Credit: UNICEF
NEW YORK, May 12 2021 (IPS) - The month of May marks mental health awareness month or mental health awareness week in several countries around the world. Many people will be reading posts and blogs about the importance of getting more sunshine and exercise to avoid the blues, about ways to deal with the stress of the pandemic, about dealing with everyday challenges that disrupt our striving for happiness.
But for children and youth caught in emergencies and protracted crises who are living through the extreme stress and adversity of armed conflicts, forced displacement, attacks on schools and climate-induced disasters, the need for mental health and psychosocial support services extends far beyond wellness remedies. It requires a sincere understanding of their suffering and a profound recognition of their resilience.
UNICEF Cameroon Humanitarian Situation Report No. 2 - February 2021
Format
Highlights
▪ Since December 2020 over 6,692 Central African Republic civilians have sought refuge in the East Region of Cameroon in churches, host families, Gado Refugee Site and Sarambi gold mine site. This movement across the border was prompted by the instability and violence that followed the Central African Republic Presidential Elections on 27 December 2020.
▪ Reports of Grave Child Rights Violations in the South-West Region continued to be received. In Ekondo-Titi (Ndian division) and Limbe (Fako division), 26 alleged cases of child trafficking were reported. UNICEF and partners, within the Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CP AoR) are providing dedicated case management support.
Collaboration Across Child Protection in Humanitarian Action and Education in Emergencies
Format
Introduction
Child Protection in Humanitarian Action (CPHA) and Education in Emergencies (EiE) are highly complementary areas of humanitarian response. Conceptually, programmatically, and operationally the two sectors have much in common: both are child focused, both are priorities for affected populations, and, through collaboration, they can reinforce each other’s sectoral outcomes.
Many humanitarian and development actors have recognised this interdependence, and have developed guidance for practitioners, as well as laying out policies and procedures that promote integrated or joint programming across the two sectors, such as Save the Children’s Safe Schools Common Approach; IRC’s Safe Healing & Learning Spaces, and NRC’s Better Learning Programme. INEE & The Alliance, as well as the Global Education Cluster (GEC) and the Child Protection Area of Responsibility (CPAoR) have
UNICEF Whole of Syria Humanitarian Situation Report - End-of-year 2020
Format
Highlights
The scale, severity and complexity of humanitarian needs worsened in 2020 due to the economic downturn, rising cost of commodities, and devaluation of local currency, all compounded by the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and ongoing hostilities. This led to devastating consequences for already-vulnerable populations across the country, and particularly for displaced populations and returnees in the northwest and northeast of Syria. The current socioeconomic situation is resulting in some of the most challenging humanitarian conditions experienced in the past ten years of crisis.
In the northwest, ongoing hostilities in populated areas led to higher civilian casualties. Of the 4 million people living in the northwest, 2.8 million need urgent humanitarian assistance. Since December 2019, more than 940,000 people 194,000 of whom are women and 566,000 are children have been displaced, in additi