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Children pulled from the rubble of buildings destroyed in the devastating earthquakes across Syria and Turkey will need psychological support to deal with the traumatic experiences of the last seven days, Unicef has said.
Speaking on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai, Unicef’s director of private fundraising and partnerships Carla Haddad warned of the mental health toll on earthquake survivors and that time was running out.
With thousands of homes destroyed in the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, children are among those most at risk in the aftermath. Many have lost parents or become separated from families.
Many are unaccompanied as they have lost their parents, either because they have died or they have become separated
Carla Haddad,
Unicef’s director of private fundraising and partnerships
“Relief operations are reaching a critical phase now, so it is very hard to watch families forced to survive in the cold,” she said.
“Children will need help to cope with the trauma they have lived and witnessed, many with the separation from their families.
“Our partners are ensuring children are getting the help they need for their physical and mental well-being.
“Child protection is a key focus for Unicef now.
“Many are unaccompanied as they have lost their parents, either because they have died or they have become separated.
“It is chaos on the ground so our teams are trying to reunite children with their families as quickly as possible.”
Images of children freed from the debris of collapsed buildings offered rare moments of hope in recent days, but the likelihood of more youngsters being found alive is fading fast.
“The situation speaks for itself when you see a child rescued from the rubble — we have to still believe,” said Ms Haddad.
“I always think those children nursed by their mothers have enough strength to hold on, but we are racing against the clock.
“Every minute matters. These images of children being rescued are extremely powerful.
“It will be tough for children, but our programme is designed to target exactly what they need.”
Life-saving aid was delayed from entering parts of northern Syria under rebel control in the early days of recovery operations due to government restrictions.
When the Syrian government lost control of almost all of its borders with Turkey during the 12-year civil war, it objected to all cross-border operations.
Humanitarian aid from the UN has since been allowed to pass across the front lines to assist millions of earthquake survivors, but it has arrived too late for some.
The UN says more than 5.3 million are now homeless in Syria, with at least 870,000 in need of hot meals across the country and neighbouring Turkey.
Heavy snowstorms, with more sub-zero temperature days to come, have made recovery operations and aid delivery particularly treacherous.
Shortages of trauma supplies and medical kits from Unicef warehouses in Damascus forced rescue workers to send emergency aid from Lebanon and Jordan.
Children in particular are in urgent need of supplies, such as high-energy nutrition biscuits, clean water, food, blankets and medicine.
Unicef is co-ordinating food aid for those most in need, especially children under two and pregnant women.
Psychological support and mental well-being will become a critical feature of the next steps, particularly for children, Ms Haddad said.
World Government Summit 2023 — in pictures
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
WORLD CUP SQUAD
Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Angelo Mathews, Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perera, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep
More from Neighbourhood Watch
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Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
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Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
The Bio
Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
Her dream is to meet with all of her friends online from around the world who supported her work throughout the years
Her favourite meal is pizza and stuffed vine leaves
She ams to improve her English and learn Japanese, which many animated programmes originate in
Virtual banks explained
What is a virtual bank?
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority defines it as a bank that delivers services through the internet or other electronic channels instead of physical branches. That means not only facilitating payments but accepting deposits and making loans, just like traditional ones. Other terms used interchangeably include digital or digital-only banks or neobanks. By contrast, so-called digital wallets or e-wallets such as Apple Pay, PayPal or Google Pay usually serve as intermediaries between a consumer’s traditional account or credit card and a merchant, usually via a smartphone or computer.
What’s the draw in Asia?
Hundreds of millions of people under-served by traditional institutions, for one thing. In China, India and elsewhere, digital wallets such as Alipay, WeChat Pay and Paytm have already become ubiquitous, offering millions of people an easy way to store and spend their money via mobile phone. Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines are also among the world’s biggest under-banked countries; together they have almost half a billion people.
Is Hong Kong short of banks?
No, but the city is among the most cash-reliant major economies, leaving room for newcomers to disrupt the entrenched industry. Ant Financial, an Alibaba Group Holding affiliate that runs Alipay and MYBank, and Tencent Holdings, the company behind WeBank and WeChat Pay, are among the owners of the eight ventures licensed to create virtual banks in Hong Kong, with operations expected to start as early as the end of the year.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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South Korea
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
SERIES SCHEDULE
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30
Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7
Third Test, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 12-16
First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium
August 20
Second ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 24
Third ODI, Pallekele International Cricket Stadium
August 27
Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31
Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3
T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
