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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.
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
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Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, concludes the World Government Summit with a talk entitled 'The Emirates: A Family of Solid Roots and a Vibrant Future'. WAM -
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, listens to Sheikh Saif. WAM -
Najla Bouden, Prime Minister of Tunisia, Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Wavel Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Dr Maeen Saeed, Prime Minister of Yemen and Panagiotis Pikrammenos, Deputy Prime Minister of Greece, at the summit. Photo: Presidential Court -
Joko Widodo, President, Government of the Republic of Indonesia speaking at the World Government Summit held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Huda AlHashimi, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, United Arab Emirates during the interview at the World Government Summit held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Left to Right - Nasser Al-Khater, Chief Executive Officer, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and Najeeb AlAli, Executive Director, Expo 2020 Bureau speaking during the session on Hosting Major Events: An Arab Success Story at the World Government Summit held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Elon Musk and Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, speak on day three of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Mr Al Gergawi is also chairman of the summit. Pawan Singh / The National -
Ian Bremmer, president and founder of Eurasia Group, speaking during a session called 'Beyond 2023: A Global Outlook'. Pawan Singh / The National -
Delegates gather at Madinat Jumeirah for the summit. Pawan Singh / The National -
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, presents the World Data Visualisation Award to Lindsey Poulter. Pawan Singh / The National -
Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, addresses delegates at the summit. Pawan Singh / The National -
National flags displayed at the global event. Pawan Singh / The National -
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks at the event using a video link. Antonie Robertson / The National -
People gather for the second day of the summit. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Huda Al Hashimi, right, Deputy Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Strategic Affairs, on stage with Waleed Al Ali, left, Secretary General of the Digital School, and Reda Hegazy, Egypt's Minister of Education. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Cop28 President-designate, speaks during a session titled The Road Map to Cop28: Prioritising Action. Pawan Singh / The National -
Dr Al Jaber, who is also the UAE's special envoy for climate change, addresses delegates in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Day two of the World Government Summit. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Digital Economy, AI and Remote Work System, and Nick Clegg, president of Global Affairs at Meta, at the summit. Pawan Singh / The National -
Delegates at the World Government Summit held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Mina Al-Oraibi, Editor-in-Chief of The National newspaper, Kersti Kaljulaid, fifth President of Estonia, and Mona Al Marri, vice president of the UAE Gender Balance Council. Pawan Singh / The National -
Delegates during the session on Women in Government: Powering the Future. Pawan Singh / The National -
President Sheikh Mohamed, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. Photo: Dubai Media Office -
Sheikh Mohamed greets Mr El Sisi. Photo: Presidential Court -
Mr El Sisi presents the Global Best M-Gov Award to the winners as Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, looks on. Photo: Presidential Court -
Mr El Sisi presents the Global Best M-Gov Award. Photo: Presidential Court -
Mr El Sisi presents the Global Best M-Gov Award. Photo: Presidential Court -
Sky News Arabia's media relations director Faisal bin Huraiz sits alongside Mr El Sisi at the summit. EPA -
Francesco La Camera, Director General of International Renewabale Energy Agency, speaks at the summit. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Omar Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence at the summit. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Mohamed Al Ramahi, Chief Executive Officer, Masdar. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Marco Dunand, CEO and Co-founder, Mercuria Energy Group. Antonie Robertson/The National -
Christian Bruch, President and CEO, Siemens Energy. Antonie Robertson / The National -
Ahmed Bahrozyan, chief executive of the Public Transport Agency at the RTA. Antonie Robertson / The National -
RTA's flyng taxi and sky port project powered by Joby. Virtual simulation of the flying experience. Antonie Robertson / The National -
will.i.am speaking during the session on Accelerating Tech: The New Frontier for Policy-making at the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Doron Avni, Google VP of Government Affairs and Public Policy Emerging Markets speaking during the session on Accelerating Tech: The New Frontier for Policy-making at the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Sujay Jaswa, Founder and Managing Partner, WndrCo speaking during the session on Accelerating Tech: The New Frontier for Policy-making at the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the chairman of the World Government Summit, delivers the opening speech. Pawan Singh / The National -
Al Gergawi highlighted the rapid change the world has seen in the decade since the event was first held. Pawan Singh / The National -
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, speaks at the summit. Pawan Singh / The National -
Georgia's Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili speaks at the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Al Gergawi and Schwab held a joint discussion. Pawan Singh / The National -
Delegates standing during the moment of silence for the Turkey – Syria earthquake before the start of World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
Delegates at the World Government Summit held at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
