Some 535 million children (one quarter of the world’s children population) were affected by natural disasters, armed conflict, violence and crisis in 2016, according to the UN Children’s Fund (Unicef).
The agency launched this alert in the framework of an international meeting, called Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, which takes place in Cancún.
It is essential for countries to know how to assess the risks that children face in disaster situations in order to develop programs that strengthen resilience,”
said Christian Skoo, UNICEF representative in Mexico.
The delegates of the institution said that natural disasters and climate change are forcing thousands of children to flee their homes, putting them at risk of disease, violence, exploitation or being in the midst of conflicts.
Unicef called for a census of minors at risk, their age and where they live, in order to implement the necessary measures to minimize the impact of natural phenomena such as hurricanes, typhoons and tropical storms.
The organization also stressed the need for countries to equip themselves with the necessary infrastructure to serve the population in disasters and to stop using schools as a shelter, which prevents children from returning to their educational routine once the danger has passed.