Yemen is One of the Worst Places to be a Child, Says UNICEF Report

“I did not have money to take Ruba’s mother to the hospital when her labour began. I could just bring a midwife from the area. My daughter’s suffering started even before she was born,” said the father of two-year-old Ruba Mastour in a report. The report ‘Born Into War’ by the United Nations Children’s Fund noted that conflict in Yemen has taken a devastating toll, particularly on the most vulnerable members of society- children.

The conflict that began in 2015 has pushed Yemen into a catastrophic humanitarian situation, with the country facing challenges from widespread poverty, food insecurity and lack of health services.

"An entire generation of children in Yemen is growing up knowing nothing but violence. Children in Yemen are suffering the devastating consequences of a war that is not of their making," said Meritxell Relano, the UNICEF representative in Yemen, according to a media release. "Malnutrition and disease are rampant as basic services collapse. Those who survive are likely to carry the physical and psychological scars of conflict for the rest of their lives."

The report notes that more than 22 million people – and nearly all children – are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.

Around 5,000 children have been killed or injured in the violence – an average of five children every day since the conflict began. “Even after the conflict ends, the effects of malnutrition – stunted growth and delayed cognitive development – may linger. In the worst cases, it is fatal”, the report warns.

In June 2017, the United Nations declared "world’s worst cholera outbreak” in Yemen and there have been more than 8,15,000 suspected cases of the disease and 2,156 deaths. About 4,000 suspected cases are being reported daily, more than half of which were children under 18. According to reports, country’s drinking water supply will completely collapse by 2025 if the crisis looms.

The impact of the war in Yemen was exacerbated by military blockage and the brutal bombing of the country by the United States supported Saudi coalition forces that are fighting against Houthi rebels. Continuous blockade of medical and food supplies by the coalition and bombing of healthcare infrastructure has crippled the country.

Yemen’s water and sanitation infrastructure have also been ravaged in the war. According to the military blockage of fuel have disrupted the delivery of water to millions of people in one of the most water-scarce countries on Earth’. The fuel shortages have also crippled the health care system in the country, hospitals are unable to power the generators they need to function.

The UNICEF called upon all parties to the conflict for unconditional access to deliver assistance to all children in need is key, and that the blockage in Yemen to be lifted.