UNICEF warns that 1 in 10 families in Lebanon send their children to work due to the economic crisis

June 20 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned this Tuesday that 1 in 10 families in Lebanon send their children to work in the context of an economic crisis that draws a “dramatic” panorama for children and that will have “devastating consequences” in the education of minors.

“The escalating crises facing the children of Lebanon are creating an unbearable situation: breaking their spirit, damaging their mental health and threatening to end their hope for a better future,” said the UNICEF representative. in Lebanon, Edouard Beigbeder, in a statement.

The number of families in the country that have to send their children to work increases to almost 1 in 3 families among Syrian children. The largest concentration of Syrian refugees is in the Bekaa Valley (east), near the border with Syria.

Specifically, a new UNICEF report reveals that 9 out of 10 households do not have enough money to buy essential items and that 15 percent of households have had to interrupt their children’s education because they cannot meet the expenses. to 10 percent of a year ago.

Also, two in five households have been forced to sell family possessions, up from one in five last year, and 52 percent of households in Lebanon have had to cut spending on education, up from 38 percent on record. last year.

The crisis is also increasing menstrual poverty: just over half of those surveyed say women and girls at home do not have enough feminine hygiene items, such as pads, and almost all say they are now too expensive.

Similarly, the economic situation in Lebanon is seriously affecting the mental health of children, with almost 7 out of 10 caregivers claiming that minors feel anxious, nervous or worried.

“Increasing investment in essential services for children, critically education, health and social protection, will help mitigate the impact of the crisis, guarantee the well-being and survival of future generations and contribute to economic recovery,” Beigbeder pointed out.