Disasters, conflicts and other crises can have devastating effects on children’s lives. Structures and systems that protect children and support their positive development are often undermined or damaged.
As a result, children are exposed to new threats, such as loss of or separation from their families, sexual exploitation, trafficking, and recruitment into armed groups. Furthermore, existing harmful practices (such as harmful labour and child marriage) can be exacerbated.
Plan International works with children, their families, communities and local authorities to prevent and respond to violence, abuse, neglect, and exploitation against children with urgent, life-saving actions. Our programmes ensure the protection needs of children are met, with particular attention paid to the unique risks faced by adolescent girls.
Our child protection in emergencies work includes:
Jemma* tells the story of her journey from the conflict in South Sudan to the world’s largest refugee camp, Bidi Bidi in northern Uganda.
In order to meet the needs of the most vulnerable children during disasters, our work is expanding to respond to the growing issues and gaps in emergency responses.
For example, we are working to eliminate the worst forms of child labour, including trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced and hazardous labour.
In addition, we work with and for adolescent girls who are subject to particular risks during emergencies and are not equally equipped with the knowledge, mobility or assets to get life-saving help.
We also work to prevent harmful traditional practices, such as child marriage and female genital mutilation, which are often reinvigorated during emergencies.
In Bogota, Colombia, we’re responding to the needs of migrants and refugees from Venezuela.
Plan International is a core member of the Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action in which it takes a leadership role on the Learning and Development Working Groups and the Child Labour in Humanitarian Action and Community-Level Child Protection Task Forces. We are also a member of the Strategic Advisory Group for the Child Protection Area of Responsibility and a new Core Member of the Gender Based Violence Area of Responsibility.
