Children in Lebanon are suffering the consequences of one of the worst economic collapses the world has seen in recent times, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Thursday.

The escalating crisis endangers children in Lebanon, according to a survey released Thursday by UNICEF, as the majority of families cannot afford to meet their children’s basic needs.

“More and more families are forced to resort to negative adaptation measures, including sending their children to work in often dangerous conditions, marrying their young daughters or selling their belongings,” said Yukie Mokuo, Representative of UNICEF in Lebanon.

A series of mutually reinforcing crises, including a devastating recession, has left Lebanon’s families and children in dire straits, affecting virtually every aspect of their lives, with few resources and virtually no access to social support. .

“With no improvement in sight, more children than ever are going to bed hungry in Lebanon,” Mokuo added.

One third of children went to bed hungry in Lebanon

A survey of more than 1,200 households in April 2021, shows that more than 30% of children went to bed hungry and skipped meals in the past month. 77% of households do not have enough food or enough money to buy food.

In Syrian refugee households, this figure even reaches 99%. 60% of households have to buy food on credit or borrow money.

Children’s health, education and very future are affected by soaring prices and continuing rising unemployment

The worsening situation is reflected in worrying figures in education. Almost 15% of families have interrupted their children’s schooling. In addition, one in ten children has been sent to work. 40% of children come from families where no one has a job and 77% come from families that do not receive any social assistance.

However, according to UNICEF, the prolonged economic depression is just one of the worsening crises in Lebanon. Indeed, the country is suffering the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the consequences of the massive explosions at the port of Beirut in August 2020, as well as the persistent political instability.

The economic crisis among the worst in the world since 1850, according to the World Bank

While the 1.5 million Syrian refugees are the hardest hit, the number of Lebanese in need of assistance is rapidly increasing. The World Bank describes the situation as one of the three biggest economic collapses since the mid-19th century.

What the UNICEF survey shows is that children are the most affected by this growing disaster, ”said Yukie Mokuo.

Faced with this disastrous situation, UNICEF has mobilized to respond to the economic crisis, the impact of Covid-19 and the consequences of the explosions in Beirut. The UN agency has launched an integrated children’s grant to support up to 70,000 children.

It has also stepped up its efforts to combat malnutrition. UNICEF has provided mental health support to vulnerable children, especially those who work and those who use other negative coping mechanisms.

“Lebanon cannot afford that children are deprived of nutrition, out of school, in poor health and exposed to abuse, violence and exploitation,” concluded the UNICEF Representative, noting that “children are an investment, the ultimate investment, in the future of a nation ”.

Source: Agence Ivoirienne de presse