Protecting Young Children in During and After COVID-19: Risks, challenges and opportunities

Rachel Harvey, Regional Adviser Child ProtectionEast Asia and Pacific Regional Office21st May 2020

Direct Impact

• Children have been directly impacted by the virus, but less than adults

• Children have suffered bereavement and loss

• The majority of children have been affected by the secondary impact of COVID-19

• Containment measures – school closures and movement restrictions

• Economic impact

Secondary Impact of COVID-19: Family separation

Secondary Impact of COVID-19: Mental health

Pre COVID-19:- 10-20% of children experience

mental health conditions- 1 in 4 children live with a parent

who had a mental health condition

COVID-19 and containment:- Increased stress- Limited support network and

services - Impacted capacity of parents to

provide supporting and nurturing care

Secondary Impact of COVID-19: Violence and abusePre COVID-19:- 3 out 4 young children regularly

subjected to violent discipline- 1 in 4 young children live in a

household where their mother is subjected to domestic violence

COVID-19 and containment:- Increased use of physical

punishment and emotional aggression

- Increased violence- Increased risk of sexual abuse- Increased intimate partner violence

Secondary Impact of COVID-19: Online risks

Pre COVID-19:- Increasing abuse and exploitation- Est 750,000 people looking to connect

with children for sexual purposes online at any one time

COVID-19 and containment:- Increased time online- Increasing numbers of young children

online- Increased opportunities and triggers for

offending- Increased vulnerability for abuse and

exploitation, including family perpetrated abuse (e.g. live streaming)

Vulnerable Groups

Risks of COVID-19

Limited or no access to supportservices

Stigma and discrimination

Impact on migrant, refugee and IDP children and families

Challenges in containment- Disruption or closure of services- Reduced opportunity to seek help- Reduced opportunity for signs of abuse to be identified- Data gaps

Mitigating risks and reaching vulnerable children and families

• Continuation of critical services

• Support for front line workers – guidance for adaptive case management and triaging cases, training, equipment, supervision and support

• Helplines and hotlines

• Guidance and messaging

• Online safety

• Support for children in residential careand detention centres

Child Protection Risks During Transition and Recovery

• Economic impact on families

• Increasing exploitation and harmful practices – erosion of gains

• Continuing mental health impact

Challenges during recovery

- Reduced fiscal space – impact child protection system and services and strengthening efforts- Donor funding impacted- Gaps in critical community based services just as needs and demands are increasing-

Opportunities during recovery

• Protect child protection and GBV services

• Utilise current COVID-19 funding strategically

• Ensure integration with social protection

• Ensure integration with Return to School

• Maintain dialogue, visibility and investment for mental health and PSS

THANK YOU

Pashe Achhi: Standing beside children, caregivers and front liners in refugee communities during COVID-19

Dr. Erum MariamSuhany Zaimah

Bangladesh

COVID-19 in Bangladesh

What is the status of caregivers and children?

• Loss of education during COVID-19; impacts much higher for childrenin marginalized contexts

• Financial burden from loss of work in host communities

• Children most vulnerable during any crisis

• Increased family and gender based violence

• Restricted mobility in constrained spaces

Action: What are we doing to help?

Foundations for a telecommunication model

• Tele-counseling to provide mental health support to health workers

• Mon er Jotno Mobile e (mental health support on the phone) MJM- Established hotline number for people suffering from anxiety, distress, etc due to COVID-19

• Foundational script for active listening and empathy during tele-conversation with beneficiaries

• MJM- conceptual framework, ethical and safeguarding policies

• Script and call anatomy provided structure for telecommunications model

• Iterations of messaging based on feedback and conversations

• Remote learning mechanism

• Integration of psychosocial support with learning through playful approaches

• Curriculum developed by 37 psychologists and 37 play-based curriculum developers

• Training based on 1 hour script and audio file

• Front liners to place weekly 20-minute tele-conversationswith children and caregivers

