What is recovery and reintegration and why is it important?

Article 39 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) requires member states to:

take all appropriate measures to promote the physical and psychological recovery and social integration of children who have  been victims of any form of neglect, exploitation or abuse, torture or degrading treatment, or of armed conflict.

Recovery implies the return to one's original state, to 'normality'. In the case of children affected by sexual exploitation or trafficking for this purpose, it may not be possible for them to return to their life before the abuse, but emotional and physical recovery as well as discovering one's true identity may be part of the overall recovery process.

(Re)integration refers to the economic and social inclusion of the child in society. In some instances this will happen at the home community and in others, when it is not possible for the child to return to their home they will be placed in a new 'home' environment - so here the more appropriate term would be 'integration'. 

Why is it important?

Once a child is assisted to leave or escapes from an exploitative condition, the child is likely to need some level of support. This may be assistance in coping with internal struggles as well as external challenges such as accessing work, health and education services. 

There has been relatively little interest and research into the recovery and reintegration phase for children who have been exploited and trafficked. Rarely is there follow-up to see what happens next to children once they leave the exploitation.

Gaining a better understanding of the recovery and reintegration phase is critical in order to:

  • build appropriate and effective programmes and support mechanisms for affected children and their families
  • stop any further exploitation, violence or exclusion of the child
  • develop evidence-based policy that recognises the individual needs and rights of the child during recovery and reintegration
  • share learning with practitioners working on recovery and reintegration with different groups who may have similar challenges to overcome
  • ensure funders support the right projects that demonstrate positive outcomes for children.