UNICEF launches new appeal to support refugee and migrant children in Europe
25 September 2015 – Warning of a “massive” increase in the numbers
of children on the move to Europe, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
announced today that it will be appealing for $14 million to address
the needs of migrant and refugee children who have escaped war-torn
countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.
UNICEF spokesperson Sarah Crowe told reporters at the regular press
briefing in Geneva that the agency’s presence in all countries should
help in allotting the funds appropriately to create child-friendly
locations, health care, food, shelter and other humanitarian services.
The agency reported
that there has been an 80 per cent increase in the number of children
moving through Europe with approximately 19,000 children arriving each
month. According to Eurostat data, there were 133,000 children who
sought asylum between January and July 2015.
Ms. Crowe also introduced Valentina Otmacic, UNICEF representative in
Croatia, who described the harsh conditions for migrant children in that
country.
Ms. Otmacic recounted a traumatic incident at a child-friendly zone in a
camp in Opatovac, Croatia, where a 9-year-old Afghan boy had tried to
commit suicide by cutting his neck with a metal lid before being
stopped.
The agency announced that it would be providing support to European
governments to ensure that the policies and procedures undertaken by
them serves the best interests of the children and are in compliance
with internationally accepted standards.
A
woman carrying a child under a blanket walks on a muddy path in the
southern Serbian town of Preševo, on the border with the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia. Photo: UNICEF/Tomislav Georgiev
woman carrying a child under a blanket walks on a muddy path in the
southern Serbian town of Preševo, on the border with the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia. Photo: UNICEF/Tomislav Georgiev
