New Special Series on Social Norms and Harmful Practices inaugurated

08 May 2009

The Special Series on Social Norms and Harmful Practices, through a number of Working Papers, provides a detailed description and analysis of the process of positive social change that leads to the abandonment of FGM/C and other practices harmful to children. These publications confirm that, despite marked differences between and within countries, the process leading to the abandonment of harmful practices has common transformative elements. The Working Papers define and examine these key elements so that they can be applied in programmes to initiate positive change and monitor progress.

UNICEF and partners have increasingly recognized the importance of social norms and their effect on the survival, development and protection of children. Much effort has been made to understand how and why harmful social practices persist: how can families who love their children perpetuate a practice that threatens their children’s health and violates their rights to develop to full potential? How can harmful practices persist even in areas where attitudes have turned against them?

Understanding the factors that perpetuate harmful social practices, such as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and how these factors interact with processes of social change are critical to understanding why and how communities abandon such practices. A deeper understanding of these dyna mics is also crucial to ensure that programmes designed to support abandonment processes and promote human rights are effective and respect the values of communities.

Sudan: an in-depth analysis of the social dynamics of abandonment of FGM/C
Social dynamics of abandonment of harmful practices: a new look at the theory