South Sudan is in the throes of a tragedy for children that affects more than half the child population – victims of malnutrition, disease, forced recruitment, violence and the loss of schooling – UNICEF said in a report released on Friday.
Years of insecurity and upheaval have had a “staggering impact on children”, threatening an entire generation, the report, Childhood under Attack , says.
The numbers tell a grim story: Almost three million children are severely food insecure; more than one million are acutely malnourished; 2.4 million have been forced from their homes; two million children out of school, and if the current situation persists, an estimated 900,000 children suffer from psychological distress;
Report also says more than 19,000 children have been recruited in the ranks of armed forces and armed groups; while more than 2,300 children have been killed or injured since the conflict first erupted in December 2013, with hundreds of incidents of rape and sexual assault against children having been reported.
UNICEF has been delivering lifesaving assistance to children across the country since the crisis started in December 2013, including: treatment of more than 600,000 for severe acute malnutrition, vaccination against measles for more than 3.3 million children, the provision of primary health care services to more than 3.6 million children, and supporting the access to safe water supply for 1.8 million people.
In releasing Childhood under Attack, UNICEF warned that new funding is essential in order to provide critical assistance to children and women. In 2018 UNICEF requires $183 million, and currently has a funding gap of 77 per cent (or $141 million).
