SBC in Social Norms and Harmful Practices

How do you say hello? Do you shake hands? Do you give a kiss on either cheek? Do you bend at the waist to give a bow? These gestures are automatic. We may not even notice we do them at all.  

This episode is about Social Norms, the unwritten rules that dictate everything we do - from how we greet each other to how we raise and view our children. Can Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) help protect children from harmful practices held together by deeply entrenched social norms? 

In this episode, Qali speaks with experts who have dedicated their lives to researching and working with communities to prevent harmful practices upheld by social norms.

Guests (in order of appearance)

• Zemzem Shikur, Child Protection Specialist and Focal Point for Community Engagement at UNICEF Ethiopia
• Dr. Ben Cislaghi, Humanising Development Collective and Child Frontiers
• Joyce Odame, Child Protection Officer and SBC Focal Point for Community Engagement at UNICEF Ghana 
• Josue Ango, Child Protection Officer at UNICEF Burkina Faso

Resources (in order of mention + more!)

• Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), UNICEF Data
• Using social norms theory for health promotion in low-income countries
• Directoriate engages Communities on child Marriage
• See Married off in Mozambique (pg. 20) and Talking in Circles (pg. 24) for interventions that deal with social norms in UNICEF’s latest issue of Change Magazine
• Social Norms Tool
• For an easy overview of social norms are and are not, see Defining Social Norms and Related Concepts (UNICEF, 2021)
  • English
  • French

The views and opinions expressed by the contributors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of UNICEF or any entities they represent. The content here is for information purposes only.

The ABCs of SBC is hosted by Qali Id and produced and developed by Helena Ballester Bon in partnership with Common Thread.

Check out UNICEF’s latest publication on Social and Behaviour Change, Why don’t you just behave! For more information about UNICEF SBC, check out the programme guidance.

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