Global Child Protection AoR
COVID-19 Special Update
April 2020
|
|
|
|
Dear Readers,
As the world responds to COVID-19, children face many protection risks in this unprecedented crisis. Paradoxically, it is also a time of opportunity, for example, to accelerate (safely) reforms for localization and for children living in institutions.
The Child Protection AoR and its members are working hard to support child protection groups on the ground with technical guidance and remote support. Without the dedicated donor support and the efforts of the CP AoR partners, this would not be possible.
This bulletin provides important information on resources, initiatives and lessons learned, as well as highlighting some of the key challenges to be addressed and the necessity to put protection at the center of COVID-19 response planning.
Kind regards,
Michael Copland
Global CP AoR Coordinator
|
|
|
1. Child Protection and COVID-19: Global Overview
Child Protection Risks Map
|
|
|
The CP AoR has produced a global mapping giving an overview of child protection risks related to COVID-19 to ensure that children's protection needs are central to the response planning for COVID19, and that we make use of available data to understand and track settings of greatest concern.
Please note that data, especially that from country level is being updated regularly as it becomes available and that data is being presented with clear sources but without representing any particular position or view.
To access the full map, click here.
|
|
|
2. Messages for Governments for coordinating the Protection of Children during the COVID-19 Response
|
|
|
Members of the Child Protection AoR have worked together to develop and review a set of key messages aimed at government decision-makers and CP AoR counterparts. The messages highlight the risks posed to children both by COVID-19 itself and the mitigation measures designed to stop its spread, especially if Child Protection issues are not prioritized during the COVID-19 pandemic.
|
|
|
The document outlines the importance of ensuring the continuity of critical child protection services; it flags specifically the dangers for children who face isolation themselves or of their parents; it underlines the need to support staff safety and well-being; and articulates the importance of multi-sector cooperation in ensuring protection of children.
The guide can be given directly to government staff, or the key messages extracted and used in advocacy, guidance or training. And note that given the role of IFRC as an auxiliary to government they will also be co-branding and using the same messages. The messages are available in English, Spanish, French and more languages.
|
|
3. Child Helpline International (CHI) map and ongoing work from CP AoR with CHI
The risk of violence against children (VAC) and intimate partner violence is heightened during crisis, including during the current COVID19 pandemic due to additional stress on caregivers, loss of income, confinement, isolation and quarantine measures. Current systems to prevent, mitigate and respond to VAC need to be adapted to address this new situation. The CP AoR together with Child Helpline International (CHI) and UNICEF have conducted a rapid assessment of the existing national child helplines which are operational in countries with humanitarian settings to identify how they have adapted to COVID19 and how they can support the current humanitarian response to prevent and mitigate violence against children. The preliminary mapping which is being adapted as new information arises can be found here.
As new requests are emerging in relation to national child helplines, a webinar in English for child protection coordination groups will be organized on 23 April 2020 with a French webinar to follow. For more information, please contact Chantal Neuweiler at chantal.neuweiler@end-violence.org or cneuweiler@unicef.org.
|
|
4. Guidance on Child Protection Needs Identification and Analysis for the COVID-19 pandemic
A draft of Needs Identification and Analysis Framework (NIAF) which contains detailed guidance for Child Protection Coordination Groups (CPCG) is now available here.
The CP NIAF COVID-19 is a Global Child Protection AoR guidance produced on behalf of the Global Protection Cluster to identify general and child protection specific context-based overarching indicators that support the adjustment of the child protection response to the changes caused by COVID-19 pandemic and consequent measures.
The guidance includes details of the NIAF approach to analysis for both strategic and programmatic decision-making. This includes the identification of child protection risks and vulnerable groups, determining priority geographic areas and target populations and outlining effective programme modalities based on an analysis of underlying factors and the differing impacts of the crisis.
|
|
5. Child Protection and COVID-19: Lessons Learned Webinar from East Asia and the Pacific
The Child Protection Area of Responsibility (AoR) is working with is partners and the wider response effort to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and caregivers and to help ensure the continuity of protection services. With such a fast moving and unique emergency, the CP AoR is supporting coordination and the rapid sharing of lessons learned and good practice, enabling CP actors to deepen their understanding of how both the pandemic, and the social constraints aimed to mitigate it, are impacting child protection risks and responses.
To support this aim, the Child Protection AoR and UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific Regional Office co-hosted a regional webinar on Thursday 2nd April. The webinar was attended by over 250 representatives from NGOs, INGOs, Government agencies, ASEAN Secretariat and the UN. Key lessons learned included the important role of child protection community workers in China and several examples of how information was disseminated through various media to children and caregivers. Participants stressed the urgent need to advocate for Child Protection as a priority and the importance of planning ahead.
|
|
6. NEW Tip Sheets for Child Protection and Education Coordination Groups supporting local partners and for better collaboration
Local partners have a central role to play in the COVID-19 preparedness and response as movement restrictions have severely impacted the ability of international actors to travel to the field. Therefore, child protection services will be heavily reliant on local partners who live and work within these populations. It is therefore critical that local partners to be included in COVID-19 preparedness and response planning.
|
|
The Child Protection AoR (CP AoR) and Global Education Cluster (GEC) have teamed up to produce a concise guide here, outlining tips on how to support local engagement in HNO and HRP processes. As a key aim of the Grand Bargain, and as an important component of the CP AoR's new strategy, Child Protection Coordination Groups should work to include local actors in humanitarian processes and support both their access to funding and inputs to strategy development. The tool provides key actions and guidance to help with these efforts.
|
|
|
In a similar initiative the GEC and CP AoR have developed a tip-sheet on Child Protection and Education in Emergencies collaboration to support COVID-19 response planning and HRP revision. It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is requiring new delivery modalities for both CP and Education responses and creating new risks for children in both sectors, so inter-sector collaboration, especially between Education and CP, is more important than ever in the COVID-19 response. This new tip-sheet “CP-EiE Collaboration in times of COVID” is aimed at Education and Child Protection Coordination Groups and highlights opportunities for collaboration at each stage of the humanitarian program cycle. It can be used during the development or revision of response and preparedness plans.
|
|
|
7. Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Updates
The CP AoR has developed audio versions of the story book " My Hero is you" in English, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, French and Arabic. The original book was developed by several partners of the IASC Global MHPSS Reference Group. The selection of themes that are addressed in the book was based on a global survey in which children and caregivers participated.
Audio is the most accessible medium in remote PSS delivery for areas where there are few computers, a lack of internet infrastructure and where there are low literacy rates. Audio files have also to be proven effective in camp settings. Audio files of the story book “Me hero is you” in other languages and audio files of guiding documents for parents and caregivers are in the pipeline. There is an audio library being set up by CP AoR. You can download files and contribute here.
|
|
|
Curated MHPSS resources can be found here.
In addition, a global call for Child Protection Coordination Group took place on April 8th specifically focused on MHPSS. This call is part of a series of events supporting the sharing of lessons learned, key products and the highlighting key issues, the biggest of which being the need for online training for front-line PSS workers.
|
|
|
For further information or requests, please contact our Helpdesks:
|
|
|
|
|
