Impact of COVID-19 on the rights of children in Africa

Impact of COVID-19 on the rights of children in Africa

CONTINENTAL ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF CHILDREN IN AFRICA

CLIENT: African Committee of Experts Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC)
COUNTRY: All AU Member States
START - END DATE: February - June 2021 (extended to November 2021)
VALUE (EUR): 34,500.00 €
PARTNERS: N/A
PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Cover page ENWithin the context of the current cooperation between the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC) and the GIZ implemented Programme, Strengthening Good Governance and Human Rights in Africa - African Governance Architecture, services are sought to undertake an Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 on the Rights and Welfare of Children in Africa.

The overall objective of the service is to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the Rights and Welfare of Children in Africa. The assessment shall facilitate the collection of information on and analysis of the nature of the impact of the pandemic on children in AU Member States. Geographically, the Assessment covers all AU Member States. Thematically, the Assessment focuses on areas that the pandemic, directly or indirectly, affects most, including: health, education, violence against children, family care, livelihood and food security, birth registration, and its impact on children particularly in vulnerable situations (the girl child, children with disabilities, children in conflict and crisis situations, children living on the street, and children on the move).

The assessment provides detailed data, information and analysis on the existing frameworks (legal and institutional) and their implementation (gaps and exemplary practices) in AU Member States.

SERVICES PROVIDED

Specifically, we deliver on the scope of work as highlighted below:

  • Assess the impact of the pandemic on the implementation of the relevant Aspirations Agenda 2040: Africa’s Agenda for Children;
  • Gather good practices on mitigating the impact of the pandemic on children;
  • Predict the near future impact of the pandemic based on the trends from the continent, as well as lessons learnt from other continents;
  • Identify how children particularly in vulnerable situations are currently coping within the Pandemic;
  • Assess if appropriate recovery programmes, particularly for vulnerable children, are in place;
  • Shed light on the possible post-COVID-19 socio-economic situation and its impact on the rights and welfare of children;
  • Give recommendations to Member States, Regional Economic Communities, Civil Society Organizations, Media and the private sector;
  • Provide ˜actions for solutions" in line with the urgent, medium and long-term needs of children, and
  • Develop questionnaires which will be distributed to collect data and information from Member States, and undertake interviews and consultations with key stakeholders as well as present the draft deliverables to ACERWC for discussion and subsequent approval.

The final report was formally adopted by the Committee during its 38th SESSION OF THE AFRICAN COMMITTEE OF EXPERTS ON THE RIGHTS AND WELFARE OF THE CHILD (ACERWC) in November 2021

the Committee and participants commended the report as comprehensive and can be used as a basis for a standing recommendation by the committee to member states to regularly report on measures taken to put children at the core of measures of national response to the pandemic