Submitted by crinadmin on
Today, on the Day of the African Child, Save the Children is highlighting serious risks to children’s safety in drought-affected areas of East Africa. The impact of water shortages on malnutrition rates is well-documented but the charity is concerned that the international community is ignoring the severe and long-term impact of drought on children’s safety, protection and education. The simple task of collecting water can be extremely dangerous for young children. This is particularly true when water is scarce as children, especially girls, have to travel before sunrise to reach distant water sources. The journey is often made alone and unprotected and children are at risk of attack or even rape. In areas where water is scarce, competition for limited resources can quickly escalate into conflict, making the area even more dangerous. In addition, attacks by wild animals are not uncommon. The average distance a child has to walk every day to collect water is 6km and in times of drought this distance is greatly increased. The average person in the UK will walk 6km in a week. The children must carry the water home in containers weighing up to 20 kilos, which can cause damage to a child’s spine and pelvis. Anna Jefferys, Humanitarian Advocacy Advisor, said: "It is alarming that so many children, including girls as young as nine, are going to collect water alone and walking 6km a day, often in unsafe unlit areas. This is putting children in real danger." In Kenya, Save the Children's assessments found evidence of girls as young as 10 being married early as their families resorted to this drastic coping measure to reduce the number of mouths to feed. In times of drought the issue of early marriage is exacerbated as girls can be married off in exchange for food, water or cattle. A child’s education suffers during a drought as children are taken out of school to fetch water, help with family chores, take jobs to earn money, herd animals or because the family can no longer afford school fees. Children from pastoralist families will move around in response to water shortages making it difficult for a child to receive continuous education. Sickness from water-related diseases also accounts for millions of missed school days every year. Anna Jefferys said: "A shortage of water affects every aspect of a child’s life. Millions of children are suffering from malnutrition and many will also be put at risk through dangerous journeys to collect water, early marriage, being forced to work and missing out on education. The international community must prevent these harsh effects on children, the hidden impacts of drought." Ahead of the dry season next month, Save the Children is calling on international donors to provide predictable funding for predictable long-term crises to enable agencies to respond to early warnings and prevent the onset of humanitarian crises. The particular vulnerability of children must be incorporated into early warning systems to monitor the effects of water shortages on protection and education.