Whether they are under lockdown and out of school, in refugee camps or in crowded villages, detained, or living on the streets, institutionalized or on the move, children and young people have the right to be heard. But their views are hardly ever sought out by decision-makers and their ideas are rarely listened to. The #CovidUnder19 initiative aims to change that.

#CovidUnder19 is led by children and young people, with the support of child rights activists, experts, and other key stakeholders. They work together to create spaces for children across the globe to meaningfully involve in the discussions about responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and to contribute towards shaping the post-COVID-19 world.

On 28 May, the initiative launched a global consultation survey to understand children’s experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and their views on how they wish to get involved. Children and young people aged between 8 and 17 years old are invited to participate in the survey until 31 July.

The survey available in 22 different languages here, including Thai, Behasa Melayu, Korean, Filipino, Khmer, Japanese, Urdu, Hindi, Nepali, and Bengali: go.qub.ac.uk/CovidSurveys

To stay up to date with the initiative’s news, follow the CovidUnder19 profiles on social media:

Based on the results of the consultations with children, the initiative will accelerate the design of responses to the pandemic in the short and long term, while increasing opportunities for children to interact with each other to collectively create and innovate.

This initiative is co-led by Terre des Hommes, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children, and Queen’s University Belfast – Centre for Children’s Rights. CRC Asia is taking part as one of the partners and encouraging other groups to also do so!

Read more about the initiative from the Terre des Hommes website here.