Listening to the Voices of Children and Young People during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Can we get meaningful policy and practice responses using a child-rights framework?

Shanti Raman (IS)
 Hajime Takeuchi (BUKKYO University)
 Sharanya Napier-Raman (University of Sydney)
 Mehek Naeem (University of Lahore)
 Naeem Zafar (ISPCAN)
 Meita Dhamayanti (Universitas Padjadjaran)
 Rajeev Seth (ISPCAN)

ISPCAN International Congress
 Milan 2021

International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN)

MIlan

Objectives: Our objectives in this collaboration from the ISSOP Asia-Pacific hub and part of the partnership with ISPCAN
 was to explore issues pertinent to violence against children. Methods: We explored four case studies from India
 Japan
 Pakistan and Indonesia
 which employed different methodologies for gathering views and experiences of COVID-19 from marginalised CYP and their families.Results: CYP responses from across the four case studies revealed that their lives have dramatically changed
 psychological stresses related to school closures
 lockdowns and loss of family income have escalated.Conclusions: A child rights-based response demands that we privilege young voices and ensure policy and practice is responsive to their views. CYP are a major resource and can be part of solutions to counter the effects of the pandemic.