A report says the number of children internally displaced because of conflict and violence has hit an all-time high. The U.N. children’s fund says an estimated 19 million children have been forced to flee their homes and are living without proper care and protection.
UNICEF says Syria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Yemen account for more than one-third of all children displaced within their own countries because of violence and conflict. Other countries that harbor more than one million children within their borders include Colombia, Afghanistan, Somalia, Nigeria and Sudan.
A spokeswoman for the U.N. children’s fund, Marixie Mercado, tells VOA urgent action is needed to protect those millions of displaced children from the multiple risks they face. She says they lack access to basic services, including education and health care.
“They are being uprooted and taken out of their familiar surroundings exposes them to all sorts of risks," said Mercado. "This includes more violence. This includes exploitation, abuse and even trafficking. Many children are also at risk of being put to work or being married off early and being separated from their families.”
Added to the threats is COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. Mercado says the pandemic is making a critical situation worse for the unusually high number of displaced children and their families.
“They live in overcrowded camps or informal settlements where sanitary conditions are far from ideal and where physical distancing is simply not possible …COVID-19 is disrupting immunization campaigns across the world," said Mercado. "This puts these children at even higher risk of diseases that are vaccine preventable.”
Mercado says she fears that could have disastrous consequences for children.
UNICEF is appealing to governments, civil society and the private sector to unite and invest in concrete action that can help protect and provide equitable access to essential services for all internally displaced children and their families.