UNICEF: Over 180 Million Children Live in Severe Food Insecurity

The United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, warned that more than one in four children under five years old worldwide live in conditions of 'severe' food insecurity. This statistic means that over 180 million children are at risk of adverse effects on their growth and development. Harriet Torles, the lead author of the new UNICEF report published on Wednesday, June 6, stated to AFP: 'Severe food insecurity describes children who survive on severely restricted diets, consuming only two or even fewer food groups.' In total, 440 million children under five living in about 100 low- and middle-income countries are experiencing food insecurity, meaning they do not have daily access to five essential food groups for proper growth and nutrition. UNICEF also reported that approximately 14,000 Palestinian children have been killed in the Gaza war. Catherine Russell, UNICEF's Executive Director, said in a statement accompanying the report that children who consume only two food groups a day – for example, rice and some milk – are 50% more likely to suffer from severe malnutrition. According to Torles, even if these children survive and grow up, 'they certainly do not grow properly and therefore perform poorly in school.' The report states that the impact of this growth disruption means that these children 'will find it harder to earn a decent income as adults, perpetuating the cycle of poverty from one generation to the next.' Severe food insecurity among children is concentrated in about 20 countries, with 63% of young children in Somalia, 54% in Guinea, 53% in Guinea-Bissau, and 49% in Afghanistan affected. Although precise data from wealthy countries is not available, children from low-income families there also suffer from nutritional gaps. The UNICEF report on the conditions of children in the Gaza Strip, which is embroiled in the war between Israel and the extremist group Hamas, indicates that nine out of ten children live in severe food insecurity.