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Since October 2023, children in the Gaza Strip have been in “danger” and their lives are in “constant turmoil”. At least 19,000 children have been “forced to fend for themselves in horrific conditions after being separated from their parents or caregivers”. UNICEF denounced this today, explaining that with 90% of the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza displaced in damaged and almost “unrecognizable” territory, families are living in a foreign territory. “The daily chores of collecting water and food from sometimes distant locations are divided among family members, including children. And at any moment, bombings or evacuation orders can suddenly separate families”. This is why UNICEF – reads a note released today – is working with the Japanese government to distribute 450,000 identification bracelets to children in different areas of the Gaza Strip. Families write their child’s name, date of birth and a family member’s phone number on the bracelet to help them reunite if they are separated. The bracelets are primarily intended for children under six, who may have difficulty saying or remembering a name or number, but parents can use them for older children if needed. Caregivers are encouraged to help older children memorise the necessary information, the humanitarian organisation explains: “Because these children have already been through so much and almost all – an estimated one million – need mental health and psychosocial services to help them overcome trauma, UNICEF staff and partners are careful not to instill fear of separation in these families when distributing the bracelets. Instead, children are taught that it is a means of protection and autonomy”. “Unaccompanied and separated children are more likely to be victims of exploitation and abuse”. It is also highlighted that food and clean water are scarce in most of the Gaza Strip and a child separated from his or her caregivers is at greater risk of hunger and malnutrition. As of June 2024, more than 9,500 children have been diagnosed with acute malnutrition and humanitarian workers have warned that famine is spreading in the Gaza Strip. To help children cope with this life-threatening situation, it is necessary for them to “remain with their families, who are able to offer them comfort and support”. Hence awareness is being raised among mothers and caregivers on how to help them “overcome trauma through play and other supportive activities”. UNICEF, with the support of the Government of Japan, continues to provide children and their families in the Gaza Strip with psychosocial and mental health assistance, family strengthening programmes and violence prevention interventions, as well as hygiene and water and nutrition services.
Source: Agensir