Children’s MIRA: Listening to children during emergencies

Disasters harm all people but they affect children differently from the way they affect adults. Children rely on the support of their caregivers to be able to survive, develop and be safe. In times of disaster, children face greater risks because they may be separated from their caregivers or their caregivers may be unprepared, overwhelmed, or have become incapable of supporting them.

Children’s right to be heard does not cease in situations of disaster or in their aftermath. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child encourages State parties to the CRC to support the mechanisms which enable children to play an active role in both post-emergency, reconstruction, and post-conflict resolution processes.

This toolkit has been tested and developed by Save the Children to guide humanitarian workers in facilitating children’s participation in assessments during emergencies; this tool is called MIRA: the Multi-Cluster/Sector Initial Rapid Assessment.