• Base script integrated with healing and learning adjusted according to ages 0 to 8

“Pashe Achhi” (Beside You)A Telecommunication Model

Objective

Ensure that children, caregiver and front liners feel respected about the work they are doing and also enhance the skills related to child engagement

Response

• Children excited to hear from Play Leaders

• Parents and caregivers feel safe and valued toreceive calls

• Frontline workers show growing dedicationto stay connected to families and support children

Lessons Learned

• Skilful combination of content, communication strategy and technology

• Detailed planning due to technical intricacies involved such as mobile data

• Pashe Achhi model’s expansion to include fathers

Findings

Thank you!

Collaboration and Co-Creation:Leveraging Sesame Street for COVID-19 Response in Cox's Bazar

Sesame Workshop’s mission is to help children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder.

Over the past 50 years, Sesame Street has become the longest Street in the world.

Play to Learn Project Vision

Play to Learn’s bold vision is to establish play-based, early childhood development (ECD) programming as an essential component of every humanitarian response.

Play to Learn Partner Roles

• Sesame Workshop: project management and content creation

• BRAC: direct services and content creation

• IRC: direct services and content creation

• NYU: program evaluation

• The LEGO Foundation: donor and thought partner

Rohingya Refugee Camps- Cox’s Bazaar

Play to Learn COVID-19

In response to the COVID-19 global pandemic, the Play to Learn partners are collaborating to reach target audiences in Cox’s Bazar with critical health and social-emotional support messages.

Play to Learn COVID Response Messages for Cox’s Bazar

Topics Sample Learning Objectives

1. General Health Knowledge• Proper handwashing (children & caregivers)• Safe coughing and sneezing (children & caregivers)• Trust for healthcare professionals (children & caregivers)

2. COVID-Specific Health Knowledge

• Coronavirus facts (children & caregivers)• Social distancing (children & caregivers)• Caring for household members (caregivers)

3. Social-Emotional Learning• Techniques for coping (children & caregivers)• Gratitude & hopefulness (children)• Techniques for positive communication (caregivers)

4. Early Learning• Early literacy & numeracy (children)• Knowledge about early childhood development and learning

through play (caregivers)

5. Child Protection• Identifying safe adults (children)• Making safe choices (children)• Promoting children’s safety (caregivers)

COVID Response Distribution Channels in Cox’s Bazar

• Audio

• Print

• Person-to-person

• Direct services

Sample Content

Next Steps

• Contextualize messaging: refine key messages so they resonate with and are actionable for the Rohingya refugee and Bangladeshi host community populations

• Create content: collaborative content development for COVID response audio and print materials

• Distribute materials: confirmation of distribution channels in Cox’s Bazar

• Iterate: seek feedback and track on-the-ground needs and priorities to guide ongoing response efforts

Thank you!

For your interest-Talat MahmudProgram Director- Bangladesh Humanitarian Program Sesame Workshop

talat.mahmud@sesame.org

Keeping children

safe online

during COVID-19

Education and prevention

ResourcesResearch Training

Serious cyberbullying

materialIllegal and

harmful

content

Image-based

abuse

Investigation and removal

COVID and

the eSafety

Commissioner40%

Total investigations

86%

Image-based

abuse reports

48%

Adult cyber

abuse reports

21%

Serious cyberbullying

reports targeting children

9 March – 31 March 2020

esafety.gov.au/key-issues/covid-19

Child safety and

online learning

advice

eSafety

resources for

families

Setting

expectations

Appropriate attire

Appropriate home learning spaces

What is, and isn't appropriate

Using endorsed platforms only

Responsibilities

and expectations

– organisation,

young person and

the parents

Keep

parents

and the

community

informed

Build online safety into regular communications

Provide critical information to support online safety at home

Monitoring

online activity

and learning at

home

Setting up

filters and

privacy settings

Advice on how to

‘start the chat’

Safe online environment

The

Child

Help children understand the connected world and how

and why they need to protect their personal information.

