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August 07 Communities in Bangladesh unite to stop injuries, a top killer of childrenBy Steve Nettleton RAIGANJ, Bangladesh, 7 August 2006 – As the day drew to a close, the entire village of Roha gathered to answer a difficult question. A week earlier, a four-year-old girl, Ashamoni, drowned in a pond. Her father was at work in a garment factory. Her mother was busy watching her four other children and didn’t notice that Ashamoni had decided to take a swim. “We never thought she would go into water. These children never went into the water before,” said Ashamoni’s father, Abdur Razzak Mondol. At the town meeting, villagers listened sombrely to the account of what happened. Some gave their views on what went wrong. Others suggested what could be done to keep another tragedy like this from happening. The meeting was part of a new form of civic responsibility, known as a ‘social autopsy’, that is being introduced to villages in Bangladesh to help make local communities accountable for the safety of their children. Breaking with tradition Drowning is the number-one cause of death for children aged 1 to 10 in Bangladesh. According to the Bangladesh Health and Injury Survey, drowning and other injuries – including traffic accidents, burns, falls and animal bites – kill more than 30,000 children each year. The survey also found that 955,000 children a year, or about 2,600 each day, suffer non-fatal injuries. Many Bangladeshis have long held a common belief that accidents were a result of fate, or God’s will. Now, an understanding is gaining ground that most injuries can be prevented. “Actually, we have made mistakes in the past,” said the head of the Roha Village Injury Prevention Committee, Mohammad Lebu Miah. “We used to think that accidents are something destined to happen. But we do not believe this anymore. We see that if one becomes careful then one may save the life of a child.” Safe environments for children With support from UNICEF, the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research in Bangladesh is trying some new approaches to reduce accidents among young people. In several rural areas, the centre is running a pilot programme that puts the community in charge of protecting itself. In each participating community, a village injury prevention committee is established and volunteers make regular inspections of neighbours’ houses to identify hazards. Communities have also set up day-care centres and are teaching children to swim. Making environments safer for children has taken top priority at the social autopsy in Roha. The tragedy of young Ashamoni’s death has bonded the villagers together in an effort to protect their children. “There are neighbours, there are grandparents, other relatives are there,” said Ashamoni’s father. “Together we will have to keep an eye on our children.” July 25 Lebanon aid appeal launched as first UNICEF supplies arriveBy Jane O’Brien
NEW YORK, USA, 24 July 2006 – UNICEF is asking for $23.8 million as part of a wider UN appeal of $150 million for emergency aid to Lebanon. Launched simultaneously in Beirut and at United Nations headquarters in New York, the appeal urges the global community to help displaced and refugee children and families in their hour of critical need. As the hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah continue, more than a third of those already killed and injured have been children. And of the estimated 700,000 Lebanese people forced to flee their homes to Syria and other parts of Lebanon, almost half are thought to be children. “Tens of thousands of these children are living in schools, playgrounds, mosques and churches with little access to clean water and sanitation facilities,” UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Rima Salah said at the appeal launch here. “Those who are fortunate to survive may have witnessed the death or injury of a loved one and the destruction of their environment. Many live in constant fear and anxiety.
Supplies dispatched The first major shipment of UN aid is expected to reach stricken parts of Lebanon on Wednesday, as Israel has agreed to establish ‘safe corridors’ allowing relief to reach those most in need. Emergency supplies were dispatched at the weekend from UNICEF’s warehouse in Copenhagen, Denmark. These include basic medicines as well as water and sanitation kits for some 1,700 families. UNICEF has been appointed the lead UN agency for water and sanitation in the conflict area. Other UNICEF supplies bound for the region have already been diverted to Lebanon and are among the first to reach the country. Ms. Salah said families who had escaped the violence now face a new kind of fear. “They face the fear of disease from a lack of medical care, clean water and proper sanitation,” she said. “UNICEF will work with our UN partners, governments, NGOs and others to provide support for these displaced children.” Protection of children The Lebanese Ambassador to the UN, Nouhad Mahmoud, said children were bearing the brunt of the catastrophe and would continue to suffer in the months to come. “In the long run it will have the effect of a lack of schooling, because the schools have become centres for refugees and displaced people,” he noted. “In every village in Lebanon now, we have schools that are centres for refugees. That effects the whole population, not only those who are affected by the displacement now.” Many Gulf countries have already pledged financial support, and more is expected. Qatar made one of the first donations. UN Ambassador Nassir Al Nasser of Qatar commended UNICEF for its work in Lebanon and said his country’s contributions would continue in the coming days. Ms. Salah ended her statement at the UN by reminding the global community that the protection of children and civilians is an obligation under international humanitarian law and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. July 20 Joint statement on the crisis in Lebanon and IsraelDear Jeerawan: With the crisis in Lebanon and Israel now in its second week, UNICEF is seriously concerned for civilians caught in the conflict and is racing to get critical humanitarian aid to tens of thousands of children affected by the hostilities. Today, UNICEF and the World Health Organization issued a joint statement on the crisis and its effects on children in the region. The full text follows: Statement by UNICEF and the World Health Organization on Escalating Violence in Lebanon and Israel NEW YORK , GENEVA, AMMAN, BEIRUT, 19 July 2006 – UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) today expressed serious concern about civilian casualties and new risks to health from escalating violence in Lebanon and Israel. Civilian deaths include dozens of children, with many more injured. The