Research-into-Action brief: Early childhood and disaster risk reduction

The impacts of hazards and threats can be significantly modified through adequate risk reduction and preparedness. The factors that contribute to effective disaster risk reduction (DRR) have been documented and widely applied. However, the nuances of DRR that relate specifically to very young and preschool-aged children are less prominent in the literature, despite the heightened vulnerability of children below the age of eight years.

This brief reviews the research and practice literature about early childhood and DRR. A focus on early childhood can be incorporated at national, community, classroom and household levels. The very process of undertaking a DRR assessment for young children has been shown to stimulate raised awareness and increased supports for this age group. Information sharing and participatory activities that acknowledge the capabilities of pre-school-aged children are effective DRR mechanisms.

The Research-into-Action Brief series provides concise summaries of academic and grey literature on a range of topics for practitioners working in the fields of child-centred risk reduction (CCRR), climate change adaptation (CCA), and school safety.

Los niños y niñas pequeños que viven desastres se en-cuentran en alto riesgo de sufrir lesiones, desnutrición, enfermedades y discapacidad. Los niños y niñas meno-res de 8 años son especialmente vulnerables debido a que la angustia y la conmoción pueden afeitar su cre-cimiento y desarrollo, así como su salud y bienestar a largo plazo. Los bebés que han sido destetados y los niños y niñas con bajo estatus socioeconómico han sido identificados como los gru-pos de mayor riesgo de abandono, abuso y muerte durante y después de los desastres.

Por lo tanto, es esencial centrarse en la Reducción del Riesgo de Desastres en la Primera Infancia (ECDRR, por sus siglas en inglés) a nivel nacional y regional, comuni-tario, del aula y del hogar.