The organization Save The Children reports that some 80,000 minors have abandoned their homes since the start of June to flee violence. The organization warned on August 2 that they are in "dire need" of food, shelter and medical care.
Some 80,000 children in Afghanistan have fled their homes since the start of June to flee violence that has swept parts of the country and they are "in dire need" of food, shelter and medical care, Save the Children said in a statement published on August 2.
"Around 130,000 people have had to leave their homes and villages in the past two months alone, according to the UN, 60% of them children," the statement said.
Over 600,000 displaced in 12 months
"In total, more than 613,000 people, including 362,000 children, have been displaced over the past 12 months," Save the Children reported.
Many of the children live with their families in makeshift tents and some survive only on energy drinks and bread. In particular, in the northern province of Kunduz, which is home to the country's highest number of internally displaced people (IDPs), there are over 60,300 people living in makeshift camps, the organization noted.
According to Save the Children, "hundreds of thousands more children are at risk of becoming severely malnourished due to lack of food and other basic needs in the camps, exacerbated by the worst drought in years."
Conflict main cause of flight
"Afghanistan already has the second highest number of people facing emergency levels of hunger in the world," the organization said in the statement. "Half of all children under five are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year and will need specialized treatment to survive."
Chris Nyamandi, Save the Children's country director in Afghanistan, said: "The many thousands of children who have been forced to flee their homes in the past few months could not be any clearer as an indication of the catastrophic impact that the recent escalation of the conflict is having on children."