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	10 million additional girls at risk of child marriage due to COVID-19 by Girls Not Brides, agencies   Ten million additional child marriages may occur before the end of the decade, threatening years of progress in reducing the practice, according to a new analysis released by UNICEF.   COVID-19: A threat to progress against child marriage – released on International Women’s Day – warns that school closures, economic stress, service disruptions, pregnancy, and parental deaths due to the pandemic are putting the most vulnerable girls at increased risk of child marriage.   Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, 100 million girls were at risk of child marriage in the next decade, despite significant reductions in several countries in recent years.   In the last ten years, the proportion of young women globally who were married as children had decreased from nearly 1 in 4 to 1 in 5, the equivalent of some 25 million marriages averted, a gain that is now under threat.   “COVID-19 has made an already difficult situation for millions of girls even worse. Shuttered schools, isolation from friends and support networks, and rising poverty have added fuel to a fire the world was already struggling to put out. But we can and we must extinguish child marriage,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “International Women’s Day is a key moment to remind ourselves of what these girls have to lose if we do not act urgently – their education, their health, and their futures.”   Girls who marry in childhood face immediate and lifelong consequences. They are more likely to experience domestic violence and less likely to remain in school.   Child marriage increases the risk of early and unplanned pregnancy, in turn increasing the risk of maternal complications and mortality.   The practice can also isolate girls from family and friends and exclude them from participating in their communities, taking a heavy toll on their mental health and well-being.   COVID-19 is profoundly affecting the lives of girls. Pandemic-related travel restrictions and physical distancing make it difficult for girls to access the health care, social services and community support that protect them from child marriage, unwanted pregnancy and gender-based violence.   As schools remain closed, girls are more likely to drop out of education and not return. Job losses and increased economic insecurity may also force families to marry their daughters to ease financial burdens.   Worldwide, an estimated 650 million girls and women alive today were married in childhood, with about half of those occurring in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ethiopia, India and Nigeria.   To off-set the impacts of COVID-19 and end the practice by 2030 – the target set out in the Sustainable Development Goals – progress must be significantly accelerated.   “One year into the pandemic, immediate action is needed to mitigate the toll on girls and their families,” added Fore. “By reopening schools, implementing effective laws and policies, ensuring access to health and social services – including sexual and reproductive health services – and providing comprehensive social protection measures for families, we can significantly reduce a girl’s risk of having her childhood stolen through child marriage.”   http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/about-child-marriage/ http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/articles/ http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/10-million-additional-girls-risk-child-marriage-due-covid-19 http://reliefweb.int/report/world/child-marriage-kills-more-60-girls-day http://www.unfpa.org/child-marriage Visit the related web page
	Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health by UNICEF, Save the Children   According to The State of the World’s Children 2021; On My Mind: promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health – UNICEF’s most comprehensive look at the mental health of children, adolescents and caregivers in the 21st century – even before COVID-19, children and young people carried the burden of mental health conditions without significant investment in addressing them.   According to the latest available estimates, more than 1 in 7 adolescents aged 10–19 is estimated to live with a diagnosed mental disorder globally. Almost 46,000 adolescents die from suicide each year, among the top five causes of death for their age group.   Meanwhile, wide gaps persist between mental health needs and mental health funding. The report finds that about 2 per cent of government health budgets are allocated to mental health spending globally.   “It has been a long, long 18 months for all of us – especially children. With nationwide lockdowns and pandemic-related movement restrictions, children have spent indelible years of their lives away from family, friends, classrooms, play – key elements of childhood itself,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.   “The impact is significant, and it is just the tip of the iceberg. Even before the pandemic, far too many children were burdened under the weight of unaddressed mental health issues. Too little investment is being made by governments to address these critical needs. Not enough importance is being placed on the relationship between mental health and future life outcomes.”   Children’s mental health during COVID-19   According to early findings from an international survey of children and adults in 21 countries conducted by UNICEF and Gallup – which is previewed in The State of the World’s Children 2021 – a median of 1 in 5 young people aged 15–24 surveyed said they often feel depressed or have little interest in doing things.   As COVID-19 heads into its third year, the impact on children and young people’s mental health and well-being continues to weigh heavily. According to the latest available data from UNICEF, globally, at least 1 in 7 children has been directly affected by lockdowns, while more than 1.6 billion children have suffered some loss of education.   The disruption to routines, education, recreation, as well as concern for family income and health, is leaving many young people feeling afraid, angry, and concerned for their future.   For example, an online survey in China in early 2020, cited in The State of the World’s Children, indicated that around a third of respondents reported feeling scared or anxious.   The report notes that experience and environmental factors from the earliest days, including parenting, schooling, quality of relationships, exposure to violence or abuse, discrimination, poverty, humanitarian crises, and health emergencies such as COVID-19, all shape and effect children’s mental health throughout their lifetime.   While protective factors, such as loving caregivers, safe school environments, and positive peer relationships can help reduce the risk of mental disorders, the report warns that significant barriers, including stigma and lack of funding, are preventing too many children from experiencing positive mental health or accessing the support they need.   The State of the World’s Children 2021 calls on governments, and public and private sector partners, to commit, communicate and act to promote mental health for all children, adolescents and caregivers, protect those in need of help, and care for the most vulnerable, including:   Urgent investment in child and adolescent mental health across sectors, not just in health, to support a whole-of-society approach to prevention, promotion and care.   Integrating and scaling up evidence-based interventions across health, education and social protection sectors - including parenting programmes that promote responsive, nurturing caregiving and support parent and caregiver mental health; and ensuring schools support mental health through quality services and positive relationships.   