SOS Global Advocacy Position Statement on COVID-19

The Children without parental care or at risk of losing care will be adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. They will be impacted by temporary or permanent loss of parental care, their families losing jobs, slipping into poverty, being displaced or forced to move. Food insecurity is increasing. More and more children are dropping out of school or are unable to continue their education due to lack of access to distance learning. 
SOS Children’s Villages calls on Governments to prioritise the needs of children without parental care. Given their multidimensional conditions of vulnerability we ask that:
•    Social protection measures be enhanced especially those for income generation or augmenting measures for livelihood or employment opportunities.
•    Child protection services must be deemed essential services and must be resourced as such. Inter-agency cooperation must be strengthened to give children, in care or from fragile family environment, the services they need.
•    Progress made in furthering quality of care in alternative care must be enhanced. This could mean putting in place stronger gatekeeping and monitoring mechanisms, may be virtual or remote methods. 
•    Support to care leavers to find psychosocial care, increased training and livelihood support
Above all, we ask for promoting and protecting the rights of the child, especially the most vulnerable children and young people.
View full statement 
https://www.soschildrensvillages.lk/getmedia/fea401e0-e1c6-46cc-ab8c-0d6027eb5653/Covid19_Advocacy_PositionStatement_FINAL_3.pdf