Why child protection in emergencies matters

Disasters, conflicts and other crises have devastating effects on children and adolescents’ immediate and long-term health and safety. These emergencies often disrupt the families, communities and services that keep children safe.  

During emergencies, children and adolescents are exposed to new threats, such as:  

• Loss of or separation from their families 

• Forced migration 

• Sexual exploitation 

• Trafficking 

• Recruitment into armed groups  

Furthermore, existing harmful practices such as child marriage can be exacerbated and several of these threats are often experienced at the same time. 

Girls are at particular risk during crises. They are most likely to drop out of school, migrate to support their families and face higher risks of recruitment into armed groups and the worst forms of child labour. They are also at heightened risk of gender-based violence, including sexual exploitation and child marriage, which are often used as coping strategies to lessen the burden on their families.  

This can cause deep distress and long-term effects on their emotional well-being, development and ability to rebuild their lives. 

Child protection in emergencies saves lives. Interventions can prevent injury, death, severe violence, abuse and exploitation of children. They prevent the long-term negative consequences of crises on a child’s development, thus increasing the chance that children grow up as healthy and emotionally balanced adults and reach their potential.

Our child protection in emergencies programming  

Plan International works alongside children and adolescents, families, communities and local authorities to deliver life-saving support while addressing children and adolescents’ needs. 

We believe all children must be protected and supported to recover and thrive. 

Prevention: 

We identify and address risks to children and adolescents by:  

• Creating safe environments. 

• Supporting children to gain the knowledge and skills needed to protect themselves.  

• Setting up child-friendly spaces where children and adolescents have access to psychosocial counselling, life-saving information and life skills training.  

• Delivering parenting sessions to help caregivers support their children and build resilience.  

• Providing financial support to vulnerable families to prevent negative coping strategics such as removing children from school or child marriage. 

Response:  

When children are exposed to harm, we deliver support through: 

• Case management services to children and their families, including searching for separated family members and linking children to caring and protective foster families.  

• Partnerships with service providers to strengthen their provision of gender-based violence and mental health and psychosocial support services. 

Promoting the importance of protection:  

We advocate for child protection to be a priority across all humanitarian sectors. This includes: 

• Collaborating with schools to identify and support at-risk children.  

• Working with food security actors to ensure vulnerable families receive support, including cash, to reduce the risk of them adopting negative coping strategies.  

• Equipping partners with the tools and training to integrate child protection into their work. 

The children we work with 

We work with the most vulnerable children and adolescents, including:  

• Children with disabilities 

• LGBTIQ+ youth 

• Children in remote or hard-to-reach areas 

• Children on the move 

• Children associated with armed forces and armed groups  

• Survivors of gender-based violence 

• Married girls 

• Unaccompanied and separated children   

Our work spans over 30 countries and provides children and adolescents with the tools and support they need to protect themselves and rebuild their lives. 

Global engagement 

We play a leading role in shaping global child protection in emergencies efforts. We are a member of the Steering Committee of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action where we take a leadership role on:  

• Learning and development  

• Child labour 

• Cash and child protection 

• Children associated with armed forces and armed groups 

• Prevention 

• Working across sectors 

We are also a member of the strategic advisory group for the child protection area of responsibility and the gender-based violence area of responsibility.