OVC Toolkit

Although critical child vulnerability and exclusion does not have to be assigned to any particular group affiliation, the most critically vulnerable children in Africa are often members of one or several of the following categories:

Street Children
There are two main definitional categories of street children: "children of the street", commonly understood as children with no real home to go to, and "children on the street", who work or spend extensive time in public spaces, either alone or with relatives, guardians or other children, but have some sort of home. There are, however, significant gray zones between the two categories. First, in some urban slum settings a "home" can be relatively hard to define (what constitutes a home - roof, walls, a casserole?). Second, children who have chosen or been forced to leave home sometimes continue visiting one or both parents or other relatives or caretakers, sometimes sleeping indoors.

Children in the Worst Forms of Child Labor
According to the ILO Convention 182, the so-called Worst Forms Convention, the worst forms of child labor include:

All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labor, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;
The use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances;
The use, procuring or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties;
Work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

The last point more generally refers to children who are exposed to very long working hours and physical hazards, which in Africa most commonly includes children working in mines and quarries, some child domestic servants, and some children involved in agricultural tasks such as those involving the application of agrochemicals.

Children Affected by Armed Conflict
Armed conflict can make children critically vulnerable in a multitude of ways. If they stay in their own communities, they may suffer indirectly as their parents' livelihood is affected by market breakdowns caused by the conflict. Such problems are compounded when the child's community and family become exposed to violence. As a result of acts of war, children can become orphaned, disabled, traumatized, or end up unaccompanied or with disabled or traumatized parents and siblings. Social safety networks are typically destoyed or overburdened, so even those not directly affected may be left without adequate risk management instruments on hand. Vulnerability is particularly high among refugee and internally displaced children, who live in temporary camps that present a host of new risks, including epidemics, insecurity, prostitution, etc. A special category of war affected children is referred to as "children associated with armed groups" which include current or former child soldiers, messengers, spies, support staff and sex slaves.

Children Affected by HIV/AIDS
There are four main categories of children affected by HIV/AIDS:

Children who live with parents infected with HIV/AIDS. They may experience neglect as a result of parental illness, suffer social stigma, be responsible for caring for sick parents and younger siblings, have experienced abandonment by one parent who leaves to escape the other's illness, or simply live with great insecurity and anxiety as they wait for their parents to become sick(er) and eventually die. Property grabbing sometimes happens even while the parents are alive, but too ill to defend themselves.
Children who are orphaned by HIV/AIDS. This includes maternal, paternal or double orphans. It is important to note that children living with a step parent or a co-wife can be particularly vulnerable in their own household, even if one of the parents is still alive.
Children who are infected with HIV/AIDS. Infected children generally live with one or both parents, but they can also be orphaned or rejected (most common for infants and youth) and end up in institutional care or in the streets. Infected children often experience social stigma that may result in their being refused access to school or other services. In addition, they have special health care needs that must be addressed.
Children who live away from home because of HIV/AIDS. Some children have left their homes because of the way the disease has affected their primary caretakers.

Children Living with Disability
The United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for People with Disabilities define disability as: "a physical, intellectual or sensory impairment, medical conditions or mental illness, whether long or short-term, which leads to the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in the life of the community on an equal level with others." Sometimes a mild impairment can lead to more of a disability than a significant impairment, depending on the circumstances. These impairments lead to disability if they prevent the child from participating in things like school, play, and other community activities. See also ICF: International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. (Also, refer to the World Bank's disability site.)

Local OVC Groups
There are also special local OVC groups whom must be taken into consideration. These should be identified both at a national level and in communication with the beneficiary communities. Some examples of these special groups are:

In Senegal: talibes (children who beg for the Marabous are ranked as one of the four most vulnerable groups of children by UNICEF Dakar);
In South Africa: child substance abusers;
In the Democratic Republic of Congo: child witches (children rejected from their parental households after accusations of witchcraft);
In Benin: trafficked children (children separated by their families and smuggled" abroad to work).

Children in Multiple OVC Categories
The categories presented here are neither exhaustive nor exclusive. Many critically vulnerable children fall into many of the categories. For instance, street children can also be orphans or disabled. Children affected by armed conflict can be all of the above.