NCFR Fellow Bahira Sherif Trask, Ph.D., was an invited presenter for a "Peace Talks" webinar hosted by the Universal Peace Federation on the occasion of the 2020 International Day of Families, an annual observance by the United Nations (learn more about the 2020 Day of Families program).

The theme of this webinar was "The COVID-19 Crisis and its Impact on Families." Questions that were addressed included how are families coping with “sheltering in place,” and how is it affecting children's education; how are rising unemployment and widespread bankruptcies of businesses impacting families; and how to counter the rise in domestic abuse, substance abuse, and even despair within families.

Dr. Trask spoke at length how poor families, working-class families, and families of color are bearing the consequences of the crisis disproportionately, and that all families face an overwhelming mental health crisis as a result of social isolation. On a positive note, she pointed out that some families sheltering in place have seen benefits from spending more quality-time together. Dr. Trask also spoke very highly of the ability of wage replacement programs, such as that in the United Kingdom, to alleviate the extreme economic anxieties due to the crisis.

A summary of the presentations and following Q&A can be found on the Universal Peace Federation's website.

You can watch a recording of the event below.

Dr. Trask is one of NCFR's U.N. representatives, along with Mihaela Robila, Ph.D., CFLE.