• Saturday, October 30, 2010
• Inter Press Service

As the world marks International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction on Wednesday, the UN Children's agency UNICEF is urging governments and civil society partners to step up efforts to help mitigate the impact of disasters - especially on children - by helping communities to become resilient, and more able to respond to disasters and changing climate conditions.

Children typically represent 50 to 60 per cent of those affected by disasters, whether through loss of life or from diseases related to malnutrition and poor water and sanitation-conditions that are exacerbated by disasters. In addition, disasters disrupt education and can cause psychological distress, and present issues of exploitation of children, creating more vulnerability.

Education, public awareness, community-based preparedness, teaching life skills, as well as disaster-resilient public buildings are all ways to reduce risk reduction for children. UNICEF says it is redoubling efforts globally to reduce the risks associated disasters.

Recent trends show increased frequency and intensity of natural disasters: heat waves, floods, droughts, cyclones and earthquakes. This year has already witnessed massive emergencies with the earthquake in Haiti and floods in Pakistan, as well as landslides in China and wildfires in Russia.

In Bangladesh, more children die from drowning, than any other country in the world. Some 17,000 children drown each year. With risks increasing due to climate change, extreme weather patterns, frequent flooding and rising sea levels, UNICEF and its partners have taught Bangladeshi children how to swim. As of last year, 35,000 Bangladeshi children have been taught to swim, and many have learned life-saving techniques.

In Madagascar, UNICEF and its partners engaged in training teachers and staff in minimum standards to follow in emergencies, distributing disaster risk manuals in schools and conducting needs assessments. As a result, in the aftermath of two cyclones last year, no school children were harmed and schooling in some regions was restored in just eight days.

© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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