Children and Covid-19 Advocacy Briefs
We take pleasure in inviting you to the launch of the Children and COVID-19 advocacy briefs: Tuesday 3 August from 10:00 - 12:00
While children are less likely to spread the virus and are at lower risk of infection and serious complications than adults, government’s efforts to curb infections have had a profound impact on children that will be felt for years to come.
Lockdown measures have caused significant collateral damage: deepening levels of poverty and hunger, intensifying pressures and the threat of violence within the home, and limiting women and children’s access to schools, health care, early childhood development and other support services.
This series of advocacy briefs foregrounds how COVID-19 has impacted on children’s health care, education, early childhood development, nutrition, mental health, and exposure to violence, and it calls on government to put children at the centre of South Africa’s COVID-19 response and recovery plans.
The briefs draw on data from the Western Cape - using this early epicentre of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa as an illustrative case to identify strengths and weaknesses, and highlight opportunities to strengthen systems and support for children during this and future crises.
These advocacy briefs were developed by the Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town in collaboration with the Children’s Hospital Trust and the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.
