World’s Future

 

   Children are not the face of this pandemic. But they risk being among of its biggest victims. While they have thankfully ben largely spared from the direct health effects of COVID-19 –at least to date- the crisis is having a profound effect on their wellbeing. All children of all ages, from all countries, are being affected, in particular by the socio-economic impact and, in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good.

 
  Children living in areas of armed conflict, who already struggle extensively to access health services may further excluded from attention and access to the severely stretched health systems. Physical distancing and lockdown measures, restrictions of movement and border closures, and surveillance strategies are all affecting children in myriad ways. Face-to-face child services – schooling, nutrition programmes, maternal and newborn care, immunization services, sexual and reproductive health services, HIV treatment, alternative care facilities, community-based child protection programmes and case management for children requiring supplementary personalized care, including those living with disabilities, and abuse victims- have often been partially or completely suspended. The impact of the pandemic extends far beyond the sphere of physical health. The pandemic is having profound effects on children’s mental well-being, their social development, their safety, their privacy and their economic security. Children living refugee settlements or other crowded conditions are especially vulnerable.

   While children are not the face of pandemic, its broader impacts on children risk being catastrophic and amongst the most lasting consequences for societies as a whole. What started as a public health emergency had snowballed into a formidable test for global development and for the prospects of today’s young generation.

   This is an unprecedented crisis and it presents unprecedented risks to the rights and safety and development of the world’s children. Those risks can only be mitigated through unprecedented international solidarity for children.

   We have to work together to make progress. We have a chance, to not only defeat this pandemic but to transform the way we nurture and invest in the young generation. But we have to act now, we have to act decisively, and at very large scale. This is not a gradual issue, it is a clarion call for the world’s children, the world’s future.

References: 

Ruth Dsouza Prabhu, "India's Child Victim of Covid-19". Accessed November 30, 2021.https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Girl-in-a-mask-1.jpeg?w=770&resize=770%2C434

Wiley Online Library. "The Impacts of Covid-19 on Children". Accessed November 30, 2021. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/cms/asset/aaa2d2c8-48d8-4627-a07a-8975aaf457f2/apa15484-toc-0001-m.png 

Farosofa. " Together Against Covid-19 concept vector illustration. People of different ages fight together. Accessed November 30, 2021.https://image.shutterstock.com/image-vector/together-against-covid19-concept-poster-600w-1946410987.jpg