Innocenti Publications Prospects for Children in the Polycrisis: A 2023 Global Outlook AUTHOR(S) UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight Published: 2023 Innocenti Publications This report outlines the polycrisis in which the world finds itself — multiple, simultaneous shocks with strong interdependencies, intensified in an ever-more integrated world — along with eight trends that will shape child rights and well-being in the coming year. The trends explored are: The pandemic's harms will continue to be counted - but reforms of health architecture and medical breakthroughs offer hope for children.Efforts to tame inflation will have unintended negative effects on child poverty and well-being - requiring policy measures that protect investments for vulnerable families and children.Multiple factors will contribute to continued food and nutrition insecurity - with increasing calls for greater climate adaptation and food systems reform to prevent food poverty in children.The worsening energy crisis may cause immediate harm to children - but the focus on energy sustainability provides hope for a greener future.Unmet needs and underinvestment in children warrant reforms of financial flows to developing countries - while renewed attention on climate finance and debt relief holds promise.Threats to democratic rights such as freedom of expression are expected to continue - but social movements, including those led by young people and women, are likely to push back.Increasing factionalism will put further stress on multilateralism - but efforts to address children's and young people's concerns may offer opportunities to find common ground.The internet will continue to fragment and become less global, resulting in further disparities for children - prompting a greater push for openness, fairness and inclusion. + - Cite this publication | Tags: child poverty, child well-being, climate change, COVID-19, democracy, education, energy policies, financial policy, financial systems, food crisis, gender equality, health, internet, nutrition, pandemic, social change × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION UNICEF Innocenti – Global Office of Research and Foresight 2023 Prospects for Children in the Polycrisis: A 2023 Global Outlook.
Innocenti Research Report It’s Difficult to Grow Up in an Apocalypse: Children's and adolescents' experiences, perceptions and opinions on the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada AUTHOR(S) Heather L. Ramey; Heather L. Lawford; Yana Berardini; Sarah Caimano; Sarah Epp; Chantelle Edwards; Lisa Wolff Published: 2022 Innocenti Research Report According to children and youth in Canada, what were the negative and positive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on their lives? How did they experience changes in their relationships; daily schedule; time at home; use of technology; or feelings of anger, worry, loneliness or gratitude? How were these experienced by marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ and Indigenous children and youth?To date, research on Canadian children’s and youth’s experiences during the pandemic has lacked a broad exploration of their own perspectives. This qualitative study, however, was informed by three child and youth advisory teams, with input from 10 focus groups; 23 semi-structured interviews and a total of 74 young people (10–19), from four provinces and one territory.The report concludes with a set of 4 policy recommendations – by its participants – addressed to federal, provincial/territorial and local governments, as well as to school districts, and child and youth service sectors. + - Cite this publication | No. of pages: 46 | Tags: canada, child mental health, COVID-19, indigenous children, indigenous population, mental health, mental health services, pandemic, participatory research, remote learning, rights of indigenous children × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Heather L. Ramey; Heather L. Lawford; Yana Berardini; Sarah Caimano; Sarah Epp; Chantelle Edwards; Lisa Wolff 2022 It’s Difficult to Grow Up in an Apocalypse: Children's and adolescents' experiences, perceptions and opinions on the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. , pp. 46.
