1,081 refugees have been provided with legal counseling and assistance since the beginning of 2015
Over the hot summer months UNICEF is continuing to provide a water, sanitation and hygiene response in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq. In Syria UNICEF, with sector partners, is supporting water access in areas where control of water is increasingly being used in the war in Damascus, Rural Damascus, Aleppo and Dara governorates. UNICEF is providing water trucking, rehabilitation of wells and fuel to power systems.
2014 IN REVIEW
The small victories which motivate us
Message from Koenraad Vanormelingen, Representative UNICEF Mozambique
By Chris Niles
Kidnapped by militants and held captive for months on end, a mother and son are reunited with the boy’s father. While the family now lives safely in a camp for displaced people, the emotional wounds remain – as they do for tens of thousands of children in Iraq affected by conflict.
ERBIL, Iraq, 30 July 2015 – Farhan*, 3, looks like any toddler, splashing about in a tiny plastic paddling pool, his arms darkened by the sun and a mischievous glint in his eye.
MONROVIA, Liberia 31 July 2015 – UNICEF is supporting a drive by the Liberian Government to register more than 70,000 children whose births were not recorded during the Ebola crisis, leaving them vulnerable to marginalization and exclusion.
BY EVANS MORI ON 30 JUL 2015
The influx of Burundians seeking refuge in Tanzania since the unrest in their own country began is enormous – we’re looking at a figure above 80,000, more than half, children. And of those children, over 952 are unaccompanied by any known adult – their parents or a guardian – and 1,732 have been separated from their parents or other family members. We classify them as ‘unaccompanied’ or ‘separated’ to distinguish between circumstances; 4 per cent of them are under five.
UNICEF is deeply concerned about the intensification of violence in Yemen. Another attempt at a humanitarian pause failed, leaving humanitarian partners unable to scale up implementation in hard to reach areas and further preventing many families from accessing urgently needed basic services.
• Kasai Occidental: In May and June 2015, the humanitarian community noticed a new influx of expelled Congolese living illegally in Angola. The total number of deportees is 21,804. Around 12,000 people returned to DRC through the territory of Tshikapa and 9,839 through the territory of Luiza. A response plan has been prepared by the humanitarian team but is underfunded.
• North Kivu: Clashes between armed groups resulted in the displacement of more than 15,000 households in total.
UNICEF successfully conducted the Social Mobilization activities for the Oral Cholera Vaccination campaign which included a rapid screening of children
To decongest mass shelters, authorities designated additional space in Nyaragusu camp as a residence area. This area, named Zone 8, will accommodate up to 9000 people.
UN agencies adopted 150,000 as a new planning figure of refugees expected to reach Tanzania in the Emergency Response Plan.
Despite the continuous development of the Latin American and Caribbean region, violence against children, especially against girls, is still prevalent. Most of the times violence against children goes unnoticed, unheard, or even unreported, impacting children for life. Only a small proportion of acts of violence, exploitation and abuse are reported and investigated, and few perpetrators are held accountable.
Facing these grim realities, we want to understand the role of the telecommunications industry, particularly mobile operators, in ending violence.
Rwanda continued to receive a steady influx of refugees from Burundi. The total number has now reached 71,485.
The shelter strategy is being revised to accommodate the large number of refugees in hangars, tents and semi-permanent facilities.
Alternative modes of providing water to the growing number of refugees are being put in place, while working on permanent/sustainable solutions.
Negotiations are ongoing to ensure refugee children’s participation in national education examinations.
· The total number of confirmed cases of Ebola rose this week from 3,303 to 3,324, with 21 new confirmed cases, including twelve from Conakry, seven in Forécariah, and two in the prefecture of Coyah (WHO Ebola Situation Reports, 20 July 2015).
· Among the 12 cases reported in Conakry, 11 were from the commune of Ratoma and 1 from the commune of Matoto while for prefecture of Forécariah, 6 were from the sub-prefecture of Benty and 1 from the sub-prefecture of Allasoya.
· In the week to 19 July 2015, there were four confirmed Ebola cases, down from 14 cases the previous week. The two cases reported in Western Area Urban district came from Patton Street and Lumley areas of Freetown (the only two areas reporting cases out of 48 wards in the district). Two cases reported from Port Loko district came from two (Mamusa and Marampa) out of 11 chiefdoms.
Situation analysis and change in context
Scoping study to examine knowledge of CPMS 14 among child protection and juvenile justice practitioners
Children are always among the most vulnerable in an emergency. Emergencies both exacerbate pre-existing protection concerns and create new ones. In times of crisis, girls and boys face increased risk of all forms of violence and exploitation.
One potentially life-saving area of child protection that remains poorly understood and underfunded in humanitarian contexts is justice for children.
• Sexual and Gender Based violence (SGBV) in Lebanon affects disproportionately women and children. Since 2014, in almost nine out of ten reported cases survivors have been women and girls. One in four reported cases of SGBV is from a child survivor. Over the past year, the most commonly reported types of violence are domestic violence, sexual violence, as well as forced marriage.
· There are currently six confirmed cases in this most recent Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Margibi and Montserrado counties. Two of these are deceased, two have been discharged from an Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU), while the remaining two will be discharged as soon as they test negative. There is still no definitive information on the original source of transmission.
· As of 21 July 2015, there are 22 contacts being followed up in Margibi and 17 contacts in Montserrado.
58 Children detained on charges of “involvement in armed groups” following fighting in Kayanza province (UNICEF, 28 July)
14 Children sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment on charges of “involvement in armed groups” (UNICEF, 28 July)
Over 177,000 Seeking asylum in neighbouring countries (UNHCR, 28 July)
1 New cholera case in Burundi since last reporting period, bringing the total to 181 confirmed cases (Ministry of Health, 28 July)
· In Syria, access to humanitarian assistance for children in hard-to-reach areas continues to remain a significant challenge. The UN estimates that up to 2 million children are still not being reached due to deteriorating security, shifting frontlines, capacity limitations and administrative hurdles.