UNICEF and WHO Call for Emergency Action to Avert Major Measles and Polio Epidemics

A baby is being weighted and vaccinated in the health center of Gonzagueville, a suburb of Abidjan, in the South of Côte d'Ivoire. (CNW Group/Canadian Unicef Committee)

UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have issued an urgent call to action to avert major measles and polio epidemics as COVID-19 continues to disrupt immunization services worldwide, leaving millions of vulnerable children at heightened risk of preventable childhood diseases.

• The two organizations estimate that US$655 million (US$400 million for polio and US$255 million for measles) are needed to address dangerous immunity gaps in non-Gavi eligible countries and target age groups.

"COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on health services and in particular immunization services, worldwide," commented Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "But unlike with COVID, we have the tools and knowledge to stop diseases such as polio and measles. What we need are the resources and commitments to put these tools and knowledge into action. If we do that, children's lives will be saved."

"We cannot allow the fight against one deadly disease to cause us to lose ground in the fight against other diseases," said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. "Addressing the global COVID-19 pandemic is critical. However, other deadly diseases also threaten the lives of millions of children in some of the poorest areas of the world. That is why today we are urgently calling for global action from country leaders, donors and partners. We need additional financial resources to safely resume vaccination campaigns and prioritize immunization systems that are critical to protect children and avert other epidemics besides COVID-19."

A 3-year-old girl receives a vaccine shot at a community health centre in Beijing, China, on 26 March 2020. Provinces other than Hubei, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, gradually resumed full vaccination services that had been halted due to the outbreak. (© UNICEF/UNI315081/Yuwei)

In recent years, there has been a global resurgence of measles with ongoing outbreaks in all parts of the world. Vaccination coverage gaps have been further exacerbated in 2020 by COVID-19. In 2019, measles climbed to the highest number of new infections in more than two decades. Annual measles mortality data for 2019 to be released next week will show the continued negative toll that sustained outbreaks are having in many countries around the world.

At the same time, poliovirus transmission is expected to increase in Pakistan and Afghanistan and in many under-immunized areas of Africa. Failure to eradicate polio now would lead to global resurgence of the disease, resulting in as many as 200,000 new cases annually, within 10 years.

New tools, including a next-generation novel oral polio vaccine and the forthcoming Measles Outbreak Strategic Response Plan are expected to be deployed over the coming months to help tackle these growing threats in a more effective and sustainable manner, and ultimately save lives. The Plan is a worldwide strategy to quickly and effectively prevent, detect and respond to measles outbreaks.

UNICEF & WHO's Call for Emergency Action to Avert Major Measles and Polio Epidemics - front cover

Generous support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, has enabled previous access to funding for outbreak response, preventive campaigns and routine immunization strengthening, including additional support for catch-up vaccination for children who were missed due to COVID-19 disruptions in Gavi-eligible countries. However, significant financing gaps remain in middle-income countries which are not Gavi-eligible. This call for emergency action will go to support those middle-income countries that are not eligible for support from Gavi.

SOURCE: Canadian Unicef Committee

New UNICEF Canada Campaign Keeps Halloween Spirit Alive for Kids Across the Country [Video Included]

UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon: Walk your hood, do some good. (CNW Group/Canadian Unicef Committee)

UNICEF Canada, long-associated with fond trick-or-treating memories for many Canadians, is launching a new reimagined initiative for celebrating Halloween during the COVID-19 pandemic—the UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon. 

The campaign encourages families across Canada to turn their trick-or-treating steps into a safe, socially distanced walk-a-thon throughout their neighbourhood during the Halloween season. It also reintroduces a digital version of UNICEF's iconic orange box to enable children to celebrate and raise money in a physically distanced way.

• Like all major celebrations in 2020, Halloween will look and feel a little different this year. In addition to school closures, games cancelled, birthdays with no parties, a new survey commissioned by UNICEF Canada reveals that only one third of Canadian parents plan to send their kids trick-or-treating this year, and less than half plan to give out candy.

Children across the country have missed many childhood milestones to help stop the spread of COVID-19, but parents are continuing to look for ways to keep hope—and fun—alive. In fact, 6 out of 10 Canadian parents said they are looking for safe, socially-distanced Halloween activities this year.

