Dubai: Women and children are 14 times more likely to lose their lives than men in a war or conflict, said Helle Thorning-Schmidt, Former Prime Minister of Denmark, at the opening of the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid and Development conference and exhibition (DIHAD), taking place at the Dubai World Trade Center on March 21-22.
Under the theme ‘The impact of crisis and disasters on children,’ the CEO of Save the Children International, pointed out that today, there are 50 million children suffering of great violations in conflict and war, with many of them not surpassing their fifth birthday.
“Many of these children are being raped, are victims of sexual violence, are children attacked or abducted in schools and hospitals, are children denied humanitarian access, and are children recruited by armed groups and forced into conflicts they have nothing to do with,” said Thorning-Schmidt.
She referred to the opening of the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, also known as the Geneva Declaration- adopted by the United Nations in 1959, which states that “mankind owes to the child the best it has to offer.”
“Our job is far from over… Across four conflict-affected countries- Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia- conservative estimates say that 1.4 million children may die this year,” said Thorning-Schmidt.
For those who do survive, many suffer psychological damages, and long after the physical scars have healed, the emotional scars continue to destroy lives, she added.
Syrian crisis
Discussing the Syrian crisis, a recent study on mental health issues on children in war by the Save the Children foundation found that 90 per cent of children have become more fearful, suffer from sleepless nights, and are nervous as this war continues.
“The conflict is taking a crippling toll on children as the Syrian war moves into its seventh year. Over half the children we spoke to have turned to drugs to cope with stress, and many have lost the ability to speak,” said Thorning-Schmidt.
She explained the lack of education in Syria, is one of the “major blows” of this war. “For the families of Syria, destroyed schools, means destroyed futures,” said Thorning-Schmidt.
Highlighting that an entire generation is at risk of long-term damages, she pointed out the need to heal children by addressing their emotional scars after a war ends.
“These children are facing the worst humanity has to offer… We owe it to the children of Syria and children in all armed conflicts to do the best we can to end their suffering,” said Thorning-Schmidt.
Describing Dubai as the “Capital of humanitarian aid,” Thorning-Schmidt referred to the strong leadership of the UAE, which is open to supporting new ideas and partnerships. “We must rally to get action, to really mark 2017 as the year of charity and peace,” she said.
Focus on Children
Meanwhile, Ebrahim Bumelha, Humanitarian Advisor of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-president and prime minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, pointed out the conference’s 14 edition is focusing on children in conflict.
“This annual event gathers humanitarian agencies and charity organisations from around the world to discuss the most pressing humanitarian affairs and explores the challenges affecting the refugee crisis and in specific the causes of suffering of the fragile community- which are women and children,” he said.
Bumelha pointed out that UAE is the largest foreign aid donor in the world, and has one of the quickest response times in providing assistance in a crisis.
“I would like to quote Shaikh Khalifa — “the more we give, the more we get from Allah, and the more safety and stability we have,” he concluded.
