In addition to estimates indicating that more than 1.5 million children have sought refuge with their families in other countries, data announced by Save the Children on Wednesday revealed that about 5.8 million, or more than half IDPs Internally, the 11 million people are children under the age of 18, of whom 2.8 million are under the age of five.
The organization estimated the number children Those born during the eighteen months following the outbreak War Nearly two million children, at a rate of 4,000 births per day.
Save the Children said that millions of pre-school children have been forced to flee across the country Sudanwhich is larger Displacement crisis In the world for children.
Sudanese specialists stressed to Sky News Arabia the need for urgent action to confront the dangers faced by millions of children, noting that the war has brought about a major change in the behavior and attitudes of children and has had catastrophic consequences on their future.
Big risk
As the war continues, displacement rates increase, and most educational and health institutions remain closed, millions of children in Sudan face the risk of losing educational opportunities and being deprived of early childhood essentials, including vaccinations, clean water, health care, nutritious food, and shelter from extreme heat and cold.
While about half of these children now live in host communities, the remaining half live in desperate conditions, with 18 percent living in displacement camps, 16 percent in informal camps or in the open, and 9 percent in cramped schools or other public buildings. Many of these children share their space with adults they do not know, and have limited or no access to water and sanitation.
Girls are particularly at risk, with more than 3.2 million girls under the age of 18 facing threats of sexual or sexual violence. Rape or Early marriage Or forced.
Mohamed Abdel Latif, interim director of Save the Children in Sudan, said: “Infants and young children are among the most vulnerable people and are currently living in the worst conditions. When people are forced to flee their homes due to violence, women and children are usually the first to go, and often We see displacement camps full of children, but the number of displaced children in Sudan is staggering.”
He adds: “The situation in Sudan is getting worse and out of control, and every day more and more lives are put at risk due to killing, violence and displacement. This has become one of the most devastating humanitarian crises, but the world is not paying attention.”
Loss of educational opportunity
The problem of millions of children losing opportunities to attend school raises great concern among Sudanese.
According to Sami Al-Baqir, spokesman for the Sudanese Teachers Committee, more than 6 million children in pre-secondary education have lost the opportunity to attend school due to war conditions. Al-Baqir told Sky News Arabia that only about 750,000 displaced people and refugees were able to enroll in schools inside and outside Sudan.
As the war continues and people stay away from school, many children lose their desire for education and their passion for it decreases. Many of them have been busy during the past eighteen months with other interests apart from their academic interests, and some of them were forced to bear part of the responsibility for supporting their families in light of the harsh living conditions in which millions live. Sudanese.
Social researcher Asma Jumaa warns of the disastrous effects of the long period of closure on children’s desire to continue their education. Jumaa points out the decline in education priorities in light of the difficulties displaced families face in providing other basics such as food, treatment, and housing.
She told Sky News Arabia, “Many children were quickly affected by the type of life and the new environment in which they found themselves after the war, which led to major behavioral changes due to the pressures and traumas that affected the children psychologically and socially.”
