VULNERABLE CHILDREN & RISKS IN COVID-19 TIMES

May 2020 2 Vulnerable Children & Risks in Covid-19 Times UNICEF | May 2020

Vulnerable Children and Risks

All children and adolescents are affected by the Covid-19 global pandemic. While the virus does not discriminate, the most vulnerable will be hit hardest. UNICEF is particularly concerned about the impact on those that have an inequitable access to resources; those living in poverty, disabled, and socially excluded. The Covid-19 crisis has intensifi ed inequities and increased the number of vulnerable people; some will be hit by recession and lack of social protection, they will have limited access to or no remote learning at all, they will suffer violence at home, and some will be deprived of essential nutrition, hygiene, protection and health. In this extraordinary situation, lacking quality access to internet is an obstacle to children, adolescents and youth’s access to interconnectedness, playing and learning.

This brief identifi es vulnerable children during in the current crisis. The information shown is obtained from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2018 and population and administrative data from Geostat, all ranging from 2018 to 2020. So this document refl ects the situation of children and families before the Covid-19 crisis and it helps identifying children and families at risk and vulnerable. While we do not know yet in detail the real scale and the magnitude of affected and vulnerable children, this information is a well- informed indicative baseline that will help advocating for and engaging with those in need and vulnerable. Country Measures Household composition

Travel restrictions YES Household Population Age & Sex Distribution

Age Males Females Lockdown measures YES 85+ 80-84 75-79 Educational 70-74 Institutions clossed YES 65-69 60-64 Export of drugs banned 55-59 YES 50-54 Reported problems 45-49 accessing health services Partially 40-44 35-39 Reported problems with 30-34 access to public services Partially 25-29 20-24 youth Prohibition of non-essential 15-19 386,600 { adolescents 10-14 businesses operation YES } 399,500 5-9 0-4 Prohibition of large gatherings YES 6420246 Source: UNICEF, Rapid situation tracking for COVID-19 socioeconomic impacts: https://data.unicef.org/resources/rapid-situation-tracking-covid-19-socioeconomic-impacts-data-viz/ Percent #StayAtHome 861,900 261,200 0-4 years children 0-17 years 600,700 5-17 years

children living without at least one of their biological 162,100 parents (54,100 of them have at least one parent abroad)

in Imereti, - and in 24,900 Kvemo (15%) 59,100 (36%) UNICEF | May 2020 Vulnerable Children & Risks in Covid-19 Times GEORGIA 3

Preventing the spread of COVID-19

Living Environment: Conditions to Contain the Spread

Children living in overcrowded households or in inadequate conditions, like for example lacking hand-washing and other hygiene facilities, are particularly vulnerable to rapid Covid-19 transmission.

Children living in households that have no water and soap in the handwashing place 29,800 children have no handwashing facility with water and soap A.R. 5,700 4,900 4,500 3,400 2,900 2,000 1,700 1,700 1,500 1,500 Khakheti Imereti Shida Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti -Mtianeti Samtskhe- Tbilisi in the household Provinces ©UNICEF/Geo-2020/Blagonravova

Number of children living in the household 211,500 with 3 or more persons per sleeping room children live in households Household crowding with 3 or more persons per sleeping room 285,400

children live in households 10,300 7,900 5,900 3,400 with at least one person A.R. 77,500 34,800 21,900 19,500 16,400 13,900 Adjara Tbilisi Kvemo Kartli Imereti, Racha-L, Kvemo S. Khakheti Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Mtskheta-Mtianeti 65+ years old Samtskhe-Javakheti Guria Provinces 4 Vulnerable Children & Risks in Covid-19 Times GEORGIA UNICEF | May 2020

Socio-economic impacts on children

Access to Basic Health Services

Health staff and resources are being redeployed to treat the covid-19 crisis, it is important that children and their families have access to those available routine health services that are still functioning. Reaching out to the excluded ones is now critical to ensure they have also access to health care. Sometimes, it is a matter of raising awareness about the actual entitlements that citizens already have; for example, while children are covered in Georgia by a universal healthcare programme, many parents might not be aware of this and hence may self-restrict of using health care services when needed.

Children whose mothers / caregivers say that they do not have a health insurance

The parents of Under 5 5-17 9,800 22,100 children under 5 years children 5-17 years say that they have no health insurance 0 0 0 80 1,80 1,30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2,10 6,80 3,80 6,20 2,30 2,20 4,60

Tbilisi Adjara A.R Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti Kvemo Kartli Other

Provinces

Psychosocial Support

Parents and caregivers may be less capable of providing appropriate care and support to children and adolescents. The reduction of resources such as school counsellors, case managers and social workers, to detect and refer those in need to mental health and psychosocial support, will affect those who are more vulnerable. In the table below, the number (in thousands) of vulnerable children because they have diffi culties in particular domains.