psychological impact is serious as people, including children, have witnessed the death or injury of loved ones and destruction of their homes and communities. In Lebanon alone, more than 200 people have been killed and more than 550 injured. Hundreds of thousands of people are reportedly internally displaced, with more than 30,000 finding refuge in schools and public gardens in and outside Beirut. The movement of medical supplies and ambulances to the affected areas is seriously curtailed. Unobstructed access for humanitarian assistance is critical to stave off needless death and suffering. The protection of civilians during conflict is an obligation under international humanitarian law. Unhindered humanitarian access to health facilities for the injured, for those who need care for chronic conditions and for pregnant women is equally critical to the prevention of more civilian deaths in this crisis. WHO and UNICEF are working with a broad range of partners in Lebanon to save lives, protect civilians and support basic services such as health, water and sanitation, education and psycho-social care. The agencies, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, are providing emergency medicines and supplies for acute and chronic conditions. This includes medicines required for chronic illnesses, such as cardio-vascular disease and diabetes – both of which are highly prevalent in Lebanon. The agencies are providing chlorine tablets in order to ensure safe drinking water and prevent waterborne diseases. The agencies are also ensuring distribution of fortified nutritional packs, micronutrients and oral rehydration solutions to ensure proper child and maternal health. WHO is conducting health assessments with national authorities to identify the most urgent health needs and gaps. UNICEF is supporting the pre-positioning of a number of generators in key health facilities throughout the southern parts of the country, along with sufficient levels of fuel reserves, so that health facilities can continue functioning. In addition, UNICEF and WHO are part of the larger UN appeal, which will be released next week and includes funding for the next three months July 19 UNICEF and partners respond to escalating crisis in Lebanon and IsraelBy Chris Niles and Sabine Dolan NEW YORK, USA, 19 July 2006 – With the crisis in Lebanon and Israel entering its second week, UNICEF is seriously concerned for civilians caught in the conflict and is racing to get critical emergency supplies to tens of thousands of children affected by the hostilities. But as the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon and Hezbollah rocket attacks on Israel continue, reaching those in need is an enormous humanitarian challenge. “First of all, we need to have a safe corridor to allow supplies to reach those who are reachable,” said UNICEF’s Representative in Lebanon, Roberto Laurenti, referring to the thousands of civilians who have fled their homes. The other major challenge, he added, is to provide emergency relief to “populations that are trapped in their own areas because they are declared war-zone areas.” Since the conflict broke out last week, Lebanon has become increasingly isolated, with access blocked by air, sea and land. Meanwhile, military activity has cut off areas in south Lebanon from the rest of the country. ‘Crisis has the face of a child’ UNICEF, the World Health Organization and a broad range of partners are working to save lives, protect civilians and provide conflict-affected children and families with basic relief supplies, including:
UNICEF is also working to prevent the separation of children from their families and to quickly reunite those who have been separated. Thousands of children are suffering from the ongoing violence, according to UNICEF Deputy Director of Emergency Programmes Afshan Khan. “This crisis definitely has the face of a child,” she said. “We’re hearing of difficulties in getting children to hospitals in time to save either life or limb. This is a crisis that has deeply, deeply scarred many children.” July 18 UNICEF assesses emergency needs following Java quake and tsunamiNEW YORK, USA, 17 July 2006 – UNICEF is sending a rapid assessment team to the Indonesian island of Java, where a series of earthquakes triggered a tsunami just after 3 p.m. local time today. The epicentre of the earthquake was located offshore from the beach resort of Pangandaran in Central Java. The US Geological Survey said the first quake measured 7.7 on the Richter scale and was followed by several aftershocks. The resulting tsunami sent six-foot waves crashing onto the town and sent thousands running for higher ground. “We’ve been in touch with our office in Java and based on what we know now, there are at least 60 people killed and about 60 people missing so far,” said UNICEF Emergency Officer Lina Sofiani in the capital, Jakarta. “Tomorrow morning we will join the UN team to do a rapid assessment in the area.” Emergency supplies from 2004 tsunami “If we have thousands of people displaced, then we need to assess the condition of women and children along with the schools and the condition of health facilities in the area,” she said. The earthquake was felt in Jakarta and caused waves up to 15 feet along the Java coast. UNICEF has critical emergency supplies in Jakarta left over from the enormous relief effort following the December 2004 tsunami, which struck Banda Aceh on the island of Sumatra. “We still have our contingency stock in Jakarta,” said Ms. Sofiani. “We will be able to move supplies very soon.”
July 15 Children have rightsAll children have the same right to develop their potential – all children, in all situations, all of the time, everywhere.
Pakistan Press Room
A violent earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale struck areas near the Pakistan-India border at 8:50 am (local time in Pakistan) on 8 October 2005 -- the strongest and most devastating quake in Pakistan's history. Tens of thousands of children are in peril in remote earthquake-affected parts of Pakistan because of deteriorating weather, injury, and illness. Immediate steps must be taken to boost the number of children being reached if a second wave of deaths is to be averted during the harsh winter months now arriving. UNICEF Executive Director Ann. M. Veneman said that it is now believed that children will be dying despite the best efforts of government, aid agencies and local communities. “There simply are not enough resources on the ground to prevent needless deaths,” she said. “In the Tsunami disaster we could say there were no serious outbreaks of life-threatening diseases. In the quake zone, however, with winter fast approaching, we fear that lack of access will be measured by child deaths.” |
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