Following a visit to Yemen, UNICEF Following a visit to Yemen, UNICEF Regional Following a visit to Yemen, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Geert Cappelaere said living conditions of millions of children in the country are a disgrace.
Cappelaere said wars, deep economic crises and decades of underdevelopment have not spared a single child in Yemen adding that the suffering they face is all man-made. He said more than 2,700 children had been recruited to fight in the ongoing conflict, over 6,700 children were killed or severely injured, and nearly 1.5 million children have been displaced.
The UNICEF Regional Director said seven million children in Yemen go to sleep hungry every night and some 400,000 face life threatening severe acute malnutrition. He said more than 2 million children are out of school and those who are in school often have to settle for poor quality education in overcrowded classrooms. He stressed that behind the number, there are children with names, faces, families, friends, stories, shattered dreams and lives cut short.
Cappelaere underscored that the current war and economic crisis are making an already dire situation much worse. He called on parties meeting in Sweden and those who have influence over them to prioritize children and their needs above any other political, military or financial agendas. He added that the future of the children of Yemen is in their hands- UNICEF
