmes

5. Main sources of data for CP
Nationally representative household surveys (part of international programs)
Relevant to obtain prevalence estimates; not suitable for understanding why
Use standard data collection methodology and questionnaires to allow for country/regional comparisons and trend analysis
Primary sources of disaggregated data
Typically, data are collected by countries every 3-5 years
“KAP surveys”= Problem with standardization and validation
School-based surveys = Population of children out of school
Administrative data, Census
Special methods are needed to capture certain populations

6. Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys

7. Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys
Household survey program, developed by UNICEF in the 1990s
to assist countries in filling data gaps on children’s and women’s well-being for tracking progress toward World Summit for Children Goals
Nationally representative household sample surveys
Face to face interviews, observations, measurements
Representative sample of households

8. MICS 1995-2014 MICS1 1995 World Summit for Children Goals 62 MICS2
Round
Year/Period
Emphasis
No. of Surveys
MICS1
1995
World Summit for Children Goals 62
MICS2
2000 65
MICS3
World Fit For Children Goals, MDGs, Other Global Monitoring Frameworks 52
MICS4
MDGs, Other Global Monitoring Frameworks 60
MICS5
Final MDG Assessment, A Promise Renewed, Other Global Monitoring Frameworks
40 +

9. MICS Implementation UNICEF develops standard tools, guidelines
In collaboration with interagency groups, UNICEF, other stakeholders, DHS programme
Countries customize survey tools
With UNICEF support, through regional workshops, in-country support
Funding support primarily by UNICEF, plus other agencies – USAID, UNFPA and others
Technical support and training
Governments conduct surveys
Implementing agencies conduct analysis, produce reports, disseminate
Public sharing of reports and micro data
By governments and UNICEF
Full government ownership
Use globally agreed-upon indicators as starting point, design survey tools around these indicators

10. MICS4 Surveys by Region

11. MICS4 Countries - Global
Low and middle/high income countries
Chad, Mali, Costa Rica, Serbia, Qatar, Argentina
Emergency or post-emergency settings
Somalia, Iraq, Sindh, Sudan
New to MICS (Bhutan, Mali), all MICS rounds (Serbia, Gambia), “returning” countries (Moldova, Afghanistan)
Single household survey data source on children in several countries

12. Questionnaires – Some Features
Factual questions, behavior – some attitude questions
Validated and tested questions/modules
All questions contribute to either the numerator or denominator of a well-defined indicator
Indicators are mostly those adopted and endorsed by the international community
MDGs, interagency indicator sets, other international commitments

13. Features Sampling Multi-stage stratified cluster samples
Sample size (MICS4): Around 10,000 households, but huge variation
Over-sampling of households with under-5s
Fieldwork
2-4 months
Supervisor, field editor, measurer, 3 to 5 interviewers
Training
3 weeks, including field practice
Reporting
Summary Findings Report
Final Report – 12 months after completion of fieldwork
Technical assistance
Regional workshops, regional MICS coordinators, regional household survey experts
Access
Reports and micro data sets (SPSS)

14. Questionnaires and Topics
Household Questionnaire
Usual members of households
Women’s Questionnaire (Age 15-49)
With Birth Histories
Without Birth Histories
Men’s Questionnaire (Age 15-49)
Usually for a sub-sample
Under-5 Questionnaire
Administered to mothers or primary caretakers of under-5s

15. HOUSEHOLD QUESTIONNAIRE
social & demographic characteristics
living arrangements
education
water and sanitation, hand washing
household assets
ITNs
child labour
child discipline
salt iodization
child disability
WOMEN’S QUESTIONNAIRE
child mortality
maternal mortality
antenatal, delivery & postnatal care
contraception/unmet need
female genital mutilation/cutting
WOMEN’S AND MEN’S QUESTIONNAIRES
attitudes toward domestic violence
marriage
sexual behaviour
HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudes
access to mass media and use of ICT
tobacco and alcohol use
life satisfaction
UNDER-5 QUESTIONNAIRE
birth registration
early childhood development
diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria
immunization
infant and young child feeding
anthropometry (nutrition indicators)

16. MICS strategy for inclusion of new topics
Global relevance
UNICEF priority
Programmatic relevance
Validated, tested
Economical and simple
Maintain eligibility, general structure
Avoid further sophistication

17. MICS

18. Timelines
Global Pilot Survey (Bangladesh, May-June 2012, 1000 households)
Official launch by UNICEF (October 2012)
Finalize survey instruments
…and supporting documents (by March 2013)
Workshops: March 2013 onwards
Survey implementation
First quarter 2014 at the latest for surveys servicing MDG reporting
2013 and 2014 for all other surveys

19. Timeline for Global Reporting on MDGs
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
MICS 4
MICS 5
Large number of countries expected to conduct surveys for MDG monitoring
Data compilation and analysis
Summer 2014
Submission of data for SG’s report
March 2015
SG’s MDG Report launch
September 2015

20. Child Protection Modules in MICS

21. MICS and Child Protection
Largest source of internationally comparable data on Child Protection (countries covered, topics)
Groups of children that out of the scope of a household survey: Children living in institutions, children living on the street, etc.
Comparison with other surveys
- other non-specialized household surveys (DHS, RHS)
- thematic household surveys (SIMPOC, VAC)
- school based-surveys (GSHS, HBSC)

