As more children are put at imminent risk of injury or death because of the military escalation in Tripoli, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Libya has trained 60 child protection specialists from different schools in the country to provide psychological support to displaced children.
The training was carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Education in the Government of National Accord, according to a UNICEF statement Thursday.
UNICEF highlighted the important role of those specialists in the light of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Tripoli, saying “they are the last resort for displaced children to receive support.”
“Child protection specialists play a fundamental role in providing safety for children in conflict times,” UNICEF added.
Moreover, UNICEF has voiced concern about the migrants held in Libyan detention centers in conflict zones.
”In addition to some 40,000 internally displaced persons, we are concerned about the future of the migrants held in detention centers. We are speaking about over 1,000 minors among 3,000 migrants in detention centers in conflict zones. They have already suffered all types of torture and the worst is feared,” said the spokesperson for UNICEF in Italy Andrea Iacomini on Tuesday.
”Among the civilians forced to flee their homes, children are the most vulnerable. The school year was interrupted in the areas affected by the violence, leaving about 122,000 children out of school in nine municipalities near Tripoli,” Iacomini added.
Since April 4, the Libyan National Army and the Government of National Accord have continued to engage in armed conflict, characterized by heavy machine-gun use and airstrikes, to control Tripoli. While the United Nations continues to push for a humanitarian pause, civilians remain caught in the middle of the crossfire.
