WiRED Notes Humanitarian Crisis in Yemen Is Global Calamity
BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW; EDITED BY BERNICE BORN
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ccording to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, “Yemen is the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. As the conflict enters its fourth year, more than 22 million people — three-quarters of the population — need humanitarian aid and protection.”
Yemen is already one of the poorest countries in the Near East. Today, Yemen’s population is being devastated by the war being waged there between the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Infectious diseases such as cholera, malaria and dengue fever are spreading rapidly, posing a direct threat to families, especially children, in every home in Yemen. The nation is experiencing the world’s largest cholera outbreak. The World Health Organization reports that war, a deteriorating economy, little or no access to water and poor sanitation have resulted in more than one million suspected cholera cases since the April 2017 outbreak.
The United Nations Children’s Fund states that nearly 2 million children have dropped out of school since 2015, and three-quarters of public school teachers have not been paid their salaries in over a year, putting the education of an additional 4.5 million children at grave risk. Since children are also in danger of being killed en route to school, many parents keep them at home. The lack of access to education has pushed children and families to opt for dangerous alternatives, including early marriage, child labor and recruitment into the fighting.
WiRED’s board and staff are heartbroken by the tragic conditions in Yemen. With the flood of news from so many quarters, it’s easy to lose sight of these tragic events more than 7,000 miles away. We urge people not to skip over the news from Yemen, and we can only hope that the United States and other governments do whatever they can to put a stop to the senseless violence and human suffering in Yemen.
Yemen by the Numbers
Source: United Nations
Poverty
- 79% of the population is poor compared to 49% in 2017
- GDP per capita has declined 61% in the last three years
People in Need
- 75% of the population, 22 million people, need some form of humanitarian assistance and protection
Food Security
- 60% of the population, 18 million people, are food insecure
- 8.4 million people do not know how they will obtain their next meal
Health
- Less than 50% of health facilities are functioning
- 18% of districts have no doctors
- 56% of the population, 16 million people, do not have regular access to basic health care
Water and Sanitation
- 55% of the population, 16 million people, do not have regular access to safe water and basic hygiene
- 73% of the population does not have access to piped drinking water
Nutrition
- 25% of population, 7.5 million people, need nutrition support and 50% of all children are stunted
- 2.9 million children and women are acutely malnourished; the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition has increased 90% in the last three years
Education
- 48% of women are illiterate
- 25% of children are out of school
- 11% of schools are destroyed or used for other purposes
Gender
- 72% of girls are married before the age of 18
- 44% of marriages in hard-hit districts involve girls under the age of 15
- Less than 50% of births are attended by skilled health personnel
Displacement
- Two million people are displaced, 76% are women and children
- One million people have returned to their home areas
Economy
- 1.25 million civil servants are not receiving salaries
- Basic food prices have increased 98% and fuel 110% in the last three years
- In hard-hit areas unemployment rates are as high as 50%
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