Browsing by Author "SIMEGN W/YOHANES"

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    AN ASSESSMENT OF CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES AT ONE STOP CENTER (OSC) HAWASSA UNIVERSITY COMPREHENSIVE SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL
    (HAWASSA UNIVERSITY, 2024-06) SIMEGN W/YOHANES
    According to WHO child abuse is defined as all forms of physical and emotional ill-treatment, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation that results in actual or potential harm to the child’s health, development, or dignity. It is a serious and devastating problem not just in Africa, but the world over; however, the number of children on the continent who are abused has always been underestimated. States are the primary responsible body for the protection of children. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess child protection services at One Stop Center (OSC) at Hawassa university comprehensive specialized hospital. The ecological system theory is used as a theoretical framework to guide the study. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Likewise, a qualitative research method was employed to collect data. The findings of the study were analyzed using thematic analysis. The result found out that the center provides medical, psyco-social, and legal support to the child who came with the sexual, physical and emotional abused. The center provides the aforementioned services for victim children free of charge except medical services. The current study revealed that one stop centers is the center where health practitioners, police and social workers coordinate closely to improve the health, safety, and well-being of survivors of sexual, physical, and emotional violence. The mechanisms devised by the one stop center to handle maltreated children include prioritizing the immediate safety of the child; utilizing a multidisciplinary team approach; enhancing the education and capabilities of staff; implementing preventative initiatives and community partnerships; establishing referral processes and additional services. However, this study disclosed that the child protection system multifaceted challenges is system including limited resources, insufficient funding, lack of access to free medical services and Limited availability of shelters especially for male child victims. which is posing barriers to providing holistic care for child survivor. The study recommends that a lot remains to be done to ensure funding this includes financial resources for free medical services, establishment of temporary shelter especially male survivors, immediate crisis intervention, awareness creation and partnership with stakeholders so as to provide comprehensive quality services at the cente