Breaking the silence surrounding mental illness, through addressing stigma and promoting better understanding of mental health and taking seriously the experiences of children and young people.   “Mental health is a part of physical health - we cannot afford to continue to view it as otherwise,” said Fore. “For far too long, in rich and poor countries alike, we have seen too little understanding and too little investment in a critical element of maximizing every child’s potential. This needs to change.”   http://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2021   Oct. 2021   COVID-19: Children globally struggling after lockdowns averaging six months - Save the Children   Children around the world have stayed indoors for an average of six months since the start of the pandemic, with growing concerns about rising levels of depression, anxiety, loneliness and even self-harm, Save the Children has warned ahead of World Mental Health Day.   New analysis by Save the Children, using data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government ResponseTracker, reveals that children globally have lived under required and recommended nationwide lockdowns for an average of six months, or 184 days since the COVID-19 pandemic started in early 2020.   Children in Venezuela have faced one of the longest periods at home, with intermittent lockdowns keeping children inside for up to 16 months. In Lebanon, children were confined to their homes for 418 days. Across Zimbabwe, children were in lockdown for nearly nine months this year alone.   Save the Children is warning that these extended lockdowns are taking a devastating toll on children’s mental health globally and is urging all governments to include mental health and psychosocial support for children and adolescents in national health services.   Children who experience long-term lockdowns are at increased risk of emotional distress, loneliness, and abuse, as well as lack of outdoor play and access to mental health support. In some cases, prolonged stress, uncertainty, and social isolation can also lead to anxiety, aggression, withdrawn behaviour, or even depression and self-harm.   Marie Dahl, Head of Save the Children’s Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Unit, said:   “A global mental health crisis is unfolding, and for some children, its harmful effects may be catastrophic. Children living in poverty or already in disadvantaged or otherwise vulnerable situations are at greater risk of the damaging consequences of long-lasting lockdowns.   “Being deprived of social stimulation can severely impact children’s mental health and development. While lockdown orders are important to curb the spread of COVID-19, social isolation can cause feelings of hopelessness, anxiety and depression among children. Failure to respond to this mental health crisis could leave children with long-term wellbeing, development and overall poor health implications even after restrictions are lifted.”   A survey of over 13,000 children in 46 countries carried out by Save the Children in September last year found that 83% of children reported an increase in negative feelings due to the pandemic. Reports of negative feelings were far higher for the vast majority of children (96%) when schools had been closed for 17 to 19 weeks.   Since then, the situation for many children has worsened as countries have battled third or fourth waves of the virus, lockdowns have continued, and schools in some countries have been closed for over 18 months.   In India, which has recorded more than 448,000 COVID-19 deaths, children across the country have spent at least 100 days at home.   To support children’s mental health in India, Save the Children set up a free counselling helpline for children and young people struggling in the pandemic. The helpline has received more than 2,900 calls this year. Stress, anxiety and boredom, as well as uncertainty towards the future, are among the top concerns raised on the helpline.   “I usually get calls from children related to how the pandemic has taken a toll on them and their studies. It is stressful for the children to stay at home doing nothing. It has also led to more and more anger issues in children,” said Isha, a helpline counsellor with Save the Children.   Children in nearly every country have endured some form of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic. In high-income countries like Canada, some children have stayed indoors for a total of 13 months or 402 days. Although high-income countries have better access to mental health support, children in these countries can also experience disruptions in their online education, sleeping cycles, play routines and social interactions, as well as a heightened risk of harm online. All of these factors can put children’s mental health at risk.   In Europe, lockdowns have kept children like 14-year-old Naya at home for an average of nine months. Naya, who moved to the Netherlands from Syria in 2013, knows first-hand the positive impact mental health and wellbeing support can have. She now advocates for children’s mental health together with Save the Children. Last June, she called on the government to better support teachers in providing psychosocial support to children with a refugee background.   “The psychosocial support [that I’ve received] helped increase my confidence in my abilities and to realize I don’t need to be ashamed of what I’ve gone through. My fears and nightmares have disappeared. Having friends helped a lot in processing my experiences and making me feel at home,” said Naya.   In Nepal, where children have stayed indoors for up to 12 months since the pandemic began, Save the Children has been providing therapeutic counselling for children.   Rajesh, 18, received counselling from Save the Children in Nepal after he struggled with feelings of anger and lack of sleep during lockdown. His school was unable to run online lessons, and when he tried to go outside for a walk he was stopped by police.   “I was afraid I would not survive, and I would never be able to see new things in my life. I feared my dreams would be lost forever,” Rajesh said.   Save the Children wants all governments to prioritize and invest in children’s mental health, wellbeing and learning during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The organisation is also calling for children’s mental health and wellbeing to be acknowledged as a right, urging governments to tackle stigma and human rights violations of children with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities.   With the right care and support, many children who are experiencing elevated distress due to the pandemic will be able to recover and reach their full potential.   However, Ms Dahl from Save the Children said mental health and psychosocial support as part of health, education and protection services must be urgently funded to better respond to future lockdowns, as well as other emerging challenges, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Without it, it could lead to serious mental health and development consequences for the next generation. http://bit.ly/3DwVmAV   http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/1227-life-in-lockdown.html http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/1149-beyond-masks-societal-impacts-of-covid-19-and-accelerated-solutions-for-children-and-adolescents.html http://www.unicef-irc.org/article/2147-social-protection-for-children-not-adequate-according-to-new-world-social-protection-report.html http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/1245-non-contributory-social-protection-and-adolescents-in-lower-and-middle-income-countries-a-review-of-government-programming.html Visit the related web page
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