Antioch University AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses Dissertations & Theses 2014 Positive Deviance and Child Marriage by Abduction in the Sidama Zone of Ethiopia Ashley N. Lackovich-Van Gorp Antioch University - PhD Program in Leadership and Change Follow this and additional works at: http://aura.antioch.edu/etds Part of the African Studies Commons, Community Psychology Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Family, Life Course, and Society Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Psychology Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Recommended Citation Lackovich-Van Gorp, Ashley N., "Positive Deviance and Child Marriage by Abduction in the Sidama Zone of Ethiopia" (2014). Dissertations & Theses. 150. http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/150 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. POSITIVE DEVIANCE AND CHILD MARRIAGE BY ABDUCTION IN THE SIDAMA ZONE OF ETHIOPIA ASHLEY N. LACKOVICH-VAN GORP A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Ph.D. in Leadership and Change Program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy July, 2014 This is to certify that the Dissertation entitled: POSITIVE DEVIANCE AND CHILD MARRIAGE BY ABDUCTION IN THE SIDAMA ZONE OF ETHIOPIA prepared by Ashley N. Lackovich-Van Gorp is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Leadership and Change Approved by: Alan Guskin, Ph.D., Chair date Jon Wergin, Ph.D., Committee Member date Lize Booysen, D.BL, Committee Member date Monique Sternin, M.A., Committee Member date Sandra Cheldelin, Ph.D., External Reader date Copyright 2014 Ashley Lackovich-Van Gorp All rights reserved Acknowledgments I would like to thank the faculty of Antioch University’s PhD in Leadership and Change program for their exceptional guidance, support and encouragement throughout this entire PhD journey. In particular, I want to thank Alan Guskin for serving as my dissertation chair as well as my academic advisor. His guidance, generosity of time and commitment to my work are humbling and I value both his leadership and friendship. I offer my heartfelt thanks to my dissertation committee members, Jon Wergin, Lize Booysen and Monique Sternin. Their feedback, guidance and support have been exceptional and I remain grateful for the ways that they have shaped this dissertation as well as this process. I would also like to thank Sandra Chedelin, my external reader, for her reflective perspective and supportive, guiding input. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Common River staff, especially Tsegaye Bekele and Donna Sillan, for sharing their experience and knowledge and for trusting me with their beloved community. I thank the Common River community, especially Workenesh, Tafesse and Ashenafi, for their guidance, commitment and kindness. I would also like to thank my participants for their bravery, honesty and willingness to share. Lastly, I offer my warmest thanks to my family, friends and cohort who supported me throughout this process with patience, understanding, grace and love. I dedicate this dissertation to my daughters, Lidija Birchiko and Darija Tihun, and to all of the girls of Sidama, Ethiopia. i Abstract This dissertation uses Positive Deviance (PD) to understand child marriage by abduction in a community in the Sidama Zone of Ethiopia. Marriage by abduction occurs among the poorest 10% of the Sidama population and entails the kidnapping of girls between the ages of 10 and 14 for forced genital circumcision, rape and marriage. PD is a problem solving approach that mobilizes a community to uncover existing yet unrecognized solutions to solve the specific problem. This study, which entailed an examination of the evolution of marriage norms among the Sidama as well as an analysis of the underpinnings of marriage by abduction, discovered that some community members practice behaviors and strategies that can prevent child marriage by abduction. The results support PD application to this specific form of child marriage as well as the practice as a whole, offering an alternative to traditional behavior change methodology. The electronic version of this Dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd ii Table of Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... i Abstract........................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................... viii Chapter I: Introduction, Purpose and Justification ......................................................................... 1 Defining Child Marriage..................................................................................................... 2 Implications of Child Marriage........................................................................................... 5 Child Marriage in Ethiopia ................................................................................................. 7 Strategies to Delay Marriage Age....................................................................................... 8 Positive Deviance ............................................................................................................... 9 Purpose of Research.......................................................................................................... 11 Research Rationale ........................................................................................................... 11 Research Questions........................................................................................................... 12 Participatory Action Research .......................................................................................... 13 Position of Researcher ...................................................................................................... 15 Summary of Subsequent Chapters.................................................................................... 16 Chapter II: Literature Review ....................................................................................................... 18 Standard Model Development and Delivery System Theory of Change.......................... 18 Conceptual Underpinnings of Positive Deviance ............................................................. 23 Adaptive Leadership ..............................................................................................24 Complex Adaptive Systems...................................................................................25 Community Mobilization.......................................................................................27 Social Proof, Enactment, and Consistency. ...........................................................28 iii Indigenous Knowledge ..........................................................................................29 Positive Deviance ............................................................................................................. 30 Infant Mortality......................................................................................................30 Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).........................................................................32 Trafficking .............................................................................................................35 Reintegration of Girl Child Soldiers......................................................................39 PD and Child Marriage by Abduction. ..................................................................40 Chapter III: Methodological Approach......................................................................................... 43 Pilot Project: PD and Harmful Traditional Practices in Ethiopia ..................................... 43 Pilot Research Summary........................................................................................44 Interview Methods and Applied Concepts.............................................................45 Pilot Study Results, Conclusions, and Implications ..............................................47 Participatory Action Research .......................................................................................... 51 Rationale for Participatory Action Research .........................................................53 Positionality ...........................................................................................................55 Research Methods..................................................................................................56 Quality Assurance..................................................................................................60 Data Presentation .............................................................................................................. 63 Summary and Conclusion................................................................................................