Be safe

Teach children to be kind and respectful online.

Be kind

Teach children to ask for help and let them know they

can come to you with any issue.

Ask for help

Help young children to think about the content they watch and how they spend their time online.

Make good choices

Resources

Family Tech Agreement

Resources

Family Tech Agreement

Online Safety for Under

5s Booklet

Resources

Family Tech Agreement

Online Safety for Under

5s Booklet

Online professional

learning for educators

and Play School

episode

Resources

Family Tech Agreement

Online Safety for Under

5s Booklet

Online professional

learning for educators

and Play School

episode

Teaching Posters

Resources

Family Tech Agreement

Online Safety for Under

5s Booklet

Online professional

learning for educators

and Play School

episode

Teaching Posters

Play-based Activities

eSafety

Early Years

Register to keep up to date

https://www.esafety.gov.au/

educators/early-years

e s a f e t y . g o v . a u

Thank you

anita.lenfant@esafety.gov.au

Impact of COVID-19 Movement Restrictions on

Child Protection in thePACIFIC REGION

MAY 2020

CP Issues in PICTs

Problem:• Rates of VAC & DV in PICTs are amongst highest in the world

• Impact of IPV on children - nightmares, display aggressive behaviour, repeat a year of school or drop out of school (UNICEF Pacific Regional SitAn 2017)

• Pacific Region prone to natural disasters• TC Harold (Category 4/5) April 2020 – Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Fiji &

Tonga

• COVID-19 measures begun end March, i.e. State of Emergency, lockdowns, curfews, movement restrictions

• Compounded Emergencies (COVID-19 & TC Harold)• Heightened risks of CP Issues - neglect, abuse and exploitation• Economic shocks* from COVID-19 - Tourism industry

COVID-19 Measures in PICTs

12

3

13

2

11

1

7

10

7

4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

State of Emergency Containment Measures(Partial/Full

Lockdown/Curfews)

Closed Borders Government CPServices disrupted

NGO CP Servicesdisrupted

Status, 16th May 2020

Yes NO NA

6

3

5

8

11

9

7

10

7

4

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

State of Emergency ContainmentMeasures

(Partial/FullLockdown/Curfews)

Closed Borders Government CPServices disrupted

NGO CP Servicesdisrupted

Status, 2nd April, 2020

Yes NO NA

Child Helpline Comparison: Samoa

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Physical

Emotional

Sexual

Abandoned Children

SAMOACHL case comparison over 6 week period

(21 March to 1 May 2019/2020)

2019 2020

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

450

500

2019 2020

SAMOATotal # of requests over

6 week period

*includes helpline calls, Facebook, email

contacts, walk-ins

Child Helpline Comparison: Fiji

0

5

10

15

20

25

Physical Emotional Sexual Neglect

FIJICHL case comparison Apr 2019 to Apr 2020

2019 2020

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Genuine calls Total Calls

FIJI Total # of calls comparison

Jan-Apr 2019 / 2020

2019 2020

Actions1. Fiji (MWCPA, in partnership with UN agencies and NGOs from the protection cluster)

• Resource kit & training for GBV/CP helpline operators• COVID-19 Guidance for community response & referrals• Training for health workers to identify & refer CP cases

2. Samoa (MWCSD and Samoa Victims Support Group)

• Nationwide media campaign on family violence, self-care, parenting & PSS targeting parents & children

• CP Systems Building/Strengthening: CP Bill, Policy, Plan, IESG

3. Tonga (MIA, TC Harold & COVID19 Response)

• PSS/Counselling for children & parents (home-based/delivered through schools)

4. Pacific Region (Pacific Humanitarian Group)

• Advocacy note to recognize CP & GBV services as essential public health services in COVID-19 preparedness & response planning & operations

Challenges/OpportunitiesChallenges:

• Broadband internet is relatively new & technology to operate fully remotely still lags in many countries*

