Abstract

The main objective of the study was to investigate the Sociopolitical crisis and its effects on the social wellbeing of students in Buea. The specific research questions were how is the physical wellbeing of children affected by the sociopolitical crisis? the second research question was how is the emotional wellbeing of children affected by the sociopolitical crisis? Which ended with How is social/moral wellbeing of children affected by the sociopolitical crisis? The theories used in this study involve Lev Vygotsky social cognitive theory of development (1978), and Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory of Personality Development, 1963. The research design used was survey research design. The research was carried out in three selected communities in Kumba municipality, 3 Corners Mambanda and Buea Road quarter. The sample size was made up of 150 participants both males and females randomly drawn from the selected quarters in Kumba municipality. To answer the research questions, questionnaires were administered to 150 respondents and 150 respondents were considered usable. The data derived were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistical analysis using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. The major findings were as follows, there is a strong positive significant relationship between physical wellbeing of children and sociopolitical crisis. This was statistically significant ( r = 0.279, n = 150). There is a strong positive significant relationship between the emotional wellbeing of children and sociopolitical crisis. This was statistically significant (r = 0.191, n =150). There is a strong positive significant relationship between social wellbeing of children and the sociopolitical crisis. This was statistically significant (r = 0.183, n = 150). .  In this light, in times of wars and conflicts, parents should monitor and be close to their children. If possible children should be relocated from the areas of conflicts to safer communities. As implication of the study, it will further strengthen administrative setup and efforts of non-governmental organizations, Health organizations and the government to intervene promptly in rescuing children in times of crisis. Setback encountered in the course of this study was during the administration of the instrument for data collection. Going through the different quarters was a very difficult and risky during periods of gun shots. As recommendation for further research also, a comparative study could be carried out in different regions in the nation where by results from different regions are compared with that Kumba to examine the differences in the effects sociopolitical crisis have on children in different areas.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

 Introduction

This chapter will include the background of the study, statement of the problem, purpose of the study, objectives of the study, hypothesis, research questions and the importance of the study. This chapter will also point out the delimitations of the study, some assumptions and the definition of some key terms.

Background of the Study

Psychosocial wellbeing in its entirety formed the core of this study. This is in line with Keyes and Lopez’s (2002) theory of complete mental health, which viewed mental health as not only the absence of mental illness, but as high levels of functioning in the psychological, emotional and social dimensions of human behavior. Of particular interest to this study is the degree to which the psychosocial wellbeing of children has been affected by the sociopolitical crisis. Children are not safe especially because of the political instability of the nation. They are exposed to violence daily during these times of conflict and always have the fear of a new attack. The effect of this environment on everyone, especially young children can be psychologically devastating.

There has been an interest in the psychological effects of crisis experiences on people ever since World War I, when British doctors discovered the shell-shock syndrome in soldiers who survived the horrors of the trenches in France. But it has not been until the past decades, especially since the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia Herzegovina and the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, that there has been an upsurge in psychosocial interventions for children in crisis-affected areas. More and more the base assumption was taking root that children who experience killings, fighting, and upheaval, have to suffer from some form of psychological distress and are therefore in need of, not only psychological rehabilitation (like food, medical aid, construction of houses, schools, etc), but also in need of forms of mental health care and psychosocial support. Many International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGO’s) such as War Child Holland, Medicins Sans Frontieres, CARE, Save the Children, World Vision, and the UN’s children’s agency UNICEF, have become involved in designing and implementing psychosocial programmes for children in crisis-affected areas. Today there is hardly any crisis-torn region where no such interventions are taking place.

Adopted in 1989, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) established a legal and ethical framework to guide the international community in working with children during times of stability as well as during emergencies. Convention articles address, for example, family separation and reunification efforts and the protection and care of children affected by armed conflict. Consistent with the CRC, many international and national governmental and nongovernmental organizations now consider the psychological and social aspects of humanitarian assistance to children and their families as necessary components in responding to the overall developmental needs of children in complex emergency situations.