Innocenti Research Report La didattica a distanza durante l’emergenza COVID-19: l’esperienza italiana AUTHOR(S) Giovanna Mascheroni; Daniel Kardefelt Winther; Marium Saeed; Lorenzo Giuseppe Zaffaroni; Davide Cino; Thomas Dreesen; Marco Valenza Published: 2021 Innocenti Research Report L'Italia e’ stata il primo paese in Europa ad aver applicato la misura del lockdown su tutto il territorio. I bambini e le loro famiglie hanno vissuto in quasi completo isolamento per circa due mesi. Gli studenti hanno perduto 65 giorni di scuola rispetto ad una media di 27 negli altri paesi ad alto reddito del mondo. Questa interruzione prolungata rappresenta motivo di preoccupazione, in quanto persino interruzioni piu’ brevi nella didattica possono causare significative perdite nel livello di istruzione dei ragazzi e portare col tempo a diseguaglianze educative. Almeno 3 milioni di studenti in Italia non sono stati coinvolti nella didattica a distanza a causa d una mancanza di connessione ad internet o di dispositivi adeguati a casa.Questo rapporto analizza l’esperienza della didattica a distanza di ragazzi e genitori in Italia durante il lockdown, sulla base dei dati raccolti in 11 paesi europei (e coordinati dal Centro comune di ricerca della Commissione Europea). Studia il cambiamento nell’accesso e nell’uso delle tecnologie digitali dei bambini e ragazzi durante la pandemia; mette in evidenza come le diseguaglianze esistenti possano diminuire le opportunità offerte dalla didattica a distanza, anche tra coloro che hanno accesso ad internet; e fornisce approfondimenti su come sostenere la didattica a distanza di bambini e ragazzi in futuro. + - Cite this publication | Thematic area: Child well-being, Education, Kids online | Tags: access to education, COVID-19, COVID-19 response, education, internet, pandemic, parents, remote learning, working parents × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Giovanna Mascheroni; Daniel Kardefelt Winther; Marium Saeed; Lorenzo Giuseppe Zaffaroni; Davide Cino; Thomas Dreesen; Marco Valenza 2021 La didattica a distanza durante l’emergenza COVID-19: l’esperienza italiana.
Innocenti Research Report Learning at a Distance: Children’s remote learning experiences in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic AUTHOR(S) Giovanna Mascheroni; Marium Saeed; Marco Valenza; Davide Cino; Thomas Dreesen; Lorenzo Giuseppe Zaffaroni; Daniel Kardefelt Winther Published: 2021 Innocenti Research Report Italy was the first country in Europe to implement a nationwide lockdown. Children and their families lived in nearly complete isolation for almost two months. Students missed 65 days of school compared to an average of 27 missed days among high-income countries worldwide. This prolonged break is of concern, as even short breaks in schooling can cause significant loss of learning for children and lead to educational inequalities over time. At least 3 million Italian students may not have been reached by remote learning due to a lack of internet connectivity or devices at home.This report explores children’s and parents’ experiences of remote learning during the lockdown in Italy, drawing on data collected from 11 European countries (and coordinated by the European Commission’s Joint Research Center). It explores how children's access and use of digital technologies changed during the pandemic; highlights how existing inequalities might undermine remote learning opportunities, even among those with internet access; and provides insights on how to support children’s remote learning in the future.***La didattica a distanza durante l’emergenza COVID-19: l’esperienza italianaL'Italia e’ stata il primo paese in Europa ad aver applicato la misura del lockdown su tutto il territorio. I bambini e le loro famiglie hanno vissuto in quasi completo isolamento per circa due mesi. Gli studenti hanno perduto 65 giorni di scuola rispetto ad una media di 27 negli altri paesi ad alto reddito del mondo. Questa interruzione prolungata rappresenta motivo di preoccupazione, in quanto persino interruzioni piu’ brevi nella didattica possono causare significative perdite nel livello di istruzione dei ragazzi e portare col tempo a diseguaglianze educative. Almeno 3 milioni di studenti in Italia non sono stati coinvolti nella didattica a distanza a causa d una mancanza di connessione ad internet o di dispositivi adeguati a casa. Questo rapporto analizza l’esperienza della didattica a distanza di ragazzi e genitori in Italia durante il lockdown, sulla base dei dati raccolti in 11 paesi europei (e coordinati dal Centro