In May 2020, the chief of the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) predicted that extended, “indiscriminate” worldwide lockdowns would kill at least 1.2 million children, mostly in developing countries.
“The risk of children dying from malaria, pneumonia or diarrhea … far outweighs any threat presented by the coronavirus,” Unicef told The Telegraph at that time. In September 2020, the UN reported that lockdowns so far had pushed an additional 150 million children into poverty, besides depriving them of education and basic health services.
By December 2020, the fallout of the lockdowns, which have impacted economic development and essential services across the board, is disastrous, the UN reported in a special session of the General Assembly. Most egregiously affected are women, young girls and children. For example, in April it was projected that “for every three months of lockdown, 15 million additional cases of gender-based violence occur,” along with a half-million or more girls being put at risk of child marriage in 2020 alone.
“Moreover, because of the restrictions in place, efforts to prevent violence and services to protect children and girls have not been able to function,” the report said.
SOURCES:
The Telegraph May 13, 2020
UN News September 17, 2020
United Nations December 4, 2020