New assessment on the child sensitivity of social protection responses to the COVID-19 in the MENA region

By IPC-IG
Boy from Jordan

 

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups to the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), the crisis could cause over 10 million children to fall into monetary poverty; school closures caused almost 100 million children between the ages of five and 17 years old to be out-of-school; 51,000 children under five are at risk of death due to the disruption of essential health and nutrition; and evidence shows an increase in domestic violence against children and women during the pandemic. The adoption of shock-responsive social protection measures which are sensitive to children’s needs and vulnerabilities has been crucial in mitigating these negative effects.

In this context, the IPC-IG, in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Regional Office for the MENA region is conducting a rapid assessment on the child sensitivity of the social protection responses to COVID-19 in the region.

A publication on the subject will be available soon, together with 21 One Pagers addressing each of the countries in the region, in addition to a summary of the assessment focusing on measures provided by national governments and humanitarian actors for selected countries. 

Photo: Dr 3amer/Unsplash