UNICEF Highlights Suffering of Yemeni Children, in International Children’s Day

YemenExtra

M.A.

The continuation of the bloody conflict and the resulting economic crisis has put basic social services systems across Yemen on the brink of collapse, with far-reaching consequences for children, UNICEF said today.

Despite the historic gains made for children since the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the child 30 years ago by the UN General Assembly, Yemen remains one of the worst countries for children in the world.

Today, more than 12 million children – almost every child – in Yemen are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, UNICEF explained in a statement.

In 1991, Yemen ratified the Convention on the Rights of the child and it was enacted immediately, making it one of the first countries in the world committed to improving the rights of children in the country and reporting on progress.

UNICEF Representative in Yemen Sarah Bisolo Nyanti said many children were killed due to of the war by blatant attacks, while playing outdoors with their friends, on their way to or back from school, or while safely at home with their families. “Every day we strive to fulfill our promise to meet the needs and help fulfill the rights of Yemen’s children, but the purest form of childhood – play, is often ignored.”

The UNICEF representative saw this symbolic gesture as an opportunity to remind the world of Yemen’s children, who continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.

UNICEF and its partners continue to provide life-saving services to children in the areas of health, nutrition, water and sanitation, as well as child protection services. She stressed that only peace can provide a durable solution to the deteriorating humanitarian crisis and alleviate the situation of children.

This post originally ran on Almasirah English