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BackgroundViolence against children in schools is a global public health problem. There is growing evidence that school-based interventions can be effective in reducing violence against children in schools. However, there is little evidence on the long-term impact of such interventions. The Good School Toolkit, developed by Raising Voices, a Uganda-based nonprofit organization, is a whole-school violence prevention intervention that aims to change the operational culture of primary schools. In 2014, the Good School Toolkit was evaluated through a cluster randomized controlled trial (Good Schools Study) and found to reduce teacher-to-student and student-to-student violence. ObjectiveThis protocol describes quantitative analyses to explore long-term outcomes of the Good School Toolkit intervention among adolescents in Uganda, including the extent to which it is associated with peer-violence victimization (primary outcome) and peer-violence perpetration, intimate-partner violence, acceptance of teacher-violence, equitable gender attitudes, agency, self-regulation, peer connectedness, social assets, psychological assets, and retention in school (secondary outcomes). MethodsThis is a nonrandomized quasi-experimental 4-year follow-up study of adolescents who attended the 42 Good Schools Study primary schools in 2014; 21 schools initiated the Good School Toolkit intervention during the trial from 2012, and 19 schools initiated the intervention after the trial (during the later delivery phase) from 2015; 2 schools did not implement the intervention. Students in the final school grade (Primary 7) during 2014 of the 19 primary schools in the later delivery phase are expected to have left school prior to toolkit delivery in 2015. Wave 1 data were collected in 2014 from 3431 grade Primary 5 to Primary 7 school students aged 11-14 years; these students were followed up in 2018-2019 when aged 16-19 years and invited to participate in the Wave 2 survey. Data were collected in face-to-face interviews by trained Ugandan field researchers. Toolkit exposure groups are defined as exposed during the Good Schools Study trial (from 2012), as exposed during later delivery (from 2015), or not exposed including those expected to have completed Primary 7 prior to later delivery or from the 2 schools that did not implement the toolkit. Associations between outcomes at Wave 2 and toolkit exposure groups will be analyzed using mixed-effect multivariable logistic and linear regression models for binary and continuous outcomes, respectively. This analysis is exploratory and aims to generate hypotheses on if, and under what circumstances, the toolkit influences later adolescent outcomes. ResultsData collection was completed in August 2019. ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first long-term follow-up study of adolescents exposed to a school-based violence-prevention intervention in sub-Saharan Africa. If the intervention reduces violence and improves other outcomes in later adolescence, then this study supports primary school interventions as key to achieving long-term population impacts. The pattern of effects will inform where reinforced or additional interventions are needed. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/20940

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected children's risk of violence in their homes, communities and online, and has compromised the ability of child protection systems to promptly detect and respond to cases of violence. However, the need to strengthen violence prevention and response services has received insufficient attention in national and global pandemic response and mitigation strategies. In this paper, we summarize the growing body of evidence on the links between the pandemic and violence against children. Drawing on the World Health Organization's INSPIRE framework to end violence against children, we illustrate how the pandemic is affecting prevention and response efforts. For each of the seven INSPIRE strategies we identify how responses to the pandemic have changed children's risk of violence. We offer ideas for how governments, policy-makers, and international and civil society organizations can address violence in the context of a protracted COVID-19 crisis. We conclude by highlighting how the current pandemic offers opportunities to improve existing child protection systems to address violence against children. We suggest enhanced multisectoral coordination across the health, education, law enforcement, housing, child and social protection sectors. Actions need to prioritize the primary prevention of violence and promote the central role of children and adolescents in decision-making and programme design processes. Finally, we stress the continued need for better data and evidence to inform violence prevention and response strategies that can be effective during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. La pandemie de maladie a coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) a eu un impact sur le risque de violence a l'egard des enfants a domicile, au sein de leur communaute et en ligne. Elle a egalement empeche les systemes de protection de l'enfance d'identifier rapidement les situations de ce typeetd'y reagirdesque possible. Pourtant, la necessitede renforcer les services de prevention et d'action en la matiere n'a pas ete suffisamment prise en compte dans les strategies nationales et internationales