1. Background
Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the Philippines on 8 November 2013 affecting 16 million people, causing some 6,300 deaths, displacing 4.1 million people and damaging or destroying 1.1 million houses. Early reports indicated there were significant numbers of unaccompanied and separated children (UASC). Such children are particularly at risk of violence, exploitation, abuse and trafficking. National police records show that the provinces of Leyte and Eastern Samar and other areas, which were badly affected by the typhoon, are known hot spots for the trafficking of women and children and other forms of gender-based violence. There was thus a real potential for unaccompanied children to leave their affected areas through a number of unpatrolled exit routes.
Actions to prevent further separations and respond to unaccompanied and separated children are a priority in all emergencies. The decision to implement Rapid Family Tracing and Reunification (RapidFTR) in selected municipalities of the affected areas was taken in view of UNICEF’s commitment to prevent and address family separation and global experience in this effort. Experience shows that many children – particularly those recently and accidentally separated – can be rapidly reunited, and further separations can be prevented if urgent action is taken. RapidFTR was originally designed for this kind of rapid-onset emergency; however, it had only been used in refugee situations before Typhoon Haiyan. RapidFTR was deemed an appropriate tool and Haiyan allowed it the first opportunity to be piloted in such a situation.
Nine months after RapidFTR was implemented in Haiyan-affected areas, a Real Time Evaluation was conducted and achievements in its implementation were noted. The evaluation, however, also commented that “proper follow up of cases and case management in general suffered from the limited capacities of social workers in the municipalities.”
In the last quarter of 2014, it was decided that a documentation and review of the deployment and implementation of RapidFTR as part of the Haiyan emergency response is recommended in order to explore the potential for continued use of RapidFTR in future emergencies, including as part of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The documentation will include a systematic review of RapidFTR implementation in the Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) emergency, thus ensuring the most appropriate application of RapidFTR in the future .
2. Objectives of the documentation and review
Based on the terms of reference, the following were the objectives of the documentation and review:
• To document the implementation and experience of the RapidFTR technology in the emergency response in Regions VI, VII and VIII3, including how this approach was effective in reaching and documenting unaccompanied and separated children and supporting necessary follow-up.
• To document and understand the acceptance and application of RapidFTR by government partners and communities, including community perceptions and understanding of the utility and importance of RapidFTR.
• To consider the possible impact of RapidFTR in strengthening child protection systems that existed in communities prior to the emergency, including through training and capacity building on RapidFTR use.
• To document and analyse the effectiveness of the process of adapting RapidFTR in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, thus providing guidance for future emergencies on how to deploy RapidFTR, including to ensure sustainability and necessary follow-up procedures are established, particularly to reach the most vulnerable and isolated communities.
• To review and follow up on issues raised from initial RapidFTR mission report, including:
attention to previously existing UASC cases;
older unaccompanied children who fled the area in search of employment, noting the risk of migration and trafficking; and
- need for greater community understanding around the concept of ‘unaccompanied or separated’; or ‘children who have lost both parents and may need support’.
• To document and assess RapidFTR implementation in the Philippines against global and national minimum standards.
• To provide recommendations for RapidFTR training/capacity building in DRR.
• To explore prospects for greater ownership and involvement with RapidFTR by government partners. (See Appendix E for terms of reference for the consultancy.)