GFORCE (image via UNICEF Canada)

To keep the Halloween spirit alive, UNICEF Canada's Halloween program has adapted by encouraging children to dress up in their costumes, walk their neighbourhood with their families or bubble and thrill their community while supporting kids in need around the world. The safe, socially distanced walk-a-thon can take place throughout their neighbourhood on Halloween or any time during October.

"Kids have sacrificed some of their childhoods to help stop the spread of COVID-19. They've missed school, sports, graduations, and other milestones of being young," said Rowena Pinto, Chief Program Officer at UNICEF Canada. "The UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon offers families a safe, unique opportunity to celebrate Halloween while helping protect the world's most vulnerable children from the ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic. It allows kids to help other kids—but also allows them to just be kids themselves."

Johnny and Lauren Orlando (image via UNICEF Canada)

UNICEF Canada is also excited to announce its newest Halloween Champions, singer-songwriter and pop superstar Johnny Orlando—who just dropped his latest smash single 'Everybody Wants You' off his upcoming sophomore EP, scheduled for release this fall—and actor and social media influencer Lauren Orlando. 

They will join GFORCE, a musical group of young girls from the Toronto area who made it all the way to the quarterfinals on America's Got Talent in supporting UNICEF's Halloween Walk-a-thon.

"Kids have the ability to make the world a better place. I'm excited to join the UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon to provide a safe, socially distanced activity that not only keeps the spirit of Halloween alive, but empowers kids to make a difference," said Johnny Orlando. "I'm encouraging my dedicated fanbase, which includes millions of empathetic and engaged kids from around the world to embrace their ability to defend the rights of other kids to grow up happy and healthy."

The Video:

How can Canadians participate in the UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon? 

Children, families and adults can become Halloween Heroes by joining our walk-a-thon and setting up their own fundraising page at unicef.ca/Halloween. Participants who sign up by 9 October 2020 will receive a walk-a-thon package in the mail, including an exclusive Halloween Hero Card with a QR code to help collect digital donations—a new digital form of UNICEF's orange box. Money raised goes towards providing essentials like water, nutrition, education and health care to children in need around the world.

Bonus Video:

Creative agency Juniper Park\TBWA partnered with UNICEF Canada to develop the UNICEF Halloween Walk-a-thon campaign. PHD Canada, a communications planning and media buying agency, is providing marketing support.

Sophie Nélisse (image via UNICEF Canada)

SOURCE: Canadian Unicef Committee

3,758 School Backpacks Laid At The United Nations Show The Grave Scale Of Child Deaths In Conflict In 2018

On 8 September 2019, a UNICEF installation highlighting the grave scale of child deaths in conflict during 2018 on the North Lawn at the United Nations Headquarters. © UNICEF/UN0341974/ (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada)

A UNICEF installation to show the devastating scale of child deaths in conflict zones in 2018 was unveiled today at the United Nations in New York. The haunting display features 3,758 backpacks in rows reminiscent of a graveyard, each one representing a senseless loss of a young life to conflict.

The installation, which will run through 10 September, is a message to world leaders as children in many parts of the world are returning back to school, and just days ahead of the annual United Nations General Assembly. Once the installation is taken down, the backpacks will continue on their journey to support children's education.

"UNICEF backpacks have always been a symbol of hope and childhood possibility," said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. "In just two weeks, world leaders gathering at the UN General Assembly will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. This installation should remind them of the stakes."

According to the 2019 Annual Report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict, more than 12,000 children were killed or maimed in conflict zones last year – the highest number since the United Nations started monitoring and reporting this grave violation. These are only verified incidents – the actual numbers are likely to be much higher. UNICEF estimates that in a quarter of these incidences, children lost their lives.

In ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Yemen and many more, children pay the heaviest price of war. Continued, widespread use of explosive weapons such as airstrikes, landmines, mortars, improvised explosive devices, rocket attacks, cluster munitions, artillery shelling cause the vast majority of child casualties in armed conflict.

"As many children go back to school this week, we are drawing attention to the thousands of children killed in conflict zones and whose tragic loss will forever be felt in their homes, classrooms and communities around the world," said Fore. "The remarkable gains made for children in the last 30 years clearly show what we can do if we harness the political will to put children first."

