Children and COVID-19 Research Library

Children are one of the most vulnerable groups in crises. The psychological consequences of COVID-19 in children must be considered. This study aimed to assess the fear and anxiety of COVID-19 in primary school girls. It is a descriptive correlational study to investigate schoolgirls’ fear and anxiety of covid-19 in southeastern Iran. Data were collected using the fear of coronavirus questionnaire and the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale. The mean score of fear and anxiety of corona disease was 11.49 ± 6.59 and 17.67 ± 10.87, respectively. The bivariate analysis showed a significant association between fear and anxiety of corona disease, a single child (p = .025 and p = .006), and a mother’s level of education (p = .01). In other words, girls who were single child had a significantly higher level of fear and anxiety than other girls and the girls whose mothers had diploma had a higher level of fear and anxiety than girls whose mothers had Ph.D. Since fear and anxiety can be affected by factors such as culture, education level, and birth rate, it is recommended that this study be performed in other communities as well.

Lack of legal protection to protect women from domestic violence and sexual abuse, as well as gender inequality when it comes to accessing political and economic opportunities are some of the remaining challenges faced by girls and women across Africa. When COVID-19 struck, rather than being the year of opportunity and change, 2020 risks being a year of irreversible setbacks and lost progress for girls. Unless the world acts fast and decisively, the impact on girls’ futures – and on all our futures – will be devastating. Even before the COVID-19 crisis hit, progress for girls on some issues was already under threat.

This technical note, developed by the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, supports the development of preparedness and response plans for addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on girls and women at risk of and affected by female genital mutilation.

This paper sets out the particular vulnerabilities for adolescent girls and provides practical guidance on how to provide girls with targeted support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The gendered impacts of infectious disease outbreaks and their propensity to increase Gender-Based Violence (GBV) have been well-documented in each of the most recent major epidemics - including Zika, SARS and Ebola. Early evidence indicates that COVID-19 is no different in this respect, with GBV providers and community groups reporting a sharp increase in reported incidents of Intimate Partner Violence. Adolescent girls are particularly vulnerable. Studies of past disease outbreaks and other humanitarian crisis have shown that without targeted intervention, COVID-19 will heighten pre-existing risks of GBV against girls, stymie their social, economic and educational development and threaten their sexual reproductive health. This paper looks to set out the particular vulnerabilities for adolescent girls and provides practical guidance on how to provide girls with targeted support during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.