United Nations Secretary-General Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on children

Children are not the face of this pandemic.

But they risk being among its biggest victims. While they have thankfully been 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, and in all countries, are being affected, in particular by the socio-economic impacts and, in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently do more harm than good. This is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong. (...)

Risks for child safety: Lockdowns and shelter in place measures come with heightened risk of children witnessing or suffering violence and abuse. Children in conflict settings, as well as those living in unsanitary and crowded conditions such as refugee and IDP settlements, are also at considerable risk. Children’s reliance ononline platforms for distance learning has also increased their risk of exposure to inappropriate content and online predators.

Date: 
Thursday, 16 April 2020
Document Type: 
Other documents
Document Title: 
United Nations Secretary-General Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on children