Community Perceptions of Child Protection Risks in a Disaster Prone Informal Settlement A Mixed Methods Case Study of Susan’s Bay Freetown

Abstract

Children living in disaster-prone informal settlements face risks that extend beyond physical injury to include family separation, abuse, exploitation, school interruption and psychosocial distress. Yet disaster interventions often rely on externally defined risk categories without examining how residents recognise and prioritise child protection concerns. This study examined community perceptions of child protection risks in Susan’s Bay, an informal coastal settlement in Freetown, Sierra Leone. A convergent mixed-methods case study combined a face-to-face survey of 100 adult residents with 20 qualitative interviews involving community and institutional stakeholders. Survey data were analysed descriptively, while interview accounts were coded thematically; the two strands were integrated through comparison of convergence, complementarity and divergence. Ninety per cent of survey respondents considered children more vulnerable than adults during disasters. Frequently identified risks included family separation (86%), child labour (81%), school dropout (79%), emotional trauma (75%) and sexual abuse (68%). Poverty, overcrowding and gender norms shaped how these risks were interpreted, while extended families and religious institutions provided important but often overstretched protection. Reporting remained limited: 64% indicated that abuse was generally not reported, and 55% did not trust formal institutions during disasters. Qualitative accounts showed that stigma, economic necessity and preference for informal settlement of cases could normalise harmful coping practices. The findings demonstrate that recognising risk does not necessarily produce protective action when poverty, gendered expectations and institutional mistrust constrain available choices. Disaster preparedness in Sierra Leone should integrate community-based safeguarding, gender-responsive monitoring, social protection and reliable referral pathways linking informal and formal systems.