Understanding children’s risk and agency in urban areas and their implications for child-centred urban disaster risk reduction in Asia: Insights from Dhaka, Kathmandu, Manila and Jakarta

This paper presents the findings of a study undertaken by IIED i n partnership with
Plan International on urban children’s risk and agency in four large Asian cities: Dhaka
(Bangladesh), Kathmandu (Nepal), Manila (the Philippines) and Jakarta (Indonesia).
The study involved focus group discussions with street children, working children and
squatter and slum children, and key informant interviews with relevant local, national
and international agencies involved in child rights and/or disaster risk reduction in each
city.

The findings show that girls and boys who live and work on the s treets or in low-income
informal settlements are among the most vulnerable and susceptible to environmental
hazards, disasters and the impacts of climate change, primarily because of their poorquality
living and working environments. Yet, the majority of disaster risk reduction
programmes in urban areas of Asia are dominated by preparedness, early warning and
response – and fail to address the particular risks facing boys and girls.

This paper therefore argues for a much greater focus on linking disaster risk reduction
with long-term action that can address the provision of protective infrastructure and
basic services as key determinants of child-health and disaster and climate resilience.
It concludes by outlining a set of priority action areas for Plan International and other
child-centred organisations that seek to reduce children’s long-term risks in Asian cities.