SOURCE: UNICEF Canada

Vaccination to Contain Severe Measles Outbreak Underway in DR Congo Amidst Ebola and Mass Displacement

In November 2018, health worker Nsiri Lowoso vaccinates 3 months-old baby girl with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, and the polio vaccine at Coopérative Solidarité Santé le Rocher, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),10 November 2018. (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada)

Health workers are urgently rolling out a complex measles vaccination campaign targeting 67,000 children in Ituri, northeast DR Congo, a region ravaged by armed conflict that is now also the hub of the second deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.

At least 1,981 deaths due to measles have been reported across DR Congo this year, over two-thirds of them among children below 5 years old. As of 23 June, nearly 115,000 cases of suspected measles had been reported, far more than the 65,000 recorded in all of 2018.

Ituri, one of the two provinces (the other is North Kivu) struck by Ebola since the outbreak began nearly a year ago, has recorded over 5,400 cases and 50 deaths.

"The combined threat of Ebola and measles for the thousands of families living in overcrowded and unsanitary displacement camps is unprecedented," said UNICEF DR Congo Representative Edouard Beigbeder. "We have a small window to prevent a potentially massive loss of life."

The first sites targeted for measles vaccinations are four displacement camps in Bunia, Ituri, that have seen a huge influx of families forcibly uprooted by fighting in recent weeks. The boundary of one camp, located alongside Bunia's General Hospital, is less than 100 metres away from an Ebola treatment center. It is also less than 3 kilometers away from parts of Bunia that have seen 5 Ebola cases since the start of the outbreak, 2 of them in the past three weeks.

The Ebola outbreak means the measles vaccination campaign must incorporate extra measures to protect against infection and meticulous triage. Health workers will need to wear gowns to prevent contact with blood or other body fluids. Teams will include an additional health worker who will evaluate and refer suspected Ebola cases, check temperatures and oversee handwashing and other safety measures.

An additional layer of complexity is that some of the early symptoms of Ebola – fever, redness around the eyes, diarrhoea – are virtually indistinguishable from those of measles, malaria or cholera – all of which are prevalent, especially in severely congested displacement sites.

Up to 400,000 people are thought to be internally displaced across Ituri, the vast majority of them women and children. Many live in about 35 camps scattered throughout the province, in territory that is virtually inaccessible due to insecurity. Fighting among various armed groups has damaged or destroyed up to half the health facilities and schools in the province.

"The northeastern part of DR Congo is home to one of the worst humanitarian crises today. Whether it is from measles, Ebola, or the reality of living in a displacement camp, children are at grave risk. We must do everything we can to protect them," Beigbeder said.

Measles campaigns are also being planned for Tchomia and Nyankunde health zones.

• As of 8 July, there were 2,428 cases of Ebola, with 1,641 deaths. Almost 30 per cent of cases are among children.

SOURCE: UNICEF Canada

UNICEF Ramps Up Its Humanitarian Assistance To Children In Venezuela

A boy begs on the streets of Caracas. UNICEF is concerned that the current situation in Venezuela has reduced children’s access to essential services and increased their vulnerability, rolling back decades of progress. (© UNICEF/UN0318609/Velasquez)

Fifty-five tons of UNICEF health supplies have reached Venezuela since the beginning of the year, the United Nations children's organization said today. The items were distributed in 25 hospitals in the most affected states of Caracas, Miranda, Zulia, Bolivar and Táchira. They include midwifery kits, antibiotics and malaria treatment.

"One third of children in Venezuela need help accessing basic nutrition, health and education services, according to preliminary UN estimates," said Paloma Escudero, UNICEF Director of Communication, who has just finished a three-day trip to the country. "UNICEF has been working in Venezuela for almost 30 years. As the country grapples with the impact of a devastating economic and political crisis, we will continue to provide its most vulnerable children, wherever they are, with the humanitarian support they need. Children's needs must always remain above politics."

UNICEF is concerned that the current situation in Venezuela has reduced children's access to essential services and increased their vulnerability, rolling back decades of progress. 

According to United Nations estimates based on official and other sources:

• Some 3.2 million children – or 1 in 3 – need humanitarian assistance;
• Under-five child mortality increased by more than half between 2014 and 2017;
• 190 suspected cases of diphtheria and 558 suspected cases of measles have been recorded since the beginning of the year.

