Fifth Annual Report to Congress on Public Law 109-95, The Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries Act of 2005, highlights continued efforts made by the U.S. Government to improve coordination on behalf of vulnerable children. The report builds on 5 key points:
- Children continue to face extreme adversity globally:
- 115 million are engaged in hazardous work;
- 17.8 million have lost both parents;
- 13.2 million are internally displaced as a result of conflict or persecution;
- 70 million are affected by natural disaster;
- At least 2 million are in institutional care;
- 1.8 million are victims of sex trafficking or pornography;
- 5.5 million are in forced labor; and
- Unknown numbers are surviving without families
- In Fiscal year 2010, U.S. government foreign assistance for highly vulnerable children included approximately $2.8 billion channeled through more than 1,700 projects managed by over 30 offices within 7 USG agencies and departments – Agriculture, Defense, Health and Human Services, Labor, State, Peace Corps, and USAID.
- The U.S. Government’s foreign assistance program does not have one administrative home for programming that addresses vulnerable children or child protection, per se. While several programs deal with different aspects of child protection, there has been no comprehensive approach that runs through all departments and agencies working to improve the lives of children and their families. In 2011, the PL 109-95 Secretariat explored several key issues facilitate coordination by convening and supporting seminars and learning events for U.S. government offices and partners. Topics included: (1) designing interventions that advance early child development; (2) utilizing social protection to build resilience and enhance economic opportunities for families and communities; (3) strengthening a country’s social welfare workforce in order to improve access to services for vulnerable children and families.
- In December 2011, the U.S. Government hosted an Evidence Summit on Protecting Children Outside of Family Care, an interagency initiative under Public Law 109-95. A key result of the Summit was the commitment of ten senior U.S. government agency leaders to establish guiding principles and a U.S. government strategy for assistance to these children – the very first of its kind - by July 2012. This commitment was published in The Lancet on December 12, 2011. The evidence reviews will be published in Child Abuse and Neglect: The International Journal. More information on the Evidence Summit is available at www.hvcassistance.org/summit.cfm
- There is mounting scientific evidence and emphasis surrounding the devastating effects of early adversity and toxic stress on a child’s long term physical and mental health, behavior, and overall well-being – affecting adult outcomes. Key actors are taking on the “toxic stress” argument, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the White House. In keeping with the PL 109-95 mandate to coordinate and disseminate evidence-based best practices, the Secretariat is making strides to firmly and strategically integrate children’s developmental protection within health, education and other sectors, thereby laying the groundwork for coordinated interventions that more effectively address the complex nature of children’s risks and opportunities.
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