19 Million Children Internally Displaced by Conflict and Violence in 2019, Says UNICEF

* Photo: Anadolu Agency (AA) - Archive

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The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) released a statement today (May 5) and has announced that 19 million children were internally displaced by conflict and violence around the world in 2019.

Referring to this figure as the "highest number ever," the organization has underlined that internally displaced children are among the world's most vulnerable to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Shared with the public today, the UNICEF report "Lost at Home" looks at the risks and challenges internally displaced children face, and the urgent actions needed to protect them.

An estimated 19 million children, more than ever before, were living in displacement within their own countries due to conflict and violence in 2019 - some of them for years, the UNICEF has noted in its report.

According to the report, there were 12 million new displacements of children in 2019, 3.8 million of them were caused by conflict and violence, and 8.2 million by disasters linked mostly to weather-related events.

The report has also raised concerns that internally displaced children lack access to basic services and are at risk of exposure to violence, exploitation, abuse and trafficking, the report says.

These children are also at risk of child labour, child marriage and family separation which all pose direct threats to their health and safety.

The COVID-19 pandemic is making a critical situation for displaced children and families even worse. They often live in overcrowded camps or informal settlements, where access to basic hygiene and health services is limited, and where physical distancing is not possible. These conditions are highly conducive to the spread of diseases like COVID-19.

UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore has also stated the following about the condition of internally displaced children amid pandemic:

"Millions of displaced children around the world are already going without proper care and protection. When new crises emerge, like the COVID-19 pandemic, these children are especially vulnerable. It is essential that governments and humanitarian partners work together to keep them safe, healthy, learning and protected."

(AÖ/SD)