Urgent investment in South Asia’s children vital to prevent devastating impacts of COVID-19 being felt for decades – UNICEF
Governments across South Asia need to urgently
expand investments in basic health, education, and protection services for the
millions of children and their families whose lives have been devastated by the
COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters, says a new UNICEF report released on the
agency’s 75th anniversary.
The report, “Reigniting Opportunities for
Children in South Asia,” highlights the disproportionate impact that the
pandemic has had on the most marginalized of the region’s 600 million children.
The report says that unless rollbacks in critical health, immunization,
nutrition, protection and education services are reversed, the worst
consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic will persist for decades. The report
notes that humanitarian disasters and climate-related hazards such as droughts,
floods and air pollution have furthered exacerbated the situation for children.
Prior to the
pandemic, South Asia was one of the fastest-growing regions in the world, with
a large youth population poised to further accelerate growth and significant
progress being made for children. Child mortality rates more than halved in the
past quarter century, while the number of children suffering from stunting fell
by more than a third since 2000. Secondary school enrolment rose steadily, and
the number of girls getting married before age 18 fell. Over 90 per cent of the
population has access to safe drinking water.
“The remarkable
achievements our region has made in advancing child rights over recent decades
are now at risk,” said George Laryea-Adjei, UNICEF Regional Director for South
Asia. “If we fail to act, the worst impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic will be
felt for decades to come. But by acting now, we can reignite opportunities and
ensure every child in South Asia not only survives but thrives.”
The report
identifies immediate priorities, such as fully restoring basic health and immunization services and helping
students catch up on the learning they have missed. But it also outlines the
lessons learned and the opportunities that have been opened up by the pandemic which can now be leveraged into gains for all children.
They include
public health systems that have been strengthened through infrastructure
introduced to better respond to COVID-19 – such as improved cold chain and
oxygen infrastructure. Other opportunities include increased public
conversations around mental health which are helping to spotlight needs and
drive demand for more services, and increased recognition of the region’s deep
digital divide and opportunities to bridge it.
While making
urgent investments to reverse rollbacks in progress for children, the region
also needs to be prepared for future waves of the pandemic, UNICEF said.
“Just 30 per cent
of South Asia is fully vaccinated, leaving families dangerously unprotected as
new variants continue to emerge,” George Laryea-Adjei said. “Governments around
the world must ensure fair and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The
pandemic will not be over for anyone until it is over for everyone.”
The disproportionate impact of the pandemic on
children was reiterated
in a youth statement entitled “Our Future, Our Rights, Our Voices,” the outcome
of extensive virtual consultations involving nearly 500 young people from the 8
South Asian countries.
“The COVID-19
pandemic has made our situation much worse. Our
schools have been closed, often for months at a time. Many of us may never
return to school,” said the statement, which was shared with UNICEF, the South Asia
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and senior government officials. “With your action, we can transform the lives of young
people in South Asia.”
The report outlines the key actions needed to
reverse the rollbacks in progress for children, and begin building a better
future for every child in South Asia, among them:
1.
Expanding investment in
child-sensitive social protection programmes, especially for the most
vulnerable children and their families.
2.
Resuming in-person learning
in schools while addressing learning losses, bridging the region’s digital
divide and improving the quality of education for every child.
3.
Stronger integrated
national health and nutrition systems that protect children from deadly but
treatable diseases and reverse the region’s child nutrition crisis.
4.
Protecting children from
neglect and abuse and the promotion of the mental health of all children and
young people.
5.
Urgent action to protect
children from climate change through increased investment in climate adaptation
and resilience in key services for children.
In 2020, disruptions linked to COVID-19 led to
an estimated
228,000 additional child deaths, while an estimated 5.3 million children missed
out on vital vaccinations, nearly 1.9 million more than the previous year. An
additional 3.85 million children are thought to have suffered from wasting in
2020.
School closures lasted longer than in almost any other region. Over 400 million children and their teachers were forced to transition to remote learning in a region with low connectivity and device affordability, leading to alarming inequities in learning opportunities. Poorer children in remote areas, girls and students with disabilities were disproportionately affected.
“Today’s crises
present a unique opportunity to build strong and adaptable health, education
and protection systems that meet the needs of all children,” said George
Laryea-Adjei. “UNICEF will continue to work closely with governments in South
Asia, as well as businesses, civil society, and children themselves, to make
sure that no child is left behind.”