A global charity is advocating for child-based disaster resilience planning at this week's Global Platform

Children’s experiences and opinions must be taken into account when predicting, preparing for and responding to disasters, says a global charity.

THINK back to some of the world’s major disasters – the 2004 tsunami, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, or the most recent earthquake in China – and it is children you think of. Children separated from their families; children whose homes have collapsed and whose parents are missing; children experiencing bewilderment and trauma who have had their lives and education profoundly disrupted.

But until now, children’s opinions have traditionally not been widely featured in disaster research. It is adults who analyse and plan disaster response, and aid workers, CEOs and government officials who put these plans into place.

At the UN’s Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) event in Geneva this month, which will bring together a high-powered group of policy-makers to discuss DRR, a charity will claim that children themselves can contribute to DRR and to building the resilience of their communities.

The DRR team from Plan International, a children’s rights charity, will present evidence that child-centred DRR work, focusing on the specific risks faced by children, and involving children in efforts to reduce disaster risk, should be prioritised in policy agendas.

Kelly Hawrylyshyn, DRR advisor at Plan UK, says: “We have a chance now to shape the policies, secure the political commitments and financial resources needed for a more resilient planet and resilient people, including today’s and future generations. DRR which is more inclusive of girls and boys should be everybody’s business.”

As part of a Children’s Charter, the charity and its NGO partners interviewed over 600 children in 21 high risk countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, asking them to suggest their key concerns during disasters and offer suggestions for planning for disasters.

During the interviews, children told of issues such as structural safety problems in their communities; exploitation and abuse during disasters and a lack of access to useful information.

Children in India, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic explained that they cannot go to school during a disaster as there is no alternative provided by relief agencies.

“There should be a curriculum for students in high risk areas where in the event of a disaster they are not able to attend class,” said Paola, 13, from El Jicaral, Nicaragua. “We ask them to take us into account so that we can pass our classes with higher grades and learn all the knowledge that our teachers want to teach us.”

Others in Ethiopia said child protection was their top priority.

“The first thing that needs to be ensured is the protection of children,” says Moges, a boy from Ethiopia. “Otherwise there will be no education or anything else.”
Major preoccupations included children feeling that they were not listened to, and children feeling unable to participate in DRR decision making.

Theresa, a girl from Zambia, points out: “We are involved in actual DRR work, such as labour for constructing a bridge, but we are left out of meetings.”

Pedro, a boy from east Timor, adds that when given appropriate information, children can communicate it on to their elders

“I have passed information on to my grandfather and grandmother who live and work on their farm,” he explains. “I increased their capacity and they have already made changes on their farm to reduce the risk of disasters; they have chopped down tree branches and burnt off old areas of grass to avoid fire.”

Many children cited their concerns about structural problems in their communities, explaining that they need solid buildings and functional water points.

“Some people don’t have the knowledge to build in safe areas,” says Florina from East Timor. “For example, they build next to a river in the dry season but when it rains it will be washed away.”

The team will argue that during disasters, children often face injury, illness, separation from their families, interruption to their education and an increase in child labour and trafficking. As such, they have a unique insight into what the risks are and how to avoid them.

Jacobo Ocharan, Head of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Plan International, explains: “DRR means supporting communities and individuals to have the capacity to deal with disasters – to predict, prepare and respond. This is what it means to be resilient. Building capacity for and from children means listening to children, letting them participate in resilience planning and helping them be the agents of their own resilience.

“Our message is to please listen to children and their needs for DRR, and include their needs in the next HFA2. This is absolutely doable – and we have found that children often come up with the best and most efficient solutions.”

Ocharan will advocate that children’s views should be firmly integrated into DRR and climate change adaptation programmes.

As a result of the Children’s Charter, five priority areas have been drawn up for child-centred DRR. Schools must be safe and education must not be interrupted; child protection must be a priority before, during and after a disaster; children have the right to access the information that they need; community infrastructure must be safe, and relief and reconstruction must help reduce future risk – and DRR must reach the most vulnerable.

Hengmeang, 17, from Cambodia, is attending the Global Platform in Geneva as a child delegate, and says asking children is paramount to understanding the complex issues of DRR.

He says: “I believe children’s participation is very important because only children can tell adults about their suffering. Many children are very vulnerable and they can lose their lives when disasters happen in their community. I, along with other children, want to live in a place where the community and schools are safe from any kind of disasters.

“I plan to share with other children my knowledge and experience on DRR in Cambodia at the global platform. If I have the chance, I want to share my experiences of promoting children’s rights in Cambodia, which I usually do by training other children to help them understand their rights.”

Sophoeurn, 18, lives in Siem Reap province, Cambodia, and is also attending the summit. She says that when children and young people know how to reduce disaster risks, they can better protect themselves from different kinds of risks and they can also help with DRR activities that can make communities and schools safe.

“To give you an example, I lead the children’s council at my school and together we worked with the local commune council to put DRR into the commune investment plan. I strongly suggest to the government and NGOs to listen to children’s voices because only children can understand their own problems and needs.”