Amid worsening global crises, children need a new safety net

From a myriad of armed conflicts to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the shocking impact of climate change and dire cost-of-living hardships, the world is living through a polycrisis that is impacting all corners of the world like never before.

Yet amid this all, we must not forget that it is children — especially those who are growing up alone, in fragile family environments or without adequate care — who suffer the most. It is therefore urgent to focus on providing a new safety net for our youths, leaving no one behind. Moreover, when navigating crises, the significance of having strong relationships and a support system cannot be emphasized enough. As the world they grow up in becomes an even more complex place, it is vital that sources of support are made available for the children and young people who need them most.  

Already over 1 billion children are living in poverty today, deprived of the key resources they need, such as good health, education, housing and nutrition, to become their best selves. Even worse, studies show that over 2.4 billion children, suffering from inequality, exclusion and deprivation, are still in need of adequate social protection.

The polycrisis has only worsened these historic disadvantages that many children continue to face. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic had deprived roughly 10.5 million children of a caregiver by May 2022, leaving those without parental care at greater risk of trauma and deeper vulnerabilities.

Likewise, armed conflicts from Ukraine, Ethiopia and Mali to Somalia and Sudan are not only causing significant casualties and displacements, they are leaving children highly exposed to severe malnutrition, trauma, neglect and abandonment — traits of which may stay with them throughout their lives. In Ukraine alone, more than 17 million people are expected to require humanitarian assistance in 2023, of which nearly a quarter are children. Due to the conflict in Sudan, over 13 million children now require emergency assistance — the highest number ever recorded in the country.

This polycrisis is not confined to acute issues like these alone. The impact of both the climate and the cost-of-living crises is being felt in all corners of the world, the burden of which is being carried primarily by children and young people. In the Horn of Africa, which has faced crippling droughts and flooding due to a changing climate, roughly 7 million children under the age of five remain malnourished and in need of urgent support. Likewise, spurred on by economic insecurity and other factors, children account for 40 percent of the roughly 108 million people forcibly displaced across the world; more than 150,000 unaccompanied children are at the greatest risk of trafficking or abuse.

In response, governments, nonprofit service providers and technical experts must offer urgent protection through strengthened or newly set up safety nets.

To begin with, a truly sustained, integrated and child-centered approach is needed to respond to the polycrisis, providing not only children’s most basic needs but ensuring that every child can become their strongest selves to break the intergenerational cycle of deprivation. This means widening the scope of protection to include social services, which can address the vulnerabilities faced by children holistically — including rapid response to emergencies.

Increasing marginal investments could also have an impactful return for the world’s children. For instance, estimates show that raising investments in social protection, such as universal child benefits, by 1 percent of GDP in middle-income countries could reduce child poverty by at least 20 percent.

Secondly, in addressing the impact of the polycrisis, different expertise and resources need to be pooled through strong partnerships that have children’s best interests as their guiding principles. From institutions providing vital family support programs to those building education, health and psychosocial services in vulnerable regions, all organizations have a key role to play in providing a child-centric response to the emerging polycrisis.

Lastly, child-sensitive social protection should be seen not just as the right thing to do but as a means of expanding human capabilities and productivity, fueling sustained economic growth for the future. As an example, SOS Children’s Villages has worked with local partners in Ethiopia to train young people in green agricultural jobs to help build resilient livelihoods for the future, as part of the government’s Productive Safety Net Programme to support over 7 million of the country’s poorest citizens.

All children, regardless of their situation, deserve a nurturing environment to grow in and the full enjoyment of their rights. We must all do our part to ensure a solid support network and safety nets are in place. This is even more urgent as the emerging polycrisis threatens the progress made in the last few decades.

Establishing strong, integrated and inclusive social safety nets can contribute to the protection of universal rights while reducing the chronic vulnerabilities that children and young people face today. Supporting children and providing them with secure and safe environments to grow, is an investment in our shared and sustainable future.

Dereje Wordofa, DBA, MSC, MBA, is president of international charity SOS Children’s Villages. Previously he served as assistant secretary-general and deputy executive director of the United Nations Population Fund; as head of regional policy at Oxfam; and as deputy program director of Save the Children UK.