Uganda Solidarity Summit must prioritise South Sudanese child refugees
South Sudanese refugee children in the Bidi Bidi settlement in northern Uganda
Today, on the occasion of the Global Disability Summit, the UK Government became the first major donor of its kind to explicitly pledge support for family and community-based care for all children.
Championing families and not orphanages, Secretary of State for International Development, Penny Mordaunt, announced: “Orphanages are harmful to children and it is often those with disabilities who are placed in them the most. This needs to end, which is why I’m committed to the long-term plan to ensure all children grow up with a family of their own.”
An NGO alliance including Hope and Homes, Lumos, Save the Children and World Vision - have joined forces to echo the UK Government’s commitment and support global change for children trapped in orphanages, especially those with disabilities who are the furthest left behind. The launch ofthe new ‘Civil Society Compact [CSO Compact]’ sets out a pathway for change to help eliminate orphanages worldwide.
“Recognising that institutionalisation harms children – and that children with disabilities are overrepresented in institutions –we commit to work together toward eliminating the institutionalisation of children globally. Ensuring our organisations do not contribute towards the institutionalisation of children, directly or indirectly - and in line with international treaties and best practice, we share the UK Government’s pledge to enable all children to have the opportunity to realise their right to family care.”
World Vision is a proud signatory to the CSO Compact, which is set out in full below.
Now is the time for other governments, funders, companies and individuals to follow suit and invest in alternatives to orphanages so all children can thrive in families.
CSO COMPACT
Recognising that institutionalisation harms children’s physical, emotional, psychological and psychosocial development, the undersigned organisations pledge to work toward the end of institutionalization of children and for the promotion of family-based care.
The occasion of the first Global Disability Summit makes this a particularly appropriate moment for this commitment, since children with disabilities are often the first to enter an institution and the last to leave.
In-line with international treaties and best practice, including the UN Guidelines on the Alternative Care of Children, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we share the UK Government’s pledge to enable all children to have the opportunity to realise their right to family care and, in accordance with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development, commit to leave no child behind in this effort.
We are committed to ensuring our organisations do not, either directly or indirectly, contribute towards the institutionalisation of children. We are also committed to coordinating our activities and resources to maximise our collective efforts to support the transition to family and community-based care worldwide. Specifically, we commit to coordinating around six key themes:
Raising awareness and understanding in a way that stops the flow of funding and resources in support of orphanages and other types of institutions, and helping to redirect this support to family and community-based solutions. We will also seek to influence our partners, supporters and donors to work in a coordinated way to do the same.
Encouraging the integration of child protection and care services with health and education support in order to promote family-based care and ensure that the wide-ranging needs of children with disabilities and their carers are met.
Advocating with decision-makers - international and national - to prevent the placement of children into institutions, and to ensure that legislation and policy are always derived from a locally developed evidence base on how to best combat the key drivers of institutionalisation.
Investing in (whether financial or in-kind) local partner capacity – civil society and local authorities – to effectively manage the transition from institutions to quality family and community-based care in ways that protect the rights of affected children.
Promoting the meaningful participation of children and young people - actively seeking out, listening to and acting on the views and opinions of the young people and children we work with, and where safe and appropriate to do so, giving them a platform to share their views and ideas more widely – paying particular attention to ensuring gender balance, and the inclusion of children with disabilities and other minority groups.
Researching and generating an evidence base about key issues such as:
· best practice interventions to address the key drivers of institutionalisation;
· the proliferation and poor quality of care in these institutions;
· ways to challenge the invisibility of children in institutions, especially children with disabilities;
· the most appropriate alternative care options for children who cannot live with their own biological family.
To achieve this we will work together to share our data, research findings, methodologies and support countries to gather better data and monitor outcomes for all children. In doing this we will seek to Increase the visibility and understanding of disability issues in children’s care and protection through wider research and routinely disaggregated data collection.
List of signatories
1. Save the Children UK
2. World Vision
3. Plan International UK
4. Human Rights Watch
5. Islamic Relief Worldwide
6. Disability Rights International
7. Hope and Homes for Children
8. Lumos
9. DeafKidz International
10. Home for Good
11. Better Care Network
12. Friends International
13. Chance for Childhood
14. HealthProm
15. Forget Me Not Australia
16. Next Generation Nepal
17. One Sky Foundation
18. Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children
World Vision is urging the international community to do more to prevent a children’s humanitarian crisis by supporting Uganda as it responds to those fleeing fighting in South Sudan.
The call for action comes as the UN and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni host the Uganda Solidarity Summit (22-23 June) as part of an effort to raise £6.3 billion and give the hidden crisis more visibility.
Around 60% of the more than 900,000 South Sudanese refugees who have fled to Uganda are children. Many are in great need, having experienced extreme brutality or seen loved ones killed. Scores of children arrive alone and live in extreme need every day.
World Vision’s response leader in Uganda said the summit was aimed at supporting Uganda which has one of the most progressive refugee hosting policies in the world but which was also struggling to cope with what was becoming a massive crisis for children.
“This summit is an amazing opportunity for the international community to abide by commitments it has made to share responsibility to host and care for refugees. If governments, humanitarian and development agencies and business leaders come together we can help children who have lost everything rebuild their lives and build a brighter future,” said Judy Moore, West Nile Refugee Response Director.
“We know from the Counting Pennies report that just 2 cents in every dollar of humanitarian aid goes to programmes targeted at protecting children from violence. Many vulnerable children I have met in Bidi Bidi have been terrified by what they have seen and are grieving the loss of parents and siblings. They need protection and support. This summit is an opportunity to prevent the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis becoming one where refugees face long-term need.”
Some 1.9 million South Sudanese have so far fled the country but the international aid response is only 16% funded.
“Uganda has is seen as a model refugee host nation because it welcomes and integrates refugees, allows them to stay, work and access education. Many ‘developed’ nations have constructed policies and barriers to actively keep refugees out. Uganda does not, but as a developing nation it does need international support to keep doing what is right,” said Ms. Moore.
More than 2,000 people have been crossing the border every day. World Vision staff working in the Bidi Bidi settlement are registering one hundred unaccompanied children every day, finding them foster families and providing follow-up care. Thousands of children have been found supportive homes with caring adults.
Children are also given places in “child friendly spaces” where they learn and play and where their emotional well-being can be monitored. So far, 52,000 children have accessed critical psycho-social support, but much more could be done with additional funding.