Children and the Canterbury Earthquakes, Paper from the Child Poverty Action Group
“Even in developed countries, disasters have a knack of finding the poor and vulnerable”
How are children affected by earthquakes? A number of young people between the ages of 10 and 20 were asked to write about their lives in Christchurch – they were not specifically asked about the earthquakes, but all referenced them.
The focus for this paper is how the earthquakes have affected vulnerable children in Christchurch – particularly the effects of losing homes and schools.
PHA Canterbury and West Coast Branch chair Rachel Eyre says, “Children’s recovery from a traumatic event is greatly helped if they are in secure, safe housing and if their school is able to provide a stable and familiar environment. Some people might think the earthquake impacts are diminishing. But for children living in more damaged communities, the disruption of school changes and lack of a permanent place to live continues to undermine their recovery.”
Find the background paper here
