UNICEF: THOUSANDS OF KIDS AT RISK AS SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS ARE DESTROYED

Mon 06 February 2023:

Thousands of children in Turkey and Syria are at risk for poor health and educational outcomes and displacement, among other challenges, following the devastation of the earthquakes, UNICEF said.

“That the initial earthquake happened so early in the morning, when many children were fast asleep, made it even more dangerous, and the aftershocks bring continuing risks,” UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said.

Children are at risk of being particularly harmed by the destruction of schools, hospitals and other facilities, UNICEF said.

Syrian children have already dealt with years of displacement, killings, injuries and forced fighting due to the ongoing civil war. And children 4 years old and younger made up more than half of 37,700 suspected cholera cases in northwest Syria, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported last month.

Now, other waterborne diseases could pose another deadly risk for children and families, UNICEF warned Monday.

“Our hearts and thoughts are with the children and families affected, especially those who have lost loved ones or who have been injured. Our immediate priority is to ensure children and families affected receive the support they so desperately need,” Russell, the executive director, said.

It is currently unclear how many children are among the more than 2,600 dead, and thousands more injured, between Turkey and Syria.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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