UNICEF: Children Increasingly Suffer From Corona Crisis

One in nine diagnosed corona cases is under the age of 20, UNICEF writes in a report on the occasion of the International Day for the Rights of the Child.

The corona crisis is having an increasing impact on children, the UN organization warns.

Research in 87 countries shows that 11 percent of the nearly 26 million corona infections affect people under the age of 20, an increase, according to UNICEF. The child welfare organization recognizes that children are less susceptible to the virus and their complaints often remain mild.

“It is a persistent myth that children are hardly affected by corona,” says UNICEF director Suzanne Laszlo. “But they are mostly affected by all the indirect consequences. The future of an entire generation is at stake.”

Four in ten women and children in 135 of the countries surveyed are missing meals due to the corona pandemic, the report said. In October alone, 265 million children were denied school meals because schools in their country are closed, according to UNICEF. This exacerbates the problem of malnutrition, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

According to UNICEF, the advantages of keeping schools open outweigh the disadvantages if enough security measures are taken. The organization points out that girls, in particular, do not return to school quickly if they have not been in school for a long time.

Previously, UNICEF reported that the corona pandemic had caused 150 million more children worldwide to live in poverty, an increase of 15 percent. For example, the crisis also has negative consequences for vaccinations against other diseases and health care for mothers and children.