UNICEF worried about kids in Dutch emergency shelter

The limit has been reached for children in emergency care, according to UNICEF Netherlands. They are victims of the "ongoing crisis" in the reception of refugees in the country. "This is harmful to the development of the 2,073 children in emergency care. These vulnerable children have the right to a place where they feel safe and protected. The Dutch government has a duty to ensure that."

The situation in emergency shelters has been harmful and unsuitable for children for months, UNICEF Netherlands emphasized. Refugees are forced to stay in tents with hundreds of others in crowded shelter locations.

The organization spoke to children at various emergency shelters and sees the situation for children in emergency shelters worsening "week after week." Tents are still being erected that are unsuitable for children, according to UNICEF.

"Nothing changes. We leave these children to their own devices," said Suzanne Laszlo, director of UNICEF Netherlands. The aid organization wants children to be given priority when transferring from large-scale emergency locations to small ones, where there is room to "just be a child.” Furthermore, children must receive sufficient care and psychosocial help and must also be able to go to school.

"These children have been through so much. They need a stable, calm, and safe environment to grow up in. Instead, they end up in a reception crisis that makes the damage even worse,” Suzanne Laszlo explained.