The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, warned that children are at a higher risk of death, abuse and malnutrition during the coronavirus pandemic.
He said “With the global recession gathering pace, there could be hundreds of thousands of additional child deaths in 2020″ compared to a pre-pandemic scenario.
“With children out of school, their communities in lockdown and a global recession biting deeper, family stress levels are rising,” he said.
“Children are both victims and witnesses of domestic violence and abuse.”
He urged social media companies to protect children as they increasingly face abuse and exploitation online.
The UN chief said that with nearly half of the world’s school children relying on school for meals and most out of school, many are at risk of malnutrition and stunting.
NAN reports that he urged world leaders and donors to prioritize education, provide funding to low-income families and minimize disruptions to social and health-care services for children while launching a UN report on the impact of the pandemic on children.
“We must also prioritise the most vulnerable – children in conflict situations, child refugees and displaced persons, children living with disabilities.
”There is an “alarming pattern” of the crisis hitting “the poorest and most vulnerable” hardest,” he added.
