By Zayamu Hassan
The United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, has raised concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened mental health challenges in children with little or no investment in the area.
He stated this in a video address to an event organized within the on-going High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), on mental health and wellbeing, noting that only “too few children” have access to the services they need.
Guterres said the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the problem, with millions of children out of school, “increasing their vulnerability to violence and mental stress, while services have been cut or moved online.”
The UN chief said as the world consider investing in a strong recovery, support for children’s mental wellbeing must be a priority.
“I also urge governments to take a preventive approach by addressing the determinants of mental well-being through robust social protection for children and families.”
He further argued that mental health and psychosocial support, together with community-based approaches to care, are “integral to universal health coverage. They cannot be its forgotten part.”
Guterres, therefore, urged authorities everywhere to take the views and lived-experiences of children themselves, exposed to increasing on and offline threats, into account when formulating policies and protection strategies.
“Children play an important role in supporting each other’s mental wellbeing. They must be empowered as part of the solution. Let’s work together for sustainable, people-centered, resilient societies, where all children live free from violence and with the highest standards of mental health,” he concluded.
On her part, the UN Special Representative on Violence Against Children, Maalla M’jid, highlighted the devastating impact of violence on the mental health of children.
“Exposure to violence and other adverse childhood experiences can evoke toxic responses to stress that cause both immediate and long-term physiological and psychological damage. In addition to the human cost, the economic cost of mental illness is significant,” she added.
She further said that in addition to more investment, there is need for change to the approach to mental health. “Building on the lessons of the pandemic, mental health and child protection services must be recognized as life-saving and essential.
“They must be incorporated into both emergency preparedness and longer-term planning and children must also shape the design, delivery and evaluation of responses.”
