Kinuthia, Cyndi Wanjiku(Daystar University, School of Communication, August , 2020)
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Abstract:
Kenya is one of the countries in Sub-Saharan Africa that has child trafficking as one of the leading crimes. The purpose of this study was to assess the role of advocacy communication adopted by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who work towards countering child trafficking in Mathare Constituency. The objectives of the study were: to identify the forms of advocacy communication methods used, to establish the efficacy of the various advocacy communication methods used and to explain the communication challenges faced by facilitators in the process of advocating against child trafficking among the children in primary schools in Mathare constituency. A purposive sample of 240 teacher respondents and 16 facilitators was selected as per Yamane’s formula. Convergent parallel mixed methods design was used for data analysis. The study established that videos and pictorials were the most popular advocacy methods used, with 100 % respondent rate while 98 % observed that through advocacy, humanitarian organizations were making a difference in countering child trafficking. The study also established that all (100%) of the facilitators agreed that the stakeholders directly involved with children did contribute to the fight against child trafficking. Another finding is that 75% of respondents identified time constraint as a major challenge for facilitators. The study concluded that integrated communication was adopted by facilitators and that the advocacy communication methods used were effective. The study recommends involvement of key stakeholders right from the planning stage to completion for effectiveness. Further study be done to find out the viewpoints of the children, parents and the local administration on effectiveness of integrated advocacy communication.
