The State of the World’s Children 2021: On My Mind – Promoting, protecting and caring for children’s mental health

The State of the World’s Children is an annual report published by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) since the year 1980. Each edition aims to promote awareness on key issues affecting children around the world. This 39th edition of the report, published in October 2021, is the first in the series to focus on “psychosocial distress” and mental health. The Covid-19 pandemic confined children to their homes, away from their friends and classrooms. The report focuses on the mental health of children, young adults and their families during the pandemic. "Far from being simply a question of what is going on in a person’s mind, the state of each child’s or adolescent’s mental health is profoundly affected by the circumstances of their lives,” it states. The report evaluates the mental health requirements of children, adolescents and their caregivers during critical moments of a child’s psychological development. It calls for commitment and action to ensure psychological well-being among children and protect those most vulnerable to trauma...