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CAIConsulting submitted to the UNICEF the Final Report with the results of the COVID-19 Impact Assessment on the rights of children affected by migration
In January 2022, CAIConsulting submitted to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the Office of the Ombudsman (Akyikatchy) in Kyrgyzstan the Final Report with the results of the COVID-19 Impact Assessment on the rights of children affected by migration. The research team identified four main areas that had the maximum negative impact on the families of migrant children during the pandemic - these are health care, education, socio-economic well-being and the psychological atmosphere in the family.
With the advent of COVID-19 in Kyrgyzstan, access to medical services for families of internal migrants has decreased even more - 48% of adult respondents among internal migrants indicated that due to their lack of registration, they could not apply to a medical institution. The main negative impact of the pandemic has affected the economic well-being of migrant families, the vast majority of them have reduced incomes, and remittances from external migrants have also significantly decreased. The vast majority (73.3%) of the interviewed adult members of migrant families answered that the situation with the pandemic had seriously affected the psychological state of children, many parents could not return, the children were isolated for a long time, without communication with relatives, friends and classmates.
In addition, the situation of domestic violence has significantly worsened during the pandemic. According to official data from law enforcement agencies, the number of cases of domestic violence in Bishkek increased by 62% in just a month of quarantine. The number of suicides among children and adolescents also increased during this period. Access to educational services has also declined due to the coronavirus. About 20% of the children of external and internal migrants surveyed could not study online for various reasons (there were no technical means, the Internet, they had to work and help their elders, etc.). 79% of the children of migrants surveyed did not like online education for various reasons.
