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Raising Canada 2020 Annual Report. Top Ten Threats to Childhood in Canada and the Impact of COVID-19. Updated September 2021.
Children First Canada.
Annual Report
International Resource
57 p.
Copyright
Published: September 2021
Children First Canada
Tel: 1-877-251-3111
info@childrenfirstcanada.com
Available From:https://www.childrenfirstcanada.com/
Download: https://childrenfirstcanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Raising-Canada-Report_2020_Updated.pdf
This 2020 annual report reviews the top 10 threats to childhood in Canada and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on these threats based on data collected in the early phases of the pandemic. Statistics are shared on top threats including: unintentional and preventable injuries, poor mental health, child abuse, poverty, infant mortality, physical inactivity, food insecurity, systemic racism and discrimination, vaccine-preventable illnesses, and bullying. Key findings indicate: crowdsourced data suggest that the perceived mental health of Canadian youth has declined during the pandemic, with 57% of participants aged 15 to 17 reporting that their mental health was “somewhat worse” or “much worse” than it was prior to physical distancing measures; Kids Help Phone has reported an increase in specific conversations about physical, sexual and emotional abuse; 29% of Canadians report that the COVID-19 situation is having a moderate or major impact on their ability to meet financial obligations or essential needs; research conducted by ParticipACTION during COVID-19 restrictions found that only 4.8% of children (aged 5-11) and 0.8% of youth (aged 12-17) were meeting 24-hour movement guidelines; almost one in seven Canadians said they were living in a household where they experienced food insecurity in the past 30 days; and pediatric infectious disease specialists say that vaccination rates among children have dropped as much as 20% in parts of Canada. The report identifies three overlapping themes with respect to how the societal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic effects children: inequities in vulnerable populations, a lack of access to child care and education, and a lack of access to health care and other human services. The report closes with a call to action for the government of Canada and for all Canadians. 84 references.
Keywords:
Abused children; Adolescents; Canada; Child abuse; Child health; Child safety; Children at risk; COVID-19; Data analysis; Disaster response; Statistics; Youth at risk