STRETCH
War Child supports children affected by violence and armed conflict. Yet stigma - a form of structural violence - can prevent some children from fully accessing support, participating in their communities and benefiting from essential services.
STRETCH - Stigma Reduction to Trigger Change for Children - aims to address and reduce stigma and discrimination directly or indirectly impacting children and adolescents.
Why
Stigmatisation against children is common, with its affects adding to the impact of conflict. Children who are seen as not conforming to local norms, including children who were formerly associated with armed groups, are from minority ethnic backgrounds, or born out of marriage, often face abuse, neglect and exclusion from their families and communities.
Experiencing stigmatisation can affect children’s mental health, wellbeing, relationships and education. It can also make them less likely to seek help when they need it. Over time, stigma experienced during childhood can affect health and wellbeing into adulthood.
Reducing stigma is therefore an important part of helping children feel safe, included and able to access the quality support they need.
Latest news from STRETCH
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Rising Above Stigma: Exploring the Coping Strategies of Adolescents with Albinism in Tanzania Through a Group Coping Intervention
Adolescents with albinism in Tanzania regularly experience stigmatisation, yet little is known about their coping strategies or related interventions. This qualitative brief report aims to explore the stigma-coping strategies employed by adolescents with albinism, and to gain insight into the influence of peer support on those strategies through a group coping intervention.
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Social contact as a strategy to reduce stigma in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review and expert perspectives
Social contact (SC) has been identified as a promising strategy for stigma reduction. Different types of SC exist. Various scholars defined positive factors to strengthen SC. This systematic review aims to investigate the application and effectiveness of SC as a strategy to reduce stigmatisation across stigmas, settings and populations in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
Reducing stigma impacting children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries: The development of a common multi-component stigma reduction intervention
Stigmatisation impedes health and quality of life. Evidence regarding stigma reduction interventions is, albeit growing, limited. There is a gap in the availability and evidence of interventions for reducing stigma among children and adolescents, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This paper describes the process that led to a stigma reduction intervention impacting children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries, following previously conducted formative research.
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Assessing stigma in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of scales used with children and adolescents
This systematic review synthesizes the content of scales used with children and adolescents in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) across stigmas, and examines their comparability and level of cultural adaptation.
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Developing STRETCH and understanding stigmatisation
War Child undertook a qualitative study with adolescents and adults in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to learn about processes and drivers of stigmatisation. These efforts towards a common stigma reduction approach have been outlined in a new academic paper. Read more for an overview.
- Mental health and psychosocial support
Understanding the context of stigmatisation: results of a qualitative formative study with adolescents and adults in DR Congo
The aim of this study in DRC, as a formative part in the development of a common stigma reduction intervention, was to gain insight into the commonalities and differences of stigma drivers, facilitators, and manifestations with regard to three populations: unmarried mothers, children formerly associated with armed forces and groups (CAAFAG), and an indigenous population.
