@article{ref1,
title="Children on the brink: risks for child protection, sexual abuse, and related mental health problems in the COVID-19 pandemic",
journal="Indian journal of psychiatry",
year="2020",
author="Ramaswamy, Sheila and Seshadri, Shekhar",
volume="62",
number="Suppl 3",
pages="S404-S413",
abstract="In developing contexts such as India, children in adversity form a high-risk group, one that cannot be subsumed under the general category of children, who are generally considered as a vulnerable group in disaster and crisis situations. Child mental health issues in contexts of protection risks and childhood adversity tend to be over-looked in such crises. This article focuses on examining the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences on children in adversity, describing the increased child protection and psychosocial risks they are placed at, during and in the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis and its lockdown situation. It specifically links the lockdown and the ensuing economic issues to sexuality and abuse-related risks, as occur in contexts of child labour, child sex work and trafficking, child marriage and child sexual abuse, and that result in immediate and long-term mental health problems in children. It proposes a disaster risk reduction lens to offer recommendations to address the emerging child protection, psychosocial and mental health concerns.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0019-5545",
doi="10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_1032_20",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_1032_20"
}