In many parts of the world, wars, epidemics, natural disasters, humanitarian and other sociopolitical crisis have resulted in complex emergencies causing wide-ranging, multifaceted, sustained negative impact. These emergency situations lead to a series of psychological, psychological, emotional and social changes which affects the lives of the individuals, the family and the community. Such emergencies impose heavy emotional, social, and spiritual burdens on children and their families that are associated with death, separation and loss of parents and caregivers, disruption of organized patterns of living and meaning, attack and victimization, destruction of homes, and economic ruin. In crises situations, an increase in social problems (social breakdown, increase in gender-based violence, etc.), psychological distress (such as grief, etc.), mental health issues (such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis, etc.) and individual difficulties in conducting daily activities is often noticed. In these situations, children’s development is disrupted, security and trust in humankind threatened, and a sense of hope for the future undermined.

As parents/caregivers, communities, governments, nongovernmental organizations, and donors have recognized the importance of addressing the psychological and social needs of children and their families. Governmental and nongovernmental organizations across the world have grown in their understanding of appropriate response to such circumstances. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), for example, was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. Reichenberg and Friedman (1996), in their examination of the evolution of this organization’s approach to working with war-affected children, families, and communities, create a historical framework that anchors current day psychosocial programming and strategies. While UNICEF originally and primarily focused on short-term material assistance through the distribution of food, clothing, and medicine, the organization increasingly realized that projects needed to be longer-term and to consider the whole child within the context of his or her community and culture if the desired benefits were to be obtained.

Recently, Cameroon has been plagued with insecurity in the South West and North West Region. Buea like any other town in the South West Region, has its peace is being threatened by this insecurity and violence which is generally regarded as very distressful and traumatic for children. Many of these children have been affected psychosocially as many of them have become victims of the crisis where many of them have become orphans, homeless, others are even being abducted and raped resulting to unwanted pregnancies and depression. Some of them have resulted to rubbery and addictions as a means of survival and hiding the trauma within them.

The Anglophone crisis has heavily impacted different strata of the Cameroonian society. Cameroon, a country previously known for its stability has faced violence and serious human rights abuses in October 2016. A Human Rights Watch report documented a range of abuses by both sides in the Anglophone regions, including arson attacks on homes and schools. According to the International Crisis Group, government forces and armed separatists killed over 420 civilians in the regions since the crisis escalated in 2017. The war has killed more than 4,000 people and forced more than half a million people to flee their homes. Although 2019 has seen the first known instance of dialogue between Cameroon and the separatists, as well as the announcement of a major national dialogue on 10 September 2019 by the President which was aimed at addressing the two-year conflict between his government and the Anglophone separatists that has laid waste to Cameroon’s North West and South West regions, the war continues to escalate.

Additionally, the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) resulting from the crisis is continually increasing. According to the latest humanitarian report provided by OCHA on Cameroon, 4,300,000 people have been identified as in need of humanitarian assistance of which 2,300,000 are children under 18 years old. These children have been greatly affected by this crisis psychosocially as many of them have become victims of rape, some are homeless, others are orphans and this has pushed them to get themselves indulge into social vices such as rubbery, addictions and more. Schools were due to open on 2 September – instead parents and children have been fleeing their homes in their thousands as they fear an escalation of the conflict.

Statement of the Problem

For three years continuously, the people in Buea have experienced continuous violence both from the military and the non-state arm group as a result of this, it may have some psychosocial effects on children’s wellbeing given that children’s right to education is being violated, teachers, students and parents willing to send their children to school are kidnapped, and the burning down of schools and houses. The main reason why this study is being conducted is to understand and describe how the psychosocial well-being of children is being affected by the sociopolitical crisis and to formulate guidelines for an intervention in order to enable them to cope with their life challenges.

Objective Of The Study

General objective

To investigate how the psychosocial wellbeing of children in Buea is affected by sociopolitical crisis.

 Specific objectives

1. To explain how physical aspect of the conflict has affected the social wellbeing of students in Buea municipality
2. To investigate how the socioeconomic aspects of the conflicts has affected the social wellbeing of the students in Buea municipality
3. To examine how emotional aspects of the conflicts has affected the social wellbeing of students in Buea municipality.

Research Question

General Research Question

How is the psychosocial wellbeing of children affected by the sociopolitical crisis?

Specific Research Question

1. How does the physical aspect of the conflict affect the social wellbeing of students in Buea municipality?
2. How does the socioeconomic aspect of the conflicts affect the social wellbeing of the students in Buea municipality?
3. How does the emotional aspects affect the social wellbeing of students in Buea municipality?.