Essay Focus

Children’s rights in emergencies and disasters

Angela Penrose, Mie Takaki

Lancet 2006; 367: 698–99 “Profoundly concerned that the situation of children in
Penquite House, Liskeard, many parts of the world remains critical as a result of
Cornwall, PL14 5AQ, UK inadequate social conditions, natural disasters, armed
(A Penrose MA); and Plan Asia conflicts, exploitation, illiteracy, hunger and disability,
Regional Office, Na-Nakorn and convinced that urgent and effective national and
Building, Laksi, Bangkok, international action is called for”
Thailand (M Takaki)
Correspondence to: The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is
Angela Penrose intended to guarantee children their inalienable rights in
[email protected] all circumstances. As indicated in the preamble, during
natural disasters, when children are at their most
vulnerable, these rights need to be enforced by the State
and other parties dealing with the emergency in question.
According to the World Disasters Report of 2001,1 about
66·5 million children were affected by natural disasters in
every year of the previous decade, considerably more than
in the decade before; while 10 million children were
affected by conflict. Exactly how many children were
among the 300 000 victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami
of December, 2004, is not known, but an estimate of
100 000 is cautious. This figure would have been greatly

Bruno Oudmayer (Plan International)

reduced had more information and skills related to
disaster reduction and response been available.
In the aftermath of a disaster, ensuring the survival of
children should be, and generally is, a priority of relief
agencies and governments, with UNICEF and other child-
focused agencies who arrive on the scene of a disaster
undertaking rapid assessments to ascertain health and Children playing the day after the tsunami
nutrition needs. The Humanitarian Charter and Minimum
Standards in Disaster Response Manual,2 contains compre- children and adolescents in emergencies. It also
hensive guidelines and standards, covering disaster emphasised the point that a child is both a “vulnerable
assistance with respect to water supply and sanitation, human being that requires protection and assistance” and
nutrition, food aid, shelter and site planning, and health an individual who “is able to form and express opinions,
services, which echo the rights and duties enshrined in to participate in decision-making processes and influence
international law in which States and other parties have solutions, to intervene as a partner in the process of social
established obligations. change and in the building of democracy”.6 As a result,
The response to the destruction of fresh-water supplies child-rights based agencies are beginning to involve
by the tsunami emphasised the importance of emergency children in the development of processes for disaster
preparedness. In Banda Aceh, on the island of Sumatra, recovery.7 Indeed, since children often constitute a large
Indonesia, 70% of the water supply system was damaged. proportion of the affected population in disasters,
In Sri Lanka and southern India, wells, water pipes, hand ignoring their capacity means undermining that of the
pumps, and public taps were destroyed. The potential for community as a whole to cope with the situation.
water-borne diseases was avoided by the rapid provision Plan International consulted more than 300 children
of clean drinking water by relief agencies and education aged 7–17 years in communities in India, Indonesia,
about hand washing and personal hygiene. However, Sri Lanka, and Thailand that were affected by the tsunami
meeting physical survival needs is not sufficient to ensure to find out how they were involved in the disaster
that the experience of a disaster does not impair children’s response. Representatives of relief agencies were also
mental, social, and emotional development. The findings consulted. Exposure to the tsunami and the loss of family,
of several studies3–5 suggest disaster interventions rarely friends, homes, schools, and communities affected all
consider children holistically as the Convention indicates who survived. Many children played a part in the rescue
they should. and emergency stages of the aftermath that has hardly
During the 1990s, the CRC undoubtedly increased been acknowledged. Nevertheless, a year on, young
recognition of the importance of the provision of people are frustrated and disempowered by the long
education and of psychosocial and protective measures for delays in rebuilding homes, schools, and family

698 www.thelancet.com Vol 367 February 25, 2006

 Essay Focus

livelihoods; they long for opportunities to play an active

part in reconstruction rather than becoming frustrated
and dependent during the protracted period of
displacement.
It is noteworthy that the immediate response to the
tsunami was led by survivors in the affected villages and
individuals in neighbouring communities, indicating the
potential of those affected, including children, to take
charge of events. Children acted instinctively when faced Rights were not granted to include this image in electronic
with the disaster and used whatever skills and knowledge media. Please refer to the printed journal
they had to save themselves and help others. In their
accounts, the children speak of rescuing younger and
older people, applying first aid, taking injured people to
hospital, and searching for family members (panel). In
the temporary and permanent camps, they took on roles
looking after older and younger people, collecting food,

Getty Images
queuing for water, and cleaning kitchens, toilets, and
bathrooms.
Every new disaster brings renewed demands for a Children playing football at a temporary tent school in Banda Aceh, Indonesia
swifter response, but the danger is that such requests
strengthen and centralise the power and authority of the basic rights to survival, development, and protection For Plan International’s Reports
technical and sectoral agencies, which in turn strengthen must be fulfilled—and as actors—providing useful from the tsunami see
http://www.plan-international.
fast-moving, non-participatory practices that undermine knowledge of their communities, neighbourhoods, and org/news/publications
the ability of communities to respond. This development family assets, and actively contributing to disaster relief
presents a paradox: at a time when humanitarian and recovery efforts.
agencies agree that considering the participation of The results of the study by Plan International indicate
children and young people is difficult if not impossible, that the active involvement of children can mitigate the
children and young people perceive themselves to be loss of life and assets that results from natural disasters,
participating to the highest degree. Inadvertently and that children’s involvement is essential to the
humanitarian actors might undermine or destroy recovery of the community in the short-term, medium-
valuable action or reaction that is already taking place. term, and long-term. The children consulted have clear
We need to see children both as beneficiaries—their ideas about the information, knowledge, and skills that
they and their communities need to be better prepared
for future disasters; all we have to do is listen.
Panel: What children who experienced the tsunami from
Conflict of interest statement
Thailand, Indonesia, did to help We declare that we have no conflict of interest.
“When the waves came, I helped disseminate the References
news.” 1 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
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publicat/wdr2001/index.asp (accessed Jan 30, 2006).
“I brought injured people to hospitals. (When they 2 The Sphere Project. Humanitarian charter and minimum
were well, they came back and gave me some gifts). I standards in disaster response, 2004 edition. http://www.
helped my friends build and repair houses. I also sphereproject.org/handbook/pages/navbook.htm?param1=0
helped people of other villages that were damaged. I (accessed Jan 30, 2006).
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emergencies. In: Janz M, Slead J. Complex humanitarian
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garbage, cleaned my house, removed damaged Health Frontiers Garden, 1999.
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