Twelve years of conflict and recent deadly earthquakes have left millions of Syrian children at greater risk of malnutrition.
Vienna (OTS) – The conflict in Syria turns 13 on March 15 and hostilities continue unabated in various parts of the country, particularly in the northwest. Children’s rights continue to be seriously violated. According to the UN, almost 13,000 children have been killed or injured in Syria since the beginning of the conflict. Children continue to live in fear of attacks and displacement, and the number of malnourished children is increasing.
It is estimated that over 609,900 children under the age of five have rickets in Syria. Short stature is the result of chronic malnutrition and causes irreversible physical and mental damage in children. This affects your ability to learn, your productivity, and your future earnings in adulthood.
Acute malnutrition among children is also on the rise. The number of children aged 6 to 59 months suffering from severe acute malnutrition increased by 48% between 2021 and 2022. When children suffer from acute malnutrition, their immune systems are weakened and they are 11 times more likely to die than well-nourished children.
Rising prices and inadequate income mean that millions of families are struggling to survive in an unprecedented economic crisis. Nearly 90 percent of people in Syria live in poverty. This negatively affects the diet and nutritional status of children.
In 2023, before the deadly earthquakes that hit Syria on February 6, 2023, more than 3.75 million children across the country were in need of food assistance, while across the country nearly 7 million children were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. .
“Children in Syria cannot wait any longer. After years of conflict and two catastrophic earthquakes, the future of millions of children hangs in the balance,” said UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Adele Khodr, our priority.
The earthquakes destroyed families’ homes and many children were afraid to return home as the aftershocks continued. Many families are now displaced and living in precarious conditions in shelters and camps.
Before the earthquake, 6.81 million children in Syria were in need of basic health care. Half of the primary health care system was dysfunctional, forcing many families to delay getting medical care or travel long distances when they could afford it. It is estimated that there are only 20,000 doctors left in Syria. The recent cholera outbreak and the impact of earthquakes are putting further strain on the country’s already overstretched public health services and health system. Access to basic health and nutrition services is expected to continue to deteriorate in 2023.
“We must meet the needs of children wherever they are in Syria and support the systems that provide the basic services they so desperately need,” Khodr said.
Across Syria, UNICEF is investing in early detection of malnutrition and working with partners to provide and expand life-saving treatment services for children suffering from severe acute malnutrition. In addition, preventive nutrition services are offered, such as micronutrient supplements, growth monitoring and counseling, and support with breastfeeding and age-appropriate complementary feeding. UNICEF also provides essential health services and supplies, as well as access to clean water and good sanitation, so more children have a chance to survive.
Even before the earthquake, UNICEF’s “Humanitarian Aid for Children 2023” appeal in Syria was significantly underfunded, with only a fraction of the $328.5 million pledged. With the added weight of the earthquakes, the situation became even more urgent. US$172.7 million is needed to provide emergency assistance to 5.4 million people (including 2.6 million children) affected by the earthquake in Syria.
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Notes for editors:
– All data presented in this press release predates the February 2023 earthquakes.
– In 2022, the number of children with moderate acute malnutrition increased by 55%.
– Maternal malnutrition ranges from 11% in northwest Syria and parts of Damascus to 25% in northeast Syria.
– Before the earthquakes, nearly two-thirds of water treatment plants, half of pumping stations, and one-third of water towers across Syria were damaged by the conflict.
– Almost half of the population depends on alternative and often unsafe water sources to meet or supplement their water needs.
– At least 70 percent of discharged wastewater is not treated.
– More than 84,600 suspected cases have been reported since the cholera outbreak was declared in Syria in September 2022. Malnourished children with weakened immune systems are at greater risk of contracting cholera.
– Over the next six months in 2023, more than 39,000 new suspected cases of cholera are expected, putting at least 3 million people at risk and necessitating preventive measures to save lives.
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