Towards a child-focused COVID-19 response and recovery

Highlights

More than a year into the pandemic, children and adolescents in Indonesia face a challenging ‘new normal’ - more than 80 million children have been affected by the widespread secondary impacts of the pandemic. The education of millions of children and adolescents has been disrupted; access to health, nutrition and protection services has been severely impacted; and families have struggled to stay afloat financially. As a result, existing inequalities have been exacerbated, particularly those related to gender, poverty and disability.

Drawing from different analysis of policy responses and research findings, this brief proposes actions towards a more child-focused COVID-19 response and recovery. In particular, the brief reveals the pandemic’s impact in six areas: (1) poverty; (2) learning; (3) health; (4) mental health, childcare and child protection; (5) nutrition; and (6) access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene services. Further to this, it elaborates on policy actions taken during the pandemic and recommended for child-sensitive actions to address and mitigate impacts.

This policy brief aims to encourage and inform the public and all stakeholders involved in children’s wellbeing and development on policy recommendations.