The State of the World’s Children 2021 | UNICEF
Each year, in its report “State of the World’s Children (SOWC)”, UNICEF tackles a key issue affecting children. On the eve of the Covid-19 pandemic, UNICEF dedicated its 2021 SOWC to the issue of child mental health. The pandemic has indeed brought to light how mental health impacts every aspect of our lives and how, regrettably, child mental health has been adrift from the children’s rights debate over the years. On My Mind: Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health discusses risks and protective factors and delves into the social determinants that shape mental health and well-being. CHIP welcomes SOWC 2021, for its multiple references to the identity issue. Remarkable, by way of example, is the inclusion of a positive sense of identity in the very definition of mental health. It further notes the link between mental health and its impact on the child’s sense of identity, with implications for their success in school and in life. The SOWC 2021 clearly shows the importance of building secure attachments, as when this is “positive, responsive and caring, the child develops a model on which to build sense of self, identity and a baseline for other relationships.”
