Lebanese economic crisis leaving over 30% of children sleeping on an empty stomach

According to a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) poll, children in Lebanon are suffering the brunt of the country’s catastrophic economic situation.

According to the report, which was released this week, more than 30% of all Lebanese children go to bed hungry every night, forced to skip meals due to the country’s soaring food and pharmaceutical prices.

It also stated that rising healthcare costs are affecting 76% of households, resulting in 30% of children not obtaining necessary primary care.

According to the survey, child labour in the country has become more normalized and widespread than ever before as a result of the country’s worsening economic situation, with one out of every ten children being sent to work by their families and 15% of families in the country pulling their children out of school to put them to work.

When it comes to children who are still in school, 80% of parents and caregivers reported that their children were having difficulty concentrating on their academics at home, “which could imply acute hunger or mental distress.”

According to UNICEF’s assessment, 40% of children come from families where no one works and 77% come from families that receive no social support.

“What is happening in Lebanon has been recognized by the World Bank as possibly one of the top three economic collapses experienced since the mid-nineteenth century,” UNICEF Representative in Lebanon Yukie Mokuo was cited as saying in the survey report.

Aside from that, the poll found that 77% of households do not have enough food or enough money to buy food, with the figure rising to 99% in the case of Syrian refugees.

Furthermore, 60% of households are now obliged to incur debt in order to purchase food.

“According to the UNICEF report, children are suffering the brunt of this rising catastrophe.” Yukie Mokuo added.