ONE MILLION BABIES BORN IN ASIAN DISASTER ZONES DEPRIVED OF FOOD, MEDICAL CARE

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Dec 29 (Bernama) -- More than one million babies born in refugee tents during floods and amid conflicts this year are expected to suffer severe climate change impacts, including shortages of food and medical care.

International non-governmental organisation Save the Children said 1.1 million babies born in conflict zones and areas hit by climate-related disasters in Southeast Asia and South Asia in 2025 are among the most vulnerable populations exposed to climatic hazards.

The aid organisation warned that weather-linked disasters continue to cripple healthcare infrastructure and food supplies across the Asian region, inflicting severe suffering on children.

Across Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, helpless children live under constant threats of floods, typhoons, droughts, and landslides this year. 

“One crisis which has the most impact is the climate-related incidents happening across the region. That is the biggest challenge children and families are facing across Asia.

“Definitely have an impact on the overall livelihood, the access to education (and) access to services,” Asia Regional Director at Save the Children Arshad Malik told Bernama. 

In early December, the organisation reported that 7.7 million babies were born globally into conflict and climate crises this year, as mothers gave birth in tents and poorly equipped displacement camps.

Analysis of United Nations (UN) data by Save the Children found that an estimated 7.7 million children –  23,000 per day — were born into 43 humanitarian crises across the world.

An estimated seven in 10 of these babies were born into or fleeing conflicts, such as in Sudan and Gaza. 

Mothers and newborns suffer from lack of food, limited aid access, and lack of access to quality maternal and newborn care, largely due to the destruction of hospitals and health centres, said the organisation.

The longer-term impact of climate-related incidents is that the infrastructure meant to provide basic services to the families and children were destroyed. 

Arshad said that a lack of resources or competing priorities has left governments and institutions unable to rebuild or rehabilitate structures with long-term impacts on the well-being of children and families.

“Climate shock intersects with insecurity and economic crisis. Climate shocks basically increase the impact of the overall situation, which is worse for children.  

“This increases the risk of child labour, ugly marriages, exploitation, prolonged school dropouts or in some cases, not being able to go to school,” said Arshad.

In addition, cuts in international funding for the development and humanitarian sector are hampering aid organisations from reaching out to communities in distress.

“One side we are dealing with an increasing number of climate-related issues. We are seeing an increasing number of children being displaced for various reasons.

“But on top of that, we have seen about 40 to 50 per cent of aid being removed from the system. It's basically reducing our ability to react to the situation,” he said.

-- BERNAMA