Table 2 Roles of various stakeholders in implementation and enforcement of bylaws
Stakeholders | Roles |
|---|---|
TA, GVHs, village heads | • Key in the enforcement of bylaws. ○ Remind community members about the bylaws, especially during village meetings. ○ Handle cases and refer them to relevant authorities including the police, child protection worker or CVSU. |
Chiefs’ Council | • Helps to see that the bylaws are being adhered to. |
Child protection worker | • Creates awareness about bylaws. • Attends Chief’s Council and is the one who deals with children’s issues in the Council. • Ensures that children are protected, in terms of abuse, child marriage and avoiding school dropout. |
CVSU | • Manages cases of child abuse; hence helping with enforcement of bylaws. |
Community police | • Monitors compliance with the bylaws in the communities. • Takes cases to the police. |
Police | • Helps to enforce the bylaws i.e. ensuring that the bylaws are adhered to by community members. • Arrests and jails offenders. |
NGOs | • Sensitise community members about the bylaws. • Encourage community members to adhere to bylaws. |
Mother groups | • Follow up cases of child marriage and school dropout and discuss these with parents. • Mobilise resources e.g., buying notebooks for school-going children. |
Health workers | • Test girls withdrawn from marriage for sexually transmitted infections or pregnancy. • Encourage youth to go to health facilities, especially for contraceptives. |
Youth | • Create awareness about bylaws through drama. • Advise each other and sometimes adults on the need to adhere to bylaws. • Go around the village and search for/ investigate cases where bylaws have been broken and report this to the village head. |
Parents | • Encourage their children and other community members to adhere to the bylaws. • Report the cases where their children have been abused to authorities including the police; and report cases where bylaws have been broken to the village head. |
Community members | • Adhere to community bylaws. • Report cases where bylaws have been broken to the village head and other structures. |