comune di ricerca della Commissione Europea). Studia il cambiamento nell’accesso e nell’uso delle tecnologie digitali dei bambini e ragazzi durante la pandemia; mette in evidenza come le diseguaglianze esistenti possano diminuire le opportunità offerte dalla didattica a distanza, anche tra coloro che hanno accesso ad internet; e fornisce approfondimenti su come sostenere la didattica a distanza di bambini e ragazzi in futuro. + - Cite this publication | Thematic area: Child well-being, Education, Kids online | Tags: access to education, COVID-19, COVID-19 response, education, internet, pandemic, parents, remote learning, working parents × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Giovanna Mascheroni; Marium Saeed; Marco Valenza; Davide Cino; Thomas Dreesen; Lorenzo Giuseppe Zaffaroni; Daniel Kardefelt Winther 2021 Learning at a Distance: Children’s remote learning experiences in Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Miscellanea Best of UNICEF Research and Evaluation 2020 Published: 2020 Miscellanea Evidence and objective assessment are needed more than ever to help enhance the rights and well-being of the world’s children. Researching the changing world around us and evaluating progress are two sides of the same coin, both critical to reimagining a better future for children. In recognition of this, UNICEF celebrates and showcases innovative and influential research and evaluations from our offices around the world every year. For 2020, Innocenti and the Evaluation Office joined forces to find the most rigorous UNICEF studies with greatest influence on policies and programmes that benefit children. + - Cite this publication | No. of pages: 164 | Thematic area: Knowledge management | Tags: adolescents, birth registration, breastfeeding, cash transfers, child labour, child poverty, child protection, early childhood development, humanitarian emergencies, hygiene, institutionalized children, internet, migration, nutrition, pandemic, policy issues, primary education, sanitation, unaccompanied children, water × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION 2020 Best of UNICEF Research and Evaluation 2020. , pp. 164.
Innocenti Working Papers COVID-19: Effects of school closures on foundational skills and promising practices for monitoring and mitigating learning loss AUTHOR(S) Maria Carolina Alban Conto; Spogmai Akseer; Thomas Dreesen; Akito Kamei; Suguru Mizunoya; Annika Rigole Published: 2020 Innocenti Working Papers While remote learning measures are essential for mitigating the short-term and long-term consequences of COVID-19 school closures, little is known about their impact on and effectiveness for learning. This working paper contributes to filling this gap by: 1. Exploring how disrupted schooling may affect foundational learning skills, using data from MICS6 (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys - round 6) in 2017–2019; 2. Examining how countries are delivering and monitoring remote learning based on data from the UNESCO-UNICEF-World Bank’s National Education Responses to COVID-19 School Closures survey; and 3. Presenting promising key practices for the effective delivery and monitoring of remote learning. + - Cite this publication | No. of pages: 30 | Thematic area: Education | Tags: COVID-19, COVID-19 response, education, learning, pandemic, remote learning, skills development × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Maria Carolina Alban Conto; Spogmai Akseer; Thomas Dreesen; Akito Kamei; Suguru Mizunoya; Annika Rigole 2020 COVID-19: Effects of school closures on foundational skills and promising practices for monitoring and mitigating learning loss. , pp. 30.
Innocenti Research Briefs COVID-19: How prepared are global education systems for future crises? AUTHOR(S) Asif Saeed Memon; Annika Rigole; Taleen Vartan Nakashian; Wongani Grace Taulo; Cirenia Chávez; Suguru Mizunoya Published: 2020 Innocenti Research Briefs This research brief is one of a series exploring the effects of COVID-19 on education. It focuses on how school closures affect children and the resiliency of education systems to respond to such disruptions and mitigate their effect. + - Cite this publication | No. of pages: 7 | Thematic area: Education | Tags: crisis, education, equity, gender issues, pandemic, resiliency, violence × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Asif Saeed Memon; Annika Rigole; Taleen Vartan Nakashian; Wongani Grace Taulo; Cirenia Chávez; Suguru Mizunoya 2020 COVID-19: How prepared are global education systems for future crises?. , pp. 7.
