Children in the world’s largest refugee camp are experiencing the worst levels of malnutrition since the massive displacement that occurred in 2017, said UNICEF Representative in Bangladesh, Rana Flowers on Tuesday in Geneva during a press briefing. In Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh, home to over one million Rohingya refugees, including more than 500,000 children, malnutrition levels have reached emergency levels, Unicef said in a statement.
Severe acute malnutrition in the Rohingya refugee camps has surged by 27 percent in February this year compared to the same period last year, pushing more children into life-threatening hunger, said the statement. Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP), sister agency of UNICEF, has warned, food rations have reached a critical point. According to WFP, without immediate funding, rations could soon be reduced to, less than half, just $6 a month – an amount that falls drastically short of basic nutritional needs.
Pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, along with their infants, would be among the most vulnerable to the consequences. The flow-on effect to children is quick, and it is lethal, said the statement. This rise is attributed to prolonged monsoon rains in 2024, deteriorating sanitation, spikes in severe diarrhoea, cholera and dengue outbreaks, intermittent food ration cuts, and a recent influx of families fleeing violence, Unicef added.
The agency estimates that 14,200 children in the camps will suffer from severe acute malnutrition in 2025. This figure could rise with further food ration cuts, poor diets, or reduced access to safe water and health services. Amidst this global aid funding crisis, UNICEF is determined to stay and deliver for children. But without guaranteed and sustained funding, critical services are at risk, said the statement.
