Children and adolescents, girls and boys, are among the first victims of the crisis in Mali, with serious and repeated violations of their rights recorded as well as a deterioration of their physical, emotional and psychological state. Conflicts and insecurity, COVID-19, structural poverty, migration and forced displacement, climatic hazards, lack of access to basic social services (health, education) and protection services of the childhood are factors that put children at high risk for violations of their rights and attacks on their physical and mental integrity. The 2020 school year has been severely disrupted due to growing insecurity, the teachers' strike and COVID-19. Currently, at least 378,300 children are affected by the closure of schools50 and risk dropping out of school altogether, depriving them of the protection usually offered by schools. Moreover, the impact socioeconomic impact of COVID-19 has exacerbated the pressure on families, who resort to negative coping mechanisms, such as child marriage, sexual exploitation and other forms of gender-based violence (in particular especially against girls), child labor, including sending and exploitation to traditional gold panning sites in the north of the country, as well as recruitment and use by armed forces and groups.

Intensifying conflicts in northern and central Mali as well as natural disasters continued to negatively impact children, exposing them to serious violations of their rights and deterioration of their physical and psychological condition. 828,728 children under 18 (406,275 boys and 422,453 girls) were targeted to benefit from protection services including holistic care and psychosocial support. Interventions will be directed towards the most vulnerable children among the internally displaced populations, returnees, returnees and host communities, or directly or indirectly affected by COVID19, in particular unaccompanied / separated children, children associated with armed forces and groups. , children who are victims or at risk of other serious violations or of physical or sexual violence. In addition, sensitization and training will be carried out with community members on PE and referral, including on the risks associated with COVID19 including stigma and discrimination.