At least 332 million children in all they have lived under national policy of Lockdown required or recommended for at least nine months from the start of the pandemic, which their mental health and his well-being, as he has warned Unicef
At least 1 in 7 children has been incarcerated for most of the past year
Just like adults, almost all of them minors of the world have some form of experience Lockdown intermittently in 2019. The new analysis of Unicef, made from data from the Tracker of Government Responses to the COVID-19 of Oxford, has identified some of the conditions of Lockdown most durable all over the world.
According to the analysis 139 million minors they have lived worldwide Lockdown compulsory nationally for at least 9 months since the COVID-19 was declared as pandemic on March 11, 2020; that is, they had to stay at home, with few exceptions such as minors living in countries such as Paraguay, Peru and Nigeria.
Therefore, the rest of that total of 332 million -193 million lived under national recommendations to stay at home during that same period, which has undoubtedly affected them.
Unicef is pushing for more investment in health services
The executive director of Unicef, Henrietta Fore, has made sure of that “with the confinements national and movement restrictions derived from the pandemicIt has been a long year for all of us, but especially for the children
Likewise, it has pointed it out “When you are away from your friends and loved ones – day in and day out – and maybe even stuck at home with an attacker, the impact is significant. A lot of children they are left with anxiety, loneliness, anxiety and take care of their future. We have to get out of here pandemic with a better approach to mental health of the children and adolescents, and that starts by giving the subject the attention it deserves ”.
Now that the pandemic situation has lasted for more than 12 months, the impact on the mental health and the welfare psychosocial of minors Y young people it is starting to take its toll. This is reflected in one study, particularly a recent survey on Unicef U-Report dirigida a young people in Latin America and the Caribbean, which received more than 8,000 responses, revealed that more than a quarter of those surveyed had experience with anxiety, and 15% depression
1 in 4 lives with a parent with a mental disorder
According to a statement from the organization, minors Y young people bore the brunt of the risks of it mental health even before the pandemic, like half of everything mental illness they develop before the age of 15 and 75% before early adulthood. Most of the 800,000 people who commit suicide every year they are young, and self harm are the third cause of this mortality between the young people 15 to 19 years of age, with the highest rates among adolescent girls. It is estimated that 1 in 4 children worldwide lives with a parent with a mental health disorder, he said Unicef
Isolation has caused many minors let them experiment violence negligence The abuse at home, at the mercy of them abusers and without the support of teachers, family environment and communities. The minors of population groups vulnerable -like those who live and work on the street-, minors with disabilities and those who live in situations of conflict risk their needs sanitary go completely unnoticed.
According to the WHO, pandemic from COVID-19 disrupted or disrupted essential health services in 93% of countries around the world, while the demand for support for Health grows. In a study conducted in 194 cities from China16% of the respondents reported symptoms of depression moderate to severe during pandemic, and 28% have symptoms of it anxiety moderate to severe.
Unicef launches a platform of individual counseling services
To address the problem, Unicef supports governments and partner organizations to set priorities and adapt to them minors the services they provide. For example, Unicef Kazakhstan has launched a platform online individual counseling for minors, in addition to offering distance training for specialists in mental health in schools. In China, Unicef and the social media company Kuaishou launched an online challenge to address the anxiety in the minors
End of 2021 Unicef will dedicate one of its flagship reports, the so-called World state of childhood which is published every two years already welfare from young peopleIt is part of the organization’s efforts to raise awareness of this global challenge, propose solutions and urge governments to pay more attention to the problem.
Fore insisted “Countries should invest significantly in expanding the services of mental health and support for young people and their caregivers in communities and schools. We also need comprehensive parenting programs to take care of children children vulnerable families receive the support and protection they need at home ”.