Child Refugees and Migrants Suffer Most by Border Restrictions, Says UNICEF

NEW YORK (March 1, 2016) – The dire situation unfolding at border points along the Balkan land route, especially in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Greece, has left thousands of children stranded, distressed and at risk of poor health and abuse, says UNICEF.

In the chaos and confusion, children have been forced to sleep outside in the open in squalid conditions for over a week, lacking access to basic services, such as showers and the right food. Families risk separation, and children have been stuck outside transit centers or for hours in trains with no clear destination.

“What I am witnessing here is small children under the age of five stuck in between two fences,” said Jesper Jensen, UNICEF emergency field coordinator in Gevgelijia, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. “They cannot go forward and they cannot go back – they need shelter and rest and they need to know what lies ahead.”

Due to the rapidly-evolving situation at border transit centers in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, UNICEF has been scaling up its response. These activities include facilitating access to water and sanitation facilities, especially for children and small babies, and providing personal hygiene items and food to help children and their families cope amidst distressing conditions.

UNICEF repeats the call for a united, coordinated approach by all governments along the primary transit routes and in countries of destination. No child should have to spend the night without shelter and without access to basic services.

Photos and videos for broadcast are available here: http://uni.cf/1Ob9UKV

About UNICEF
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF has helped save more children’s lives than any other humanitarian organization, by providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF's work through fundraising, advocacy and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when no children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood. For more information, visit www.unicefusa.org.

For more information, contact:
Sophie Aziakou, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 917.720.1397, saziakou@unicefusa.org