At a health care center in the outskirts of Caracas, Escudero met with health workers and mothers who spoke of the daily challenges of giving, and receiving, medical care.

"People I spoke to painted a very grim picture of the health situation in the country," Escudero said. "Many doctors and nurses have left the country. Medical centers are functioning at minimum capacity due to the shortage of medicine. Lack of spare parts has grounded mobile health units and ambulances. Pregnant women, many of them too young and anemic, are struggling to get the care they need. With worsening fuel shortages, they are sometimes not even able to get to the health centers. Women in labour need to bring their own midwifery supplies when they check into the hospital. For a country that made remarkable progress for decades on the quality of its health care, this is quite dramatic."

The recent shipments of heath supplies raise to nearly 200 tons UNICEF's humanitarian assistance in the country in the past year. Working with partners on both sides of the political spectrum, UNICEF has, so far this year, provided:

• Over 400,000 people with access to safe drinking water and an additional 25,300 people with water, sanitation and hygiene services in health centers, schools and other learning and child-friendly spaces.
• Nearly 75,000 children under 5 with micronutrient supplementation and an extra 3,500 with outpatient treatment for acute malnutrition.
• Deworming tablets for 4.3 million children and pregnant and breastfeeding women.
• Nearly 9 million doses of the diphtheria vaccine, 176,000 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, and 260,000 doses of the yellow fever vaccine for a national immunization campaign.
• More than 260 education kits for 150,000 children in public schools.
• Psychosocial support for nearly 10,000 children and young people.

"We are barely scratching the surface," Escudero said. "Millions of children need to be immunized, go to school, drink safe water and feel protected. We have plans in place to further scale up our response, but we need increased flexible funding that would allow us to reach the children in need with the services they need."

UNICEF has strengthened its presence on the ground, with offices close to the borders with Colombia and Brazil, making it one of the agencies with the biggest operational footprint in the country.

UNICEF's funding requirements have increased, with plans to provide more vaccines, rehabilitate the water and sanitation system, provide malnutrition treatment and medical supplies, and make sure that children have the education and protection support that are essential to their future and well-being.

"We are committed to making sure that we reach children in need with quality support in a timely manner and we rely on our donors' support while we continue to increase our response and strengthen our monitoring mechanisms on the ground," Escudero said.

A health center in las Minas de Baruta, a neighborhood in the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela. (© UNICEF/UN0318587/Velasquez)

SOURCE: UNICEF Canada

Related Stories:

• UNICEF: 'Alarming Global Surge Of Measles Cases A Growing Threat To Children '
• UNICEF: Nearly 3,000 Children Crossed From Guatemala To Mexico Since Mid-January
• "Stop Attacks On Children" [Statement By UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore]
• UNICEF: "Violent Discipline, Sexual Abuse And Homicides Stalk Millions Of Children Worldwide"

UNICEF: 'Alarming Global Surge Of Measles Cases A Growing Threat To Children '

On 9 February 2019 in Yemen, children vaccinated in Aden during a mobile Measles and Rubella vaccination campaign. © UNICEF/UN0284426/Fadhel (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada)

UNICEF warned today that global cases of measles are surging to alarmingly high levels, led by ten countries accounting for more than 74 per cent of the total increase, and several others that had previously been declared measles free.

Countries with ten highest increases in cases between 2017 & 2018

1. Ukraine: 30,338
2. Philippines: 13,192
3. Brazil: 10,262
4. Yemen: 6,641
5. Venezuela: 4,916
6. Serbia: 4,355
7. Madagascar: 4,307
8. Sudan: 3,496
9. Thailand: 2,758
10. France: 2,269  

Globally, 98 countries reported more cases of measles in 2018 compared to 2017, eroding progress against this highly preventable, but potentially deadly disease.

"Vaccines work. They save millions of lives a year and are an important reason why more children today survive," said David Morley, President and CEO of UNICEF Canada.

Ukraine, the Philippines and Brazil saw the largest increases in measles cases from 2017 to 2018. In Ukraine alone, there were 35,120 cases of measles in 2018. According to the government, another 24,042 people were infected just in the first two months of 2019. In the Philippines so far this year, there have been 12,736 measles cases and 203 deaths, compared to 15,599 cases in the whole of 2018.

