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Older Persons in the 2004 Tsunami and other Emergencies

Older Persons in the 2004 Tsunami and other Emergencies. Annalies Borrel Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy Unit, UNICEF. UNICEF Mission Statement.

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Older Persons in the 2004 Tsunami and other Emergencies

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  1. Older Persons in the 2004 Tsunami and other Emergencies Annalies Borrel Humanitarian Policy and Advocacy Unit, UNICEF

  2. UNICEF Mission Statement • Mandated to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basis needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential • Guided by the provisions and principles of the Convention of the Rights of the Child • Responds in emergencies to protect the rights of children….ensure the rigorous application of standards covering their rights and provide children and those who provide their care with assistance

  3. UNICEF Policy Frameworks to Support Unaccompanied Children • The Principle of Family Unity • IASC Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children • The Principles to Guide Programming for Orphans and other Children affected by HIV/AIDS “efforts must be made to protect family unity and avoid family separation ….”

  4. Tsunami: Separated and Unaccompanied Children • Across the region, an estimated 3,800 separated or unaccompanied children • Protection mechanisms in place to support family reunification and unity

  5. Tsunami: Family Reunification and Supporting Extended Care • Prevention of family separation • Trace and unite families (75% of children now placed with family and community members including older people) • Promote extended family or community care, including grandparents or older members of community • Provide care-givers with extra assistance to meet children’s needs • Collaborate with Government to develop mechanisms to support host families, including older people during reconstruction period

  6. Tsunami: Provision of Psychosocial Support to Children and Care Givers • Psychosocial Care and Protection Guiding Principles (January 2005) • “psychosocial wellbeing of adults and (and other caregivers) should be addressed through concurrent interventions…. • Reconnecting families, friends and neighbors • Fostering social connections and interactions • Restoring people’s control over their life • Training for teachers, social workers and other members of community in social support

  7. HIV/AIDS; Older persons as Care-givers of Orphans and Vulnerable Children • 14 million orphans • 20-50% are taken care of by grandparents • Assist communities to strengthen traditional safety-nets • Provision of assistance to enable older people to play this critical role in care of children Strengthen the capacity of families to protect and care for orphans……. Improve household economic capacity…. Strengthen and support child care capacities…

  8. Extended Families Care for Orphans: the Role of Grandparents Percentage of children ages 0-14 who are double orphans and single orphans (not living with surviving parent) by relation to head of household Source: Measure DHS 2000-2004.

  9. HIV/AIDS: Grandparents are taking on an increasing role in caring for children Percent of children ages 0-14 who are double orphans or single orphans (not living with surviving parent) cared for by their grandparents Source: Measure DHS 1992-2004.

  10. Nutrition in Emergencies • Assessment tools bias towards children e.g. surveys • Treatment facilities must equally address services for adults and older persons e.g. Sudan • Role of older persons in supporting good infant feeding practices e.g. Kosovo

  11. Recommendations • Need for agencies to recognize and incorporate older persons in all aspects of relief programming • Recognize and strengthen community-based social support structures in crises • Document and share experiences of situations where older persons are making significant contributions in crises • Include older people in inter-agency emergency programming guidelines • IASC cluster approach must systematically include older persons as cross-cutting theme

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