Innocenti Working Papers Impacts of Pandemics and Epidemics on Child Protection: Lessons learned from a rapid review in the context of COVID-19 AUTHOR(S) Shivit Bakrania; Cirenia Chávez; Alessandra Ipince; Matilde Rocca; Sandy Oliver; Claire Stansfield; Ramya Subrahmanian Published: 2020 Innocenti Working Papers This rapid review collates and synthesizes evidence on the child protection impacts of COVID-19 and previous pandemics, epidemics and infectious disease outbreaks. It provides lessons for global and national responses to COVID19 and recommendations for future research priorities. The evidence on the impacts of pandemics and epidemics on child protection outcomes is limited and skewed towards studies on the effects of HIV/AIDS on stigma. There is also some evidence on the effects of Ebola on outcomes such as orphanhood, sexual violence and exploitation, and school enrolment, attendance and dropout. The evidence on other pandemics or epidemics, including COVID-19, is extremely limited.There are various pathways through which infectious disease outbreaks can exacerbate vulnerabilities, generate new risks and result in negative outcomes for children. Outcomes are typically multi-layered, with immediate outcomes for children, families and communities - such as being orphaned, stigmatization and discrimination and reductions in household income - leading to further negative risks and outcomes for children in the intermediate term. These risks include child labour and domestic work, harmful practices (including early marriage), and early and adolescent pregnancy. Lessons from previous pandemics and epidemics suggest that the following could mitigate the child protection risks:Responding to children in vulnerable circumstances, including orphans (e.g. throughpsychosocial interventions focused on improving mental health and community-based interventions that provide families with resources and access to services)Responding to stigmatization and discrimination (e.g. throughinformation and communication campaigns and support from public health systems, communities and schools)Investing in social protectionenable livelihoods during outbreaks and to counteract shocksPromoting access to health, protective and justice services, which may be restricted or suspending during infectious disease outbreaksEnsuring continued access to education, particularly for girls, who may be adversely affectedThere is a high burden of proof for data collection during the current COVID-19 outbreak than there would be in normal circumstances. Evidence generation strategies during and after the COVID-19 crisis should consider rigorous retrospective reviews and building upon monitoring, evidence and learning functions of pre-existing programmes – particularly where there is ongoing longitudinal data collection. There should also be efforts to synthesize evidence from existing research on the effectiveness of interventions that respond to the key risk pathways identified in this review. The research brief can be found here.Access the Evidence Gap Map on child protection and violence outcomes here.Access the study protocol here. + - Cite this publication | Thematic area: Child Protection | Tags: child labour, child protection, COVID-19, COVID-19 response, education, HIV and AIDS, mental health, outbreak preparedness, pandemic, public policy, school dropouts × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Shivit Bakrania; Cirenia Chávez; Alessandra Ipince; Matilde Rocca; Sandy Oliver; Claire Stansfield; Ramya Subrahmanian 2020 Impacts of Pandemics and Epidemics on Child Protection: Lessons learned from a rapid review in the context of COVID-19.