• North PICTs do not have CP coordination mechanisms in place

• On-site in-country technical assistance (i.e. national or international experts/specialists) constrained due to border closings

• Government CP services exist in 7 out of 14 countries; where CP services exist, they are under-resourced, do not cover the whole country, and provide minimum response

• Routine administrative data collection on CP cases limited in most countries; disaggregation by age not always available

• Limited budget allocations to social services

Opportunities:

• Strengthening capacities of frontline social workers & other service providers on CP issues in context of COVID-19 & beyond

• Engagement of community networks in prevention, early intervention and response to CP issues

• In some countries, COVID-19 crises has lent momentum to building CP systems*

Results:

• Yet to be determined

Module 1: Introduction to Child Protection

???

Child Protection Response During COVID 19 Pandemic

Learning from Indonesia

Tata Sudrajat

Save the Children Indonesia

May 21, 2020ARNEC Webinar

Risks of Children in COVID 19 Pandemic

2

Potential Violence Against Children

Children of infected parents

Children of

died parents by COVID+

HIGH RISK

MEDIUM RISK

LOW RISK

LESS RISKALL CHILDREN

Children

died/treat of COVID+

HIGHEST RISK 1,258 infected, 1.035 children hospitalized and 17 died – survival problem

1,221 died. With rate 5 members/family, at least one

child/total died become orphan, permanency of care, loss and grieving, stigmatized, or economic problems

79 million Indonesians aged 0-17 (35%) 27% are children under five 33% are at primary school age.

12,808 infected parents. With dead rate 7%, 846

children potential orphan, psychosocial, stigma and economic problems

By May 19 https://covid19.go.id/peta-sebaran

3 of 10 parent loss their job and 7 of 10 parent reduce income ---malnutrition, drop out school and child labor; learning from home by

internet --- abuse from parents; online violence and marginalized if have no access (4 of 10 parents do not control children). Break of immunization

put children at risk to disease (only 60% coverage in normal), 1 of 2 children have 2 or more feeling of hard to concentrate, difficult to sleep,

bored, stress, confused, tired and feeling lonely (SC, 2020)

Actions Framework

3

AWARENESS BUILDING

PREVENTION

CASE MANAGEMENT

Much areas

response now

Area of

gap

• Hotline • Guidance• Social assistance

• Psychosocial • Rehabilitation• Counselling• Referral services• Social assistance

Potential Violence Against children

Children of suspect parents

Children of died parents by COVID+

High Risk

Medium Risk

Low Risk - SECONDARY

Less Risk - PRIMER

Children

died/treat of COVID+

Highest Risk

ALL CHILDREN• IEC• Guidance• Campaign

TERTIARI}

Actions and Results (From April)

1 2 3

4

• Ask data of children – letter

to minister and Ops.ed –

presented since 23 April

• Protocols development (4

protocols)

• Help desk in ministry office

• Webinars on CP for

social workers and CP

staff

• Case Management online

training

• Parenting online training

• Social work supervision

• Hotlines (4,205) by direct call

and SMS/WA (9-14 May).

• Psychosocial First Aid or

psychosocial support.

• Activate: CP response activates

(59 districts), Family learning

centre (135 districts) and

Social work services across

provinces

AdvocacyTechnical

SupportServices

Protocols on Child Protection

5

Protocols to manage children with COVID 19

• Key stakeholders and PIC in response (health,

child protection and social welfare)

• Stages and task for hospital, medical doctor,

nurse, midwife, etc)

• Stages and task for CP office and staff

• Stages and task for MOSA and social workers

• Stages and task for MOHA and health workers

Protocol to response VAC cases:

• Key stakeholders and PIC in response

• Mode of services: distance service, via

phone, video call, teleconference, face to

face.

• Stages: receipt of complaints; outreaching,

pick and delivery; case management,

• Service delivery: legal assistance,

psychology, health, education, mediation,

alternative care, shelter,