"This is a wake-up call. We have a safe, effective and inexpensive vaccine against a highly contagious disease – a vaccine that has saved almost a million lives every year over the last two decades," said Henrietta H. Fore, UNICEF's Executive Director. "These cases haven't happened overnight. Just as the serious outbreaks we are seeing today took hold in 2018, lack of action today will have disastrous consequences for children tomorrow."

Measles is highly contagious, more so than Ebola, tuberculosis or influenza. The virus can be contracted by someone up to two hours after an infected person has left a room. It spreads through air and infects the respiratory tract, potentially killing malnourished children or babies too young to be vaccinated. Once infected, there is no specific treatment for measles, so vaccination is a life-saving tool for children.

In response to a recent outbreak of measles in British Columbia, Morley added: "Canada must invest in comprehensive monitoring and reporting to close the data gap in vaccination rates and identify populations at risk during outbreaks. We applaud the commitment in mid-February by Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, to tackle misinformation around vaccinations."

UNICEFs global response

In response to these outbreaks, UNICEF and its partners are supporting governments to urgently reach millions of children in countries around the globe. For example:

• In Ukraine, UNICEF has provided ongoing support to accelerate routine immunization across the country and address vaccine hesitancy, including additional efforts to stop the most recent outbreak that has claimed 30 lives since 2017. In February, the Ministry of Health, with UNICEF's support, launched an immunization drive at schools and clinics in the worst-hit Lviv region in western Ukraine, where negative attitudes toward immunization, and previous shortages in vaccine supply, have resulted in low vaccination rates.
• In the Philippines, the government, with support from UNICEF and partners, will conduct a campaign to vaccinate 9 million children against measles across 17 regions. Using social media, campaigners plan to encourage apprehensive parents, and health workers.
• In Brazil, from August to September 2018, the government carried out a campaign against polio and measles, targeting more than 11 million children under five. UNICEF encouraged people to get vaccinated, and trained health monitors working in migrant shelters for Venezuelans. UNICEF has included the measles vaccine as part of the Municipal Seal programme that covers 1,924 municipalities.
• In Yemen, where years of conflict led to an outbreak, local authorities with support from UNICEF, WHO and GAVI vaccinated more than 11.5 million children in February.
• In Madagascar, from 3 September to 21 February, 76,871 people were infected by measles and 928 died, a majority of which were children. In January, the government, with support of partners including UNICEF, launched an immunization campaign to target all 114 districts. Over 2 million children were immunized in 25 districts. In February, 1.4 million children were vaccinated, with another 3.9 million more to follow in March.

"As one of the largest donors of vaccines in the world, Canada has long shown its leadership for immunizing children, which plays a key role in preventing life-threatening illnesses such as polio, pneumonia, tetanus and diarrheal disease," added Morley.

Notable reported measles cases in 2018 in countries with no reported cases in 2017

• Brazil: 10,262
• Moldova: 312
• Montenegro: 203
• Colombia: 188
• Timor-Leste: 59
• Peru: 38
• Chile: 23
• Uzbekistan: 17

Poor health infrastructure, civil strife, low community awareness, complacency and vaccine hesitancy in some cases have led to these outbreaks in both developed and developing countries. For example, in the United States, the number of measles cases increased six-fold between 2017 and 2018, reaching 791 cases. More recently, the U.S. has seen outbreaks in New York and Washington state.

"Almost all of these cases are preventable, and yet children are getting infected even in places where there is simply no excuse," said Fore. "Measles may be the disease, but, all too often, the real infection is misinformation, mistrust and complacency. We must do more to accurately inform every parent, to help us safely vaccinate every child."

To fight measles, UNICEF is issuing an urgent appeal to governments, health care providers, and parents to do more to contain the disease by:

• Understanding that vaccines are safe and effective and can save a child's life
• Vaccinating all children between the ages of six months to five years during outbreaks
• Training and equipping health workers so they can provide quality services
• Strengthening immunization programmes to deliver all life-saving vaccines

About the Measles and Rubella Initiative:

UNICEF is part of the Measles and Rubella Initiative, a private-public partnership of five global partners including WHO, CDC, United Nations Foundation and American