Article translated from Diario Feminista
Last Tuesday, the Catalan News Agency reported that the Official College of Psychologists detected a higher-than-usual frequency of gender violence incidents in the area affected by the DANA (Isolated Depression in High Levels). Another group of particular concern is children, as their vulnerability increases significantly after a natural disaster. Research shows an alarming rise in the risk of children becoming victims of violence in such situations. Factors like chaos, the temporary separation or loss of children from their families, financial stress, and negative coping mechanisms, such as substance use or inadequate housing and shelter conditions, can create—if nothing is done to prevent it—unstable environments where children’s well-being is not guaranteed.
After reviewing several scientific articles and recommendations from international organizations like the World Health Organization, we identified five areas on which to focus attention and efforts to mitigate and prevent the impact of child violence in these crises:
Ensure Safe Spaces and Essential Services
In disaster contexts, access to safe spaces can significantly reduce the risk of violence. By creating and/or strengthening dedicated spaces for children, such as schools that provide educational attention and care, temporary care centers, or specialized shelters, we offer a protected environment where children can receive support and care. Access to essential services such as healthcare, food, and emotional protection also helps reduce the vulnerabilities children face after a disaster.
Strengthen Community Solidarity Networks and Family Support
Supportive community networks play a crucial role in child protection, as they can detect and mitigate risk situations. It is essential for these networks to encourage cooperation among families, local organizations, and government agencies. Community efforts help reduce stress factors that could otherwise lead to incidents of violence. Programs like INSPIRE focus on involving community members with leadership potential and training families to manage post-disaster stress as healthily as possible.
Provide Psychological and Psychosocial Support to Children and Their Families
Natural disasters have a high psychological impact on both children and their caregivers, increasing stress, trauma, and the risk that these will be managed through violent behavior. The provision of psychosocial and psychological support is key to addressing these traumas and reducing the likelihood of violence. It will be crucial that these support programs rely on scientific evidence of social impact, which shows improvements in people’s lives, to avoid ineffective or even misleading information.
Implement Child Protection Protocols in Shelters and Reception Centers
It is very important that all facilities have child protection frameworks that help prevent abuse and mistreatment. These protocols include staff and volunteer training in social impact evidence for prevention, as well as detecting signs of abuse, active monitoring, and establishing accessible and safe reporting channels. Constant supervision is also crucial to protecting children in these settings.
Establish Prevention Policies and Strengthen Legal Systems
At the institutional level, specific policies and legal systems that protect children in disaster situations are essential. Legal frameworks must adapt to emergency needs, ensuring access to protection, assistance, and justice resources for children. These policies include everything from tracking and monitoring cases of violence to allocating funds and resources to respond quickly and effectively.
Preventing child violence in crisis contexts or following a natural disaster requires a comprehensive approach that combines creating safe spaces, solidarity and care networks, psychosocial intervention, and robust protection policies. These five aspects are entirely compatible with the values and sentiments that we know best protect against violence, such as solidarity, friendship, and love. The commitment and will to emerge from these situations strengthened can help us, if we choose, to offer the best of each of us.
Cofounder of "Sherezade: Dialoguing Feminism" Women's Group