Tags: Child Protection

The thousands of children of foreign fighters languishing in camps, detention centers or orphanages in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere are among the world’s most vulnerable children. They live in appalling conditions amid constant threats to their health, safety and well-being.

Save the Children, UNICEF and partners have successfully reunited 6,000 children with their families after years of separation due to conflict. This is a milestone for the Family Tracing and Reunification (FTR) programme in South Sudan since the first reunification of 420 children in 2014.

“My house is always full of female villagers coming for consultations and sometimes just moral support!” says Amina, who lives in Syria and works as a health educator.

More than 3,500 children, most of whom were aged 13 to 17, were recruited by non-state armed groups between 2013 and 2017 and have been used in the ongoing armed conflict in north-east Nigeria – UNICEF said today ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Chibok abduction. 

In 2014, the world witnessed the abduction of more than 276 school girls taken from their school in the town of Chibok, in northeastern Nigeria, triggering a massive solidarity movement on social media with celebrities calling on the governments of the world to act. We wanted to bring them back, to live their childhood as any child - any girl - should be entitled to. Yet, more than five years later, more than 100 of the “Chibok girls” are still missing. Worse, 110 more girls were abducted, and five lost their lives, in February 2018 in Dapchi, northeast Nigeria.

More than 400 children killed and seriously injured since beginning of 2019 

UNICEF Canada welcomes the Government of Canada’s announcement of new humanitarian funding of $46.7 million in response to the humanitarian needs of people in Yemen. This was announced earlier today at the Yemen Pledging Conference by the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development. 

UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa Geert Cappelaere’s remarks

Millions of children around the world are trapped in child labour, depriving them of their childhood, their health and education, and condemning them to a life of poverty and want. Of course, there is work that children do to help their families in ways that are neither harmful nor exploitative. But many children are stuck in unacceptable work for children – a serious violation of their rights.

In 2018, UNICEF reached almost all corners of the globe – 190 countries to be exact – to help save children’s lives. We have chosen five stories of success to show how generous support from our donors paired with tireless work from UNICEF staff, volunteers and partners are truly making a difference, for every child.