Technical note: Covid-19 and children deprived of their liberty

Experience from previous infectious disease outbreaks indicates that new child protection risks are likely to emerge from the direct effects of COVID-19 as well as from measures to prevent and control its spread. Moreover, existing child protection risks are likely to be exacerbated. Some groups of people are more vulnerable in these circumstances, including, as discussed in this note, children deprived of their liberty, who often have compromised psychosocial, physical and mental health issues, live in crowded or unhygienic conditions and are more vulnerable to abuse and neglect. Lessons learned from previous outbreaks emphasize the need for States to accommodate increased child protection needs when devising and implementing their response plans. Failure to address such needs or delayed implementation of coordinated responses can increase suffering, cause irreparable harm to children and can delay the recovery of whole communities.