A year after the gigantic explosion at the port of Beirut, one in three families in Lebanon has children still showing signs of trauma, the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) said on Tuesday (August 3rd).
“
One in three families (34%) has children still showing signs of psychological distress
,” said Unicef, which conducted a survey in July among 1,200 families.
Read also: Lebanon: no government before the commemoration of the explosion in the port of Beirut on August 4
"
In the case of adults, the proportion reaches nearly one in two people (45.6%)
", added the UN agency in a report published on the eve of the first anniversary of the explosion. The tragedy of August 4 left more than 200 dead, injured at least 6,500 others and devastated entire districts of the capital. Among them, six children lost their lives and 1,000 others were injured.
Over the past year, Lebanon has also had to deal with the coronavirus pandemic and an unprecedented economic crisis described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the world since 1850. “
One year later tragic events, the lives of children remain deeply affected
”, regretted Yukie Mokuo, representative of Unicef in Lebanon. "
These families are struggling to recover from the aftermath of the explosion at the worst possible time - in the midst of a devastating economic crisis and a major pandemic
," she added.
In July, Unicef had already sounded the alarm, indicating that almost all of the families who asked for help following the explosion are still in need of support, including cash and assistance. food. Many people who lost their jobs because of the explosion are still unemployed, according to UNICEF, while Lebanon is in the grip of large-scale impoverishment, rampant inflation and shortages of all kinds, in the face of the inertia of the authorities. “
Children's lives are in danger as the worsening crisis leaves most families unable to meet their basic needs
,” Mokuo warned.
