Climate change is not only an environmental issue; it is a protection crisis, disproportionately affecting children, and the consequences are felt most acutely in the East Asia and Pacific region. Both sudden and slow onset climate-related disasters trigger displacement, family separation, undermine family and community resilience, and drive violence, exploitation, abuse and harmful practices. Climate change is undermining, overwhelming and disrupting protection services. Yet protection systems continue to be excluded from investments to build resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change. An investment in resilient child protection systems is an investment in climate adaptation. It fosters the stability and resilience of families, enabling them to effectively prepare for, respond to and recover from the impacts of climate change. By integrating child protection into climate change and disaster strategies, governments and partners can ensure vulnerable populations are protected, while maximizing the impact and sustainability of climate action and investments. Climate-resilient child protection systems are effectively able to:
- Prevent, mitigate and respond to climate-related protection risks and harms affecting children, including violence, gender-based violence, abuse, exploitation, neglect, harmful practices and family separation;
- Strengthen family and community capacities to cope with and recover from climate-related shocks and stresses; Provide a continuum of protection and care before, during and after a disaster, reaching children where they are; and
- Promote and facilitate community engagement and participation.