Innocenti Research Briefs Research Brief: Impacts of Pandemics and Epidemics on Child Protection: Lessons learned from a rapid review in the context of COVID-19 AUTHOR(S) Shivit Bakrania; Ramya Subrahmanian Published: 2020 Innocenti Research Briefs This research brief summarizes the findings of a rapid review that collates and synthesizes evidence on the child protection impacts of COVID-19 and previous pandemics, epidemics and infectious disease outbreaks. It provides lessons for global and national responses to COVID19 and recommendations for future research priorities. The evidence on the impacts of pandemics and epidemics on child protection outcomes is limited and skewed towards studies on the effects of HIV/AIDS on stigma. There is also some evidence on the effects of Ebola on outcomes such as orphanhood, sexual violence and exploitation, and school enrolment, attendance and dropout. The evidence on other pandemics or epidemics, including COVID-19. is extremely limited.There are various pathways through which infectious disease outbreaks can exacerbate vulnerabilities, generate new risks and result in negative outcomes for children. Outcomes are typically multi-layered, with immediate outcomes for children, families and communities - such as being orphaned, stigmatization and discrimination and reductions in household income - leading to further negative risks and outcomes for children in the intermediate term. These risks include child labour and domestic work, harmful practices (including early marriage), and early and adolescent pregnancy. Lessons from previous pandemics and epidemics suggest that the following could mitigate the child protection risks:Responding to children in vulnerable circumstances, including orphans (e.g. throughpsychosocial interventions focused on improving mental health and community-based interventions that provide families with resources and access to services)Responding to stigmatization and discrimination (e.g. throughinformation and communication campaigns and support from public health systems, communities and schools)Investing in social protectionenable livelihoods during outbreaks and to counteract shocksPromoting access to health, protective and justice services, which may be restricted or suspending during infectious disease outbreaksEnsuring continued access to education, particularly for girls, who may be adversely affectedThere is a high burden of proof for data collection during the current COVID-19 outbreak than there would be in normal circumstances. Evidence generation strategies during and after the COVID-19 crisis should consider rigorous retrospective reviews and building upon monitoring, evidence and learning functions of pre-existing programmes – particularly where there is ongoing longitudinal data collection. There should also be efforts to synthesize evidence from existing research on the effectiveness of interventions that respond to the key risk pathways identified in this review. The full report can be found here.Access the Evidence Gap Map on child protection and violence outcomes here.Access the study protocol here. + - Cite this publication | No. of pages: 6 | Tags: child labour, child protection, COVID-19, COVID-19 response, HIV and AIDS, mental health, outbreak preparedness, pandemic, public policy, school dropouts × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Shivit Bakrania; Ramya Subrahmanian 2020 Research Brief: Impacts of Pandemics and Epidemics on Child Protection: Lessons learned from a rapid review in the context of COVID-19. , pp. 6.
Innocenti Working Papers A Rapid Review of Economic Policy and Social Protection Responses to Health and Economic Crises and Their Effects on Children: Lessons for the COVID-19 pandemic response AUTHOR(S) Nyasha Tirivayi; Dominic Richardson; Maja Gavrilovic; Valeria Groppo; Lusajo Kajula; Elsa Valli; Francesca Viola Published: 2020 Innocenti Working Papers This rapid review seeks to inform the initial and long-term public policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, by assessing evidence on past economic policy and social protection responses to health and economic crises and their effects on children and families. The review focuses on virus outbreaks/emergencies, economic crises and natural disasters, which, like the COVID-19 pandemic, were 'rapid' in onset, had wide-ranging geographical reach, and resulted in disruption of social services and economic sectors, without affecting governance systems. Evidence is also drawn from the HIV/AIDS pandemic, due to its impacts on adult mortality rates and surviving children. The available evidence on the effects of economic policy and social protection responses is uneven across outcomes, regions, and type of policy response as a large body of literature focused on social assistance programmes. Future research on the COVID-19 pandemic can prioritize the voices of children and the marginalized, assess the effects of expansionary and austerity measures, examine the role of design and implementation, social care services, pre-existing macro-level health, demographic and health conditions and the diverse regional health and economic impacts of the pandemic. The paper also provides key lessons for public policy responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. + - Cite this publication | No. of pages: 56 | Thematic area: Social Policies | Tags: COVID-19 response, economic and social conditions, economic crisis, HIV and AIDS, literature surveys, outbreak preparedness, pandemic, public policy × COPY BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION Nyasha Tirivayi; Dominic Richardson; Maja Gavrilovic; Valeria Groppo; Lusajo Kajula; Elsa Valli; Francesca Viola 2020 A Rapid Review of Economic Policy and Social Protection Responses to Health and Economic Crises and Their Effects on Children: Lessons for the COVID-19 pandemic response. , pp. 56.