Aries Consult Ltd is proud to see that the report on the impact of Covid-19 on the rights and wellbeing of children in Africa, written by a team of experts at Aries Consult Ltd, was formally adopted by the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC/ Committee) at its 38th Session in November 2021.
The report is a comprehensive analysis of the various ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic has affected children in Africa. It covers a wide range of topics, including the impact of school closures, the loss of income for families, and the increased risk of violence and abuse. The report also includes recommendations for how governments and other organizations can protect the rights and wellbeing of children during and after the pandemic.
The team at Aries Consult Ltd worked hard on this report for months, gathering data and conducting research to ensure that it was as accurate and comprehensive as possible. Their hard work paid off when the report was finally released to the public in April 2022. The report has been well-received by experts and organizations working on child rights and welfare in Africa, and it is expected to have a significant impact on policy and practice in the region.
In conclusion, Aries Consult Ltd is proud that its report on the impact of Covid-19 on the rights and wellbeing of children in Africa was finally released to the public in April 2022.
...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 ...
For children's rights, the COVID-19 pandemic has had disastrous repercussions. Children in nations who implemented obligatory stay-at-home, lockdown, or confinement policies have also suffered serious physical, emotional, and psychological impacts. The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACERWC/ Committee) is addressing policy gaps in mitigating the COVID-19 crisis in recognition of the effects of COVID-19 on the rights and welfare of children in Africa as well as the unprecedented nature of the pandemic and the measures taken to curb its spread.
In order to promote the inclusion of child protection measures in Member States' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Committee created a Guiding Note to Member States of the African Union (AU) on COVID-19 and its implications on children's rights and welfare in April 2020. After creating the Guiding Note, the ACERWC went on to create two further documents, which are now now available online: the Continental Assessment of the Impact of COVID-19 on the Rights and Welfare of Children and the Guidelines on the Safe Return to Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Continental assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the rights and welfare of Children
An summary of the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on children in Africa is given in the assessment, which also rates the degree to which member states of the African Union attended to the needs of children. The results highlighted the significant difficulties faced by children during the pandemic. The review reveals, in particular, that the majority of children's fundamental rights, including their best interests, were either overridden by broad responses to the pandemic or subtly disregarded in the name of "the greater good."
The assessment aims to alert Member States to the need of addressing the difficulties that kids confront during public health emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic.
Download the full report here: