Learning from COVID-19: Regional Perspectives on Supporting Children’s Wellbeing, and the stories of Fabel Pineda and Sally Ujano.

COVID-19 abruptly thrust the rights and wellbeing of children and families into greater risk around the world. The impact of COVID-19 on children continues to be vast. Risks posed to children’s survival and development, to their special protections, education, health and access to food, for example, are being greatly compounded not only by COVID-19, but also by government responses. 

To address the impact of COVID-19 on children in the long term, Inspiring Children’s Futures created the COVID 4P Log smartphone app, to better understand the changing demands on policy and practice. The COVID 4P Log project was created in partnership with 17 international key partners, including Child Rights Coalition Asia, across different cultures and contexts, in 22 countries across five continents.

While supporting children during COVID-19 was, and continues to be, a global struggle, the in-country priorities and challenges faced by providers’ and policymakers’ range widely in some areas.

In Kenya, respondents said that children faced worsened access to basic needs, particularly in food and quality health care, loss of livelihoods, and disproportionate funding, compared to the needs of communities. They were concerned with resulting increases in adolescent pregnancies and gender-based violence, food insecurity and missed medication doses (particularly concerning children living with HIV).

In Scotland, respondents found it challenging to maintain advocacy activities without face-to-face working; to support staff given the rapidly changing levels of COVID regulations; and to gather children’s independent views without face-to-face contact with them. Respondents noted lessons learned such as supporting greater advocacy for collaboration between local authorities and the third sector, and increased knowledge of digital platforms for engaging with children.

In the Philippines, respondents faced misinformation on COVID-19, barriers to advocacy due to shrinking civic spaces and closure of NGO activity and lack of resources. COVID restrictions created difficulties coping with online education, negatively affected mental health, ‘fear and confusion’ and increased risk of online abuse due to increased use of social media (as well as the restrained participation of children as adults navigated the challenges of using the digital environment for child rights advocacy).

All of these take place within a broader political context. 

In the same year that COVID-19 restrictions took effect, human rights activists in the Philippines faced several events which pose threats to fundamental democratic freedoms. Press freedom was undermined, human rights defenders were killed and arrested, and peaceful assemblies were restricted. CIVICUS Monitor, which tracks respect for fundamental freedoms in 196 countries, rated the Philippines’ civic space ‘repressed’ in December 2020, due to concerns about attacks on journalists and human rights defenders.

COVID 4P Log responses from the Philippines echo a pattern of concern about institutions of power and shrinking civic space in recent years. 

One respondent noted the murder of 15-year-old Fabel Pineda, after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a police officer whilst in custody for violating a quarantine curfew:

‘...It was really challenging not only could we not stage a protest as expression of our indignation, but it was also particularly difficult during this time because of the preeminence of politics in the country. 

The case just died like that. 

It is sad because even when we promote child helplines and tell children to “report, report, report” the existing laws and mechanisms could not protect them.’ 

Most recently, human rights defenders in the Philippines and internationally have denounced the detention of respected child rights and women’s rights leader, Ma.  Salome “Sally” Crisostomo-Ujano.

Sally was arrested on the 14th of November in Bulacan, Philippines for the alleged charge of rebellion, filed in 2005. Sally has had a prolific career working for the rights of children and women, serving as the National Coordinator of the Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT) since 2008, and previously as Executive Director of the Women’s Crisis Centre, in regular liaison with the Philippine National Police Women and Child Protection Unit and the Philippine Commission on Women.

On Sally’s arrest, Amihan Abueva, Regional Executive Director of Child Rights Coalition Asia, noted:

‘Her arrest is an affront to civil society organisations that legitimately and proactively pursue constructive and healthy engagements and partnerships with the government to uphold the rights of all women and children.’ 

The aforementioned challenges appear to reflect the realities of a reducing civic space in the country. In response, Abueva advises ‘responses to the pandemic, particularly addressing children’s needs, could be improved with available open channels for dialogues of civil society organizations with governments that enhance collaboration.’

Critical to supporting children’s wellbeing is supporting our colleagues and friends who uphold children’s human rights, who advocate for a better future for our children, and who support families facing the greatest adversity. This is more critical than ever, as we face the continuing threat of the pandemic on children’s wellbeing. Practitioners like Sally - whose work involves pursuing offenders and abusers in these times of increased levels of violence - need to be protected so that they can ensure the fulfilment of children’s rights and wellbeing. 

Inspiring Children’s Futures and Child Rights Coalition Asia stand together with communities in the Philippines and with the international community in calling for the immediate dismissal Sally Ujano’s case, and the end of the continuous harassment of child rights defenders in the Asian region. Her detention is a disservice to all child rights practitioners and advocates who risk their lives to promote children's rights and wellbeing.

Investing in the promotion and protection of children’s human rights is an investment in a country’s strong future. Ultimately, this effort to deter those working to promote children’s wellbeing undermines our global future. 

Read and download the Philippines Learning Report here.

Read and download the Learning Report exploring the investment in children’s well-being as an investment in the future resilience of communities, in the Economy and Children’s Well-Being Learning Report here.

Read and download the full range of COVID 4P Log Learning reports here.