PHNOM PENH, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Children and young people could feel the impact of COVID-19 on their mental health and well-being for many years to come, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Cambodia said in a press release on Tuesday.
UNICEF and its partners have run a COVID-19 Socio-economic Impact Assessment Study throughout the pandemic, tracking the wellbeing of Cambodians amongst many indicators, the release said.
It added that 45 percent of surveyed adolescents (aged from 15 to 19) said they were worried about their safety during the pandemic, and 16 percent of them said they felt more anxious or depressed since the crisis began.
In addition, a Joint Education Needs Assessment was conducted by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport, the Education Sector Working Group, and UNICEF after schools closed in 2020, surveying 15,000 Cambodians, including students, caregivers, educators and local authorities.
It found that 58 percent of secondary school students were reported experiencing at least one mental health issue. In addition, 43 percent of all respondents believed boys would be at greater risk of violence, abuse and exploitation during school closures, while 36 percent believed the same was true for girls.
"Children in Cambodia, like the rest of the world, have faced so many challenges during the COVID-19 crisis," said Foroogh Foyouzat, the UNICEF representative in Cambodia.
"The closure of schools, the dramatic changes in social interactions and the socio-economic impact of the pandemic on Cambodian families have all come at great cost to the mental health of children and young people," she said.
As COVID-19 heads into its third year, the impact on children and young people's mental health and well-being continues to weigh heavily, the release said, adding that the reports point that at least one in every seven children have been directly affected by lockdowns. Enditem