d'intervention et d'attenuation des effets de la pandemie. Le present document reprend l'accumulation de preuves confirmant les liens entre pandemie et violence a l'egard des enfants. En nous inspirant du cadre INSPIRE de l'Organisation mondiale de la Sante visant a mettre fin a la violence a l'encontre des enfants, nous illustrons la facon dont la pandemie affecte les efforts de prevention et d'action. Pour chacune des sept strategies INSPIRE, nous determinons comment les mesures de lutte contre la pandemie ont influence le risque de violence envers les enfants. Nous formulons des pistes pour que les gouvernements, les legislateurs, les institutions Internationales et les organisations de la societe civile puissent remedier a cette violence dans un contexte de crise prolongee due a la COVID-19. En guise de conclusion, nous mettons en lumiere les opportunites qu'offre la pandemie actuelle d'ameliorer les systemes existants de protection de l'enfance pour mieux combattre la violence envers les enfants. Nous suggerons d'accroitre la collaboration entre les secteurs de la sante, de l'education, du maintien de l'ordre, du logement, des droits de l'enfant et de la protection sociale. Les actions entreprises doivent sefocaliser sur la prevention primaire de la violence et promouvoir le role central des enfants et adolescents dans les processus de conception de programmes et de prise de decisions. Enfin, nous soulignons le besoin permanent de donnees et de preuves fiables pour orienter les strategies de prevention et d'intervention face a la violence, afin degarantir leur efficacite pendantetapres la pandemie de COVID-19. La pandemia de la enfermedad porcoronavirus (COVID-19) ha afectado al riesgo de violencia infantil que sufren los ninos en sus hogares, comunidades y en linea, y ha puesto en peligro la capacidad de los sistemas de proteccion infantil para detectar y responder rapidamente a los casos de violencia. Sin embargo, la necesidad de reforzar los servicios de prevencion y respuesta a la violencia no ha recibido suficiente atencion en las estrategias nacionales y mundiales de respuesta y mitigacion de la pandemia. En este documento, resumimos el creciente conjunto de pruebas sobre los vinculos entre la pandemia y la violencia infantil. Basandonos en el marco INSPIRE de la Organizacion Mundial de la Salud para poner fin a la violencia Infantil, ilustramos como la pandemia esta afectando a los esfuerzos de prevencion y respuesta. Para cada una de las siete estrategias de INSPIRE, identificamos como las respuestas a la pandemia han cambiado el riesgo de violencia infantil. Ofrecemos ideas sobre como los gobiernos, los responsables politicos y las organizaciones internacionales y de la sociedad civil pueden abordar la violencia en el contexto de una crisis prolongada de COVID-19. Concluimos destacando como la pandemia actual ofrece oportunidades para mejorar los sistemas de proteccion infantil existentes para abordar este tipo de violencia. Sugerimos una mayor coordinacion multisectorial en los sectores de la salud, la educacion, la aplicacion de la ley, la vivienda y la proteccion social infantil. Las acciones deben priorizar la prevencion primaria de la violencia y promover el papel central de los ninos y adolescentes en los procesos de toma de decisiones y en el diseno de programas. Por ultimo, subrayamos la necesidad permanente de contar con mejores datos y pruebas para fundamentar las estrategias de prevencion y respuesta a la violencia que puedan ser eficaces durante la pandemia de COVID-19 y seguir vigentes cuando esta pase. [phrase omitted], Introduction Throughout the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, children have often been referred to as silent spreaders, low-risk or invisible carriers of the disease. These descriptions negate the well-documented adverse [...]

In the Operations Management field, sustainable procurement has emerged as a way to green the purchasing and supply process. This paper explores issues in sustainable procurement training. The authors formed an interdisciplinary team to design, deliver and evaluate a training programme to promote and develop sustainable procurement in the United Kingdom health sector. Particular features of the project were its engagement with evolving and contested understandings of sustainable procurement and of the underlying concept of sustainable development and its recognition that relevant knowledge in the field is both incomplete and widely diffused through the procurement community. Eight practitioner groups worked together on themes to develop their understanding of sustainable procurement using the Blackboard virtual learning environment. Group interviews were conducted upon completion of the course and again three months later to explore qualitatively participants' experience of learning and implementing sustainable procurement. Although the course was delivered to practitioners, it might be modified for undergraduate and graduate students as it comprised the use of online activities in virtual learning environments, case studies and a broad range of literature. The course was also particularly significant in the context of contemporary policy moves in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to promote the role of higher education institutions in delivering workplace-based, high-skills education consistent with strategic policy considerations (see, for example, DIUS, 2008). (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)