UNICEF highlights that the crisis is aggravated by “the legacy of conflicts” since 2003, with 1.2 million still displaced
Dec. 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Children in Iraq are affected by the growing threat of climate change, including water scarcity or extreme temperatures, situations that “affect peace and security in the country,” according to the United Nations Fund for the Children (UNICEF).
The head of communication for UNICEF in Iraq, Miguel Mateos Muñoz, highlighted in an interview with Europa Press that “there is a climate crisis that affects the whole world”, although he stressed that “when talking about a climate crisis in Iraq talks about crisis of children’s rights”.
“For next year we anticipate that there will be a serious shortage of water due to the lower levels of groundwater and the continued reduction in flows in the main rivers,” he said, before indicating that “it is estimated that 15% of children will be affected by this in central and southern Iraq and will need humanitarian aid.”
Thus, he has detailed that “6% of Iraqi children are exposed to a high frequency of heat waves”, a figure that, according to two scenarios proposed depending on emissions up to 2050, reflect that in both “100% of the Children are going to suffer this high frequency of heat waves, which are going to be longer and with even more extreme temperatures than today”. “This year we have reached 52 degrees, not for one day or two, but easily for a month and a half,” specified Mateos Muñoz, who stressed that “in a little less than two years, UNICEF has helped the Government of Iraq to reach safe drinking water to 1.5 million people.
Along these lines, he pointed out that “around 1.7 million people need access to water, sanitation and hygiene services” in the face of a “combined problem” accentuated by displacement, “excessive” temperatures and lack of access to electricity and water. “There is massive displacement of the population and that requires a series of services added to the existing needs of the country”, he highlighted.
“The problems of access to water and sanitation are going to increase because displacements continue, the increase in temperatures and the floods and droughts. These funds are going to be needed more and more during the coming years,” he said. In this way, she has explained that UNICEF works with the Government and the authorities of Kurdistan so that “the water supply is ensured” and has opted for “durable solutions”.
On the other hand, he has stated that the situation “is a legacy of the conflicts from 2003 to 2017, which displaced around six million Iraqis” and has pointed out that, although “it is true that reconstruction and stabilization efforts have been made of the affected areas and that efforts are being made to promote the sustainable return of all these people (…) there are still challenges and many needs”.
“As of September 2022, 1.2 million people were still displaced, while around 4.9 million have returned to their places of origin,” he specified, before indicating that many of the returnees “live both in remote areas as in disputed areas, so the attention and resources of the Government (…) are quite limited”.
For this reason, he recalled that “when the rather abrupt closure of camps for displaced persons occurred in October 2020, the population in them fell from just over a quarter of a million in August 2020 to around 180,000 in September of 2022”. This caused “the number of displaced people living outside the camps (…) to reach around a million, including 370,000 in informal sites.”
At present, humanitarian assistance “is necessary for three million people, of whom 1.3 million are children”, while “in terms of acute humanitarian need, there are around one million people, among whom there are 460,000 kids”.
Mateos Muñoz has recognized the impact of the war in Ukraine on international financing and has said that “it is clear that the more conflicts or more humanitarian aid situations there are in the world, the pie for the distribution of funds is limited”. “The needs of Iraq are not reduced. It is true that there are problems of access to funds and we continue to call on donors to continue to consider Iraq a priority,” he said.
WORK ON THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
In addition, he pointed out that the organization’s objectives include reaching half a million children with formal and informal education, as well as facilitating “a combined system, both remotely and in person, for 4.2 million children.” Thus, he has highlighted the importance of “girls’ empowerment” programs and “maintenance and increase of the retention rates of female students in the Iraqi educational system.”
“When girls reach secondary education, a very significant number leave the school system associated with gender norms in the country, for example adolescent labor, child marriage or situations in which families believe they have studied enough. and they don’t need to be in school”, she explained, before saying that it is crucial “to ensure that girls do not leave the educational system”. “In order for Iraq to advance as a middle or upper-middle income country, it is necessary to advance in that field,” she pointed out.
Thus, he has highlighted that “the lack of opportunities, especially among youth” has led to cases of child labor, which he has described as a “consequence of the system.” “In Iraq, 60 to 70% of the population is under 25 years of age. Job opportunities must be created for that population,” he argued.
In this aspect, the weakness of the social protection system is relevant, in which “there is a lot of room for improvement.” For this reason, he has said that “in order for Iraq to stabilize in the long term, social protection networks are needed so that the most vulnerable families have access to income and minimum resources to face their deficiencies.”
PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT IN THE FACE OF VIOLENCE
The UNICEF spokesman has highlighted the importance of psychosocial support programs for children, many of which “address trauma derived from the conflicts that have taken place.” “Not only children who are in a situation of transfer (…), but also children who suffer from violence derived from the situation in the country,” he explained.
“According to the latest data we have, which is from 2018 (…), 80% of children in Iraq suffer violence,” he lamented, before adding that “for this coming year they want to reach 53,000 children, adolescents and guardians of these children to access psychosocial and health support programs in the communities.
“For next year, 77.6 million dollars are needed, mainly for child protection programs,” said Mateos Muñoz, who indicated that “this year 107 children have died or been maimed by remains of war explosives.” , incidents that over the past five years have left 500 children dead or injured.
Faced with this situation, UNICEF maintains awareness campaigns aimed at explaining to children in risk areas what these explosives are like, asking them not to go near them, and “supporting the Government and advocating for the Government to continue demining areas from the country”.
Finally, he has spoken of a “gradual improvement” in maternal and neonatal health in the last 20 years, for example in relation to infant mortality and vaccination.” “This year we have in Iraq the best vaccination rate when we speak measles and the combined vaccine –diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough– in the last 20 years”, he stressed, before adding that in 2021 500,000 children were born in clinics “directly supported by UNICEF”.
