Winter: UNICEF Expresses Concern Over the Health of Children on the Move
NEW YORK (January 19, 2016) – Children arriving into a harsh winter in southeastern Europe are physically exhausted, scared, distressed and often in need of medical assistance, UNICEF warned.
The recent sub-zero temperatures and sometimes snowy conditions are exacerbating the children’s poor physical condition as many children on the move do not have adequate clothing, or access to age-appropriate nutrition. This has been worsened by the lack of shelter and inadequate heating in some reception centers as well as buses and trains.
UNICEF said the issue was pressing as the proportion of children amongst refugees and migrants – now more than one in three – has continued to increase. According to national sources, in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the ratio was 37 percent in December, compared to 23 percent in September, while in Serbia, 36 percent were children in December compared to 27 percent in September. In December, most children transiting through UNICEF child-friendly spaces in Serbia were young children, including babies and infants and those between 5 to 9 years old.
In 2015, more than one million refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean, arriving on Europe’s shores, of which an estimated 253,700 – or one in four – were children.
UNICEF’s Special Coordinator for the Refugee and Migrant Crisis in Europe, Marie-Pierre Poirier said that children are particularly susceptible to respiratory infections, digestive problems and diarrhea. Non-controlled use of baby formula may also seriously affect babies’ health.
UNICEF warned that there remains insufficient cross-border information-sharing and follow-up on the most vulnerable children, mainly due to the speed of the population movement.
Ms. Poirier said UNICEF was engaging with its partners and counterparts to develop contingency plans for population movement slow-downs and an increasing number of people being stranded along the route.
In the past three months, UNICEF and its partners have provided 81,000 children with services in UNICEF-supported, winterized child-friendly spaces in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia. In addition, nearly 18,000 babies and infants have received specialized services through UNICEF mother-and-baby care spaces.
In the past month, UNICEF has distributed 13,500 items of winter clothing, blankets, changing mats and baby carriers. In Croatia, 6,000 children received winter gear and a similar number were supplied in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, while in Serbia, nearly 8,000 children received winter essentials.
Over the same period:
- In the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 11,651 women, of whom 803 were pregnant, were assisted. 394 women and 495 children were referred to health services in the last half of December.
- In Serbia, 2,802 babies were breastfed and/or received age-appropriate food, and 1,508 mothers were provided with counseling and support on child health and nutrition.
- In Croatia, more than 1,200 babies and infants were attended at the mother-and-baby space, and 352 mothers were provided with breastfeeding support.
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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