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Press CentreBriefing note28 March 2003: What UNICEF said at the UN briefingUNICEF staff are monitoring the IDP crisis. In Soran many people from Kirkuk and other areas are living in schools. Briefing by Geoff Keele, UNICEF Communication Officer, IRAQ
Good Afternoon UNICEF staff working in Iraq have launched a new scheme in the north of the country to monitor what is happening to children caught up in the crisis. Staff are working with children from different communities whose situation can be regularly monitored over the next few weeks. Some have been uprooted from their homes, others are at home but facing some disruption to their lives. The monitoring should provide a snapshot of how children are coping and early warning of any emerging crisis that may require intervention. To date, children have been monitored in Dohuk, Erbil and Suleimaniyah. Berivan Fazil is a 12 year old girl who moved with her family from Kirkuk and is living with relatives in Suleimaniyah. They have everything they need. But Berivan says she feels depressed and is suffering from headaches. She has no appetite. Her family says she was very scared when they were in Kirkuk. Ten year old Sara Juma' Majeed lives with her family in Suleimaniyah. She is worried about her school and is missing her friends. Schools in northern Iraq have been closed since the beginning of the war. Berivan and Sara are only two of the many children affected by the conflict. UNICEF staff are monitoring the IDP crisis. In Soran many people from Kirkuk and other areas are living in schools. 125 people are in the Sardam school. 386 people are sharing 4 latrines in another premises and around 250 people are in a school where the women say there is not enough water, despite the provision of a water tank. Of particular concern are 68 juveniles, 22 convicted women and 45 staff and others from a reformatory in Erbil who now reside in a 3 room kindergarten. The juveniles aged between 11 to 22 eat, rest and sleep side by side in the same room. UNICEF will act to construct more latrines as needed, provide and rehabilitate water points, monitor the health situation and advocate with authorities for the juvenile and women prisoners to be returned to Erbil or for a more appropriate building to be found. UNICEF again calls on authorities controlling areas to ensure that any aid being delivered to civilians is done in a way that ensures that the most vulnerable people are reached, that needs of those in institutions are met and that distributions take place in a way that ensures the human dignity of beneficiaries.
For further information please contact us:. Geoffrey Keele, UNICEF Iraq:
gkeele@unicef.org For interviews in the region, write or call directly to the UNICEF NewsDesk in Amman: (962-79) 50422058 •
Broadcasters! |
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