22. Child Protection Modules in MICS
Birth Registration
Child Labour
Child Discipline
Child Marriage
Attitudes towards Domestic Violence
FGM
Other relevant cross-cutting issues
Living arrangements
Child Disability
Children in Child-Headed Household

23. Attitudes towards Domestic Violence
MICS countries that collected data on CP
UNICEF
region
FGM/C
Marriage
Attitudes towards Domestic Violence
Child
Discipline
Birth
Registration
Labour
CEECIS 13 11
EAPRO 5 3 6 4
ESARO 1 2
MENARO 10 9 7
ROSA
TACRO
WCARO 12
TOTAL 14 49 31 37 52 40

24. Birth Registration

25. Questionnaire birth registration BR
BR1. Does (name) have a birth certificate?
If yes, ask:
May I see it?
Yes, seen 1
Yes, not seen 2
No 3
DK 8
1Next
Module
2Next
BR2. Has (name)’s birth been registered with the civil authorities?
Yes 1
No 2
BR3. Do you know how to register your child’s birth?

26. MICS Indicator Numerator:
Number of children under age 5 whose births are reported registered
Denominator:
Total number of children under age 5

27. Child Labour

28. Questionnaire New module developed in consultation with ILO
Background data analyses to establish sensitivities of questions to CL prevalence
Progress towards harmonization of data collection tools, but significant differences remain with SIMPOC and ILO estimates
New age group 5-17
Three components: economic activities, hazardous working conditions and household chores

29. Child Labour – MICS Indicators
Percentage of children 5-17 years of age involved in child labour
Age 5–11 years: At least 1 hour of economic work or 28 hours of domestic work per week
Age 12–14 years: At least 14 hours of economic work or 28 hours of domestic work per week
Age 15-17: At least 43 hours of economic work or domestic work per week
Percentage of children 5-17 years of age working under hazardous conditions

30. Child Discipline

31. Child Discipline Module
Questions addressed to family relatives/mothers or primary caregivers of one randomly selected child aged 2 to 14 years old
The questionnaire asked whether any member of the household had used any of various disciplinary practices with that child during the past month
8 violent disciplinary practices: 2 psychological (such as shouting and name calling); 6 physical (such as shaking, spanking and hitting with an implement)
3 non-violent disciplinary practices (such as taking away privileges and explaining why something is wrong)
Assesses respondents’ attitude toward physical punishment

32. Violent Discipline Indicator
Numerator: Children age 2-14 years who experienced any violent discipline (psychological aggression or physical punishment) during the 30 days preceding the survey
Denominator: Children age 2-14

33. Child Marriage

34. MICS Indicators
Marriage before age 15: Proportion of women age years who were first married or in union by the exact age of 15
Marriage before age 18: Proportion of women age years who were first married or in union by the exact age of 18
Young women age years currently married or in union
Polygyny: Proportion of women age years who are in a polygynous union
Spousal age difference: Proportion of women currently married or in union whose spouse is 10 or more years older (a) for women age years, (b) for women age years

35. Attitudes towards domestic violence

36. Background
Collecting and analyzing information on the reasons why wife beating is justified makes it possible to under gender attitudes towards the female roles of wife, mother, and domestic partner
Measurement of practices of violence against women, although possible, raise ethical and methodological issues
Positive attitudes towards domestic violence have been found to be associated with the prevalence of domestic violence; still many women justify domestic violence even if they have not been victims
Positive attitudes do not necessarily signify approval by women of wife-beating, but they signify women’s acceptance of such norms

37. MICS Indicator
Percentage of women aged who state that a husband/partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife in at least one of the following circumstances:
(1) she goes out without telling him
(2) she neglects the children
(3) she argues with him
(4) she refuses sex with him
(5) she burns the food

38. Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

39. Innovations in data collection
Change in the questionnaire for daughters: new questionnaire allows for calculating prevalence for age group 0-14
Most surveys conducted before 2010 and some of the 2010 surveys asked women about the FGM/C status of only one daughter, either the first born, or the most recently cut
Changes introduced in MICS 4 ( ) and adopted by DHS surveys as well

40. Rationale and methodological considerations
Prevalence rates can provide an enhanced understanding of FGM/C among the youngest age groups where recent intervention efforts would, in many settings, show the most impact
However, girls 0-14 may still be exposed to the risk of being circumcised depending on the age at which FGM/C is generally performed (censored observations)
Importance of taking age at cutting into account
As age at cutting varies in different settings, the amount of censoring will vary
Caution is needed when comparing across age cohorts and across surveys

41. Module Three sets of questions:
1) Questions for women years of age:
Knowledge of the practice
If FGM/C has happened to her
Type of procedure: if flesh was removed, nicked without removing flesh, sewn closed
Age of circumcision
Performer: traditional performer, health personnel
2) Questions for FGM/C for daughters (0-14):
Circumcision status of all daughters below age 15
Type of procedure
3) Attitudes regarding the continuation of the practice

42. MICS Indicators Approval for FGM/C
Number of women age years favouring the continuation of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C)/Total number of women age years who have heard of FGM/C
Prevalence of FGM/C among women
Number of women age years who report to have undergone any form of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C)/Total number of women age years
Prevalence of FGM/C among girls
Number of girls age 0-14 years who have undergone any form of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), as reported by mothers/ Total number of girls age 0-14 years

43. THANK YOU