Children with functioning diffi culties in different life domains (in thousands) y alking Seeing Hearing W Depression Fine Moto r Communication Learning Playing Controlling Behaviour Self care Remembering Concentrating Accepting Change Making Friends Anxiet

National 2-4 years 0.2 0.2 0.3 0.1 2.0 1.4 0.2 0.3 N/AN/A N/AN/A N/AN/A N/A 5-17 years 3.8 3.2 7.8 N/A 3.9 8.4 N/A 6.0 2.4 4.7 5.0 5.3 3.7 26.6 9.8

N/A Not Applicable UNICEF | May 2020 Vulnerable Children & Risks in Covid-19 Times GEORGIA 5

Education

All children should continue to learn during the ongoing crisis, and be able to safely return to school. Children who are already marginalized by lack of access to digital tools and internet connectivity, favourable home learning environments and parental support, risk falling further behind.

Children 3-17 years attending pre-school or school education programmes 661,500 children 3-17 years stay at home due to school closure 49,400 47,800 44,500 0 0 0 25,000 16,700 15,000 A.R. 235,100 85,50 72,50 70,00 Mtkheta-Mtianeti Tbilisi Imereti Kvemo Kartli Adjara Shida Kartli Khakheti Guria Samtskhe-Javakheti Samegrelo-Zemo Svaneti

Provinces

Conditions for continued learning In Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti

50,400 8,400 In Tbilisi children 3-17 years have no access to internet 6,700 and a computer at home 9,700

In Kvemo Kartli

75,000 children 7-14 years have less than 3 books to read at home 36,800 children 2-4 years are not accompanied by an adult at home in activities that support learning urabelidze and school readiness 88,100 children 0-4 years have less than

two types of playing things ©UNICEF/Geo-2020/T 6 Vulnerable Children & Risks in Covid-19 Times GEORGIA UNICEF | May 2020

Social protection

Loss of household incomes and livelihoods will probably increase further for poor children and their families, the dependency on others for their own survival. All children and their families directly impacted by COVID-19 should have fi nancial access to goods and services essential for meeting their basic needs. Families in the lowest quintile have a lower capacity to cope with and mitigate the impact of this crisis

23.300 146,600 20,100 children 0-17 years in the lowest wealth quintile*

Abkhazia 15.200 3.800 Racha-Lechkhumi Samegrelo - Kvemo Svaneti Zemo Mtskheta- 18.600 Svaneti Mtianeti Imereti Shida Kartli 7.100 Guria Khakheti Adjara Samtskhe - Tbilisi Javakheti Kvemo Kartli 12.500 7.300 35.500 3.200

* The lowest wealth quintile is the 20% of households with the lowest wealth index values. The index is calculated with information on availability of assets 221,000 161,000 children 0-17 years Children 0-17 years are under national absolute poverty line receive Targeted Social Assistance Source: population estimation using the Geostat poverty rates, April 2020 Source: SSA Administrative data, April 2020 334,600 children 0-17 years live in households that receive at least one retirement pension 122,300 live in households that receive any other external assistance program ©UNICEF/Geo-2020/Khetaguri UNICEF | May 2020 Vulnerable Children & Risks in Covid-19 Times GEORGIA 7

Child protection

All children and women at increased risk of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect, due to COVID-19, should be protected through social and protection services in humanitarian and development contexts. 55,900 caregivers of children 1-14 years old, believe that physical punishment is needed to bring up, raise, or educate a child properly 457,400 211,600 children 1-14 years children 1-14 years disciplined with aggressive suffered physical psychological measures punishment

Children age 1-14 years who experienced violent disciplining

Psychological aggression Physical punishment 19,100 24,300 31,200 36,000 36,100 31,900 12,400 5,600 20,600 17,600 9,800 3,900 16,600 14,100 6,400 155,600 61,500 50,300 52,300 63,700

Tbilisi Adjara A.R. Guria Imereti Khakheti Mtkheta- Samegrelo-Zemo Samtskhe- Kvemo Kartli Shida Kartli Mtianeti Svaneti Javakheti Provinces

children left 261 without parental care Source: TransMonEE 2019 data base http://transmonee.org/database/download/

Children in alternative care face particular challenges. Kinship or foster carers – often grandparents and/or older adults – may need to temporarily step away from such duties, due to their health vulnerabilities.

Those who live in residential families are at risk of displacement due to closure of facilities without appropriate processes to ensure their safety and protection. UNICEF Georgia & Europe and Central Asia Regional O ce

Unless otherwise indicated, all the fi gures and charts are based on calculations that use information from the Georgia MICS 2018 Survey Findings Report (SFR) and the population data from 2019, TransMonEE database, both produced by Geostat. MICS data was collected in 2018 and is combined with the most recent population data from end 2019 to produce the estimates shown in this document. The interval estimates are not provided here for simplicity and communication purposes.

The estimates provided have been triangulated with other sources; this should continue being done when more recent information is available as the overall crisis situation evolves. The following tables have been used from the MICS 2018 SFR: page 2: SR.4.1, SR.11.1, SR.11.2; page 3: WS.2.1, SR.2.1; page 4: EQ.2.2, EQ.2.3, EQ.1. 1, EQ.1. 2; page 5: SR.9.2, LN.3.3, TC.10.1, TC.10.2; page 6: SR.2.3, EQ.2.7; page 7: PR.2.2, PR.2.1.

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