Unicef gets fresh $2.6m aid for Rohingyas

European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Operations (ECHO) and Unicef have teamed up to provide more protection for nearly 42,000 children, adolescents and young women in the Cox's Bazar.

The ECHO has provided $2.6 million to Unicef to ensure that children, adolescents and young women can live in a safe and protective environment free from Gender Based Violence (GBV) and with better access to social services, said a joint press release of EU and Unicef.

The measures will benefit 41,500 children and adolescents living in  Rohingya camps as well as local Bangladeshi people-- known as the host community-- who live alongside them. More than 693,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar have arrived in Cox Bazar since August 2017, of which over an estimated 58 percent are children.

According to the press release, the Rohingya population in Cox's Bazar, particularly children, adolescent girls and young women are highly vulnerable. The host community has also been under pressure since the arrival of thousands of new Rohingyas in their districts.

The initiative will feature the provision of alternative care services to 37,000 children and adolescents through CFSs, Adolescent Clubs and outreach services by social workers.

Another 2,000 adolescent girls and young women in the makeshift and spontaneous settlements will benefit from the establishment of 35 Safe Space areas for women. Outreach activities will ensure that 2,000 adolescent girls and young  women will be supported by women's support groups for the prevention of GVB.