Summary:

UNICEF has urged Côte d’Ivoire to make sure that children are not affected by the recent political violence in the country and that their access to public services remains intact.

http://www.unicef.org.uk/Latest/News/Cote-dIvoire-crisis/

[18 January 2011] - UNICEF is calling on leaders in Côte d’Ivoire to ensure that all children are protected from violence, that they have continued access to health services and are able to go to school, during what continues to be a volatile political situation. The present tragedy would be compounded if ongoing political instability resulted in diseases left untreated, children being exploited or missing school.

In any crisis or emergency, children are the most vulnerable. National and community leaders in Côte d’Ivoire must ensure that those responsible for the well being of children are able to work and that children are not placed in the front line of political action.

UNICEF and its partners are responding to the needs of those displaced within the country, in addition to those who have crossed the borders into Liberia and Guinea. Over 28,000 Ivoirians, more than 75 per cent of whom are children and women, have sought refuge in neighboring communities in Liberia, where host communities were already struggling to meet their own food, shelter, water, sanitation, and health care needs.

In Côte d’Ivoire, UNICEF has already dispatched 20 tons of relief supplies in the West to assist people in need. A national yellow fever campaign is also being prepared to counter an outbreak that is affecting two districts of the country and has already claimed the lives of 25 people since the end of October 2010.

Food costs have risen steeply in the western region of Côte d’Ivoire since the start of the crisis. Over the long term, this may affect the nutritional status of children from the poorest families who are being forced to use up reserves.

Further Information:

• COTE D'IVOIRE: UN seeks to aid thousands displaced by post-election turmoil [11 January 2011]
• HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL: Special Session relative to the situation of human rights in Cote d'Ivoire [UN, December 2010]
• EMERGENCIES: Misguided Kindness - Making the Right Decisions for Children in Emergencies [Save the Children UK, December 2010]
• EMERGENCIES: Non-discrimination in Emergencies - Training manual and toolkit [Save the Children, August 2008]
• EMERGENCIES: World Disaster Report 2007 - Focus on Discrimination [International Committee of the Red Cross, December 2007]
• CRIN Newsletter 20: Child Rights and Emergencies [23 February 2007]
• More on child rights in Côte d'Ivoire

Previous News release items

• 21/01/2011: SRI LANKA: Floods could leave 400,000 children without enough food
• 21/01/2011: INDIA: Jharkhand asked to set up child rights commission
• 20/01/2011: CÔTE D'IVOIRE: L’impasse politique aggrave les problèmes de l’éducation
• 20/01/2011: KENYA Le tueur silencieux qui continue d’emporter des enfants
• 20/01/2011: Adoption dans l'UE: garantir le droit des enfants à une vie de famille

Organisation Contact Details:

UNICEF
H-9, 3 United Nations
Plaza,
New York, NY 10017
Tel: + 1 212 326 7000
Email: devpro@unicef.org
Website: www.unicef.org

Last updated 24/01/2011 09:09:19

Please note that these reports are hosted by CRIN as a resource for Child Rights campaigners, researchers and other interested parties. Unless otherwise stated, they are not the work of CRIN and their inclusion in our database does not necessarily signify endorsement or agreement with their content by CRIN.