Thewar in Ukraine has brought attention back to the brutality of conflicts and the terrible impact on children. But there are in the worldmany other forgotten warsor with little media attention, such as the wars in Syria and in Yemen: are approximately449 millions of girls and boysthan in 2021have lived in areas of conflict.

With the broad media attention on Ukraine following the escalation of the conflict, we looked into what was the media coverage of other conflicts as well during the same period.

Data on media coverage of conflicts

The worst conflicts they are often the ones that are talked about the least, the so-called forgotten wars.

According to our analysis in the Report“The Forgotten Ones”, it emerged that Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo top the list 10 Most dangerous countries to be a child in. The report, published on the occasion of the launch of the Children Under Attack campaign, also includes idata on media coverage in 10 Countries most affected by conflictssince the war in Ukraine escalated at the beginning of 2022 carried out thanks to the media monitoring platform Meltwater, Between January 1st and 30 September 2022. Eccosome key data:

• Ukraine received five times more media coverage to that of all ten countries affected by the worst conflicts for children combined.
• During the same period, lo Yemen, the worst country in conflict for children,  has had only the 2,3% of media coverage compared to Ukraine.

The analysis provides valuable information on the quantity ofmedia coverage given to different conflictsand the needs and experiences of the children who are affected.

The graph below, extrapolated from the report, reveals a net gap between the forgotten wars compared to Ukraine.

Media coverage influences humanitarian aid?

The question of whether the’media attention affect donor allocations for humanitarian aid has been debated for many years.Factors influencing humanitarian aidthey can be multiple: 

• Geopolitical interests,
• Foreign policy issues,
• The geographical proximity,
• The colonial history,
• The commercial links
• The tongue.

Based on in-depth interviews with directors and policy makers of major donor countries, the researchers argue that, while themedia coverage rapidly spreading nationwidecan raise help levels Journey among Afghan drug addicts a sudden emergency.

However, the annual appropriations for thehumanitarian aid, broader and more established, they are unaffected by news pressure. On the contrary, many of the respondents in the study explained that they interpret the lack of media attention as an indicator of the need for more support. Anyway, it was also noted that, al 4 November 2022, the humanitarian response plans of the 10 Villages, If by war we meanfunded on average only to 43%. In the face of growing humanitarian needs globally, the prevailing view is that there simply aren't enough resources to address the needs everywhere.

Ukraine and the art of the possible

In the last few years, globally, it has become commonplace for humanitarian response plans to have large gaps in funding. This means that children cannot use life-saving services, as food, water, protection and education. So long as resources are said to be insufficienti, humanitarian partners are forced to make difficult decisions on the distribution of funds. However, the capacity of the international community to unite collectively to ensure fast and effective funding wasdemonstratedfrom support for the Lightning Appeal for Ukraine and its subsequent revisions.

Media coverage of the crisis in Ukraine recalled to many the brutality of war andwhat it means to be a child living in war.However, the importance of reporting events in Ukraine should remind us all that many of the grave violations taking place in that country have been perpetrated for years against boys and girls in protracted and less reported conflicts.

Ukraine should be taken as a lessonabout what can be done. He highlighted that, when there is a collective political and financial will, the aid system can move effectively and efficientlyto ensure support for children. Now the world must act quickly to ensure that children living in 10 Countries most affected by conflicts are better protected, so thatmillions of girls and boys do not suffer physical and psychological trauma and disability throughout their lives.

Continue to dig deeper:

• Countryside Children under attack,
• The article and the video "Save the Survivors“, based on true stories that show the daily life of girls and boys living in war zones,
• The report “The Forgotten Ones“, from which this article is taken, and which denounces the dramatic physical and psychological impact of war on children and the serious consequences on their growth.
• Our insights on Guerra in Yemen: origins and evolutions of a conflict that has lasted for years, 12 years of war in Syria, earthquakes and the humanitarian crisis, One year of war in Ukraine: aid to children and families.
• Save the Children

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