Children exposed to protection risks due to household financial weakness

This indicator measures the percentage of households experiencing child protection risks due to financial vulnerability. Specifically, it tracks households where at least one child is affected by child labour, child separation from a caregiver, or child marriage as a result of economic hardship.

A Household refers to all those who pool income/expenditures.  This can include child-headed households (CHH) and unaccompanied and separated children (UASC).

Child protection in humanitarian action means “the prevention of and response to abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence against children in humanitarian action.”

Child Protection risks refer to “the likelihood that violations of and threats to children’s rights will manifest and cause harm to children. Defining risk takes into account the type of violations and threats, as well as children’s vulnerability and resilience.”

Child labour is any work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity. It is work that exceeds a maximum number of hours, depending on the age of the child and the type of work, and that interferes with children’s education and/or negatively affects their emotional, developmental, and physical well-being.

Child separation can cover both Unaccompanied and Separated Children:

• Separated children are those who are separated from both parents or from their previous legal or customary primary caregiver, but not necessarily from other relatives. These may, therefore, include children accompanied by other adult family members, including siblings over the age of 18.
• Unaccompanied children are those who have been separated from both parents and other relatives and are not being cared for by an adult who, by law or custom, is responsible for doing so.

Caregiver: An individual, community, or institution (including the State) with clear responsibility (by custom or by law) for the well-being of the child. It most often refers to a person with whom the child lives and who provides daily care to the child. 

Child marriage is a formal or informal union where one or both parties are under the age of 18. All child marriage is considered forced, as children are not able to give full consent to marriage. 

In many contexts, married girls under the age of 18 are considered to have entered adulthood and are not considered to be children. However, we should still count this as a child marriage. 

Financial vulnerability is the inability to meet basic needs through existing income sources.  Child protection risks may be driven by a combination of financial vulnerability, social norms, and external threats, including violence and exploitation.  For a household to report financial vulnerability as a driver of child protection risks, it should be a primary driver of the risk, but not necessarily the only driver. 

Number of targeted households reporting child protection risks due to financial vulnerability

Number of households reached through beneficiary-based monitoring surveys with a representative sample of beneficiaries.  

Toolkit for Monitoring and Evaluating Child Protection when Using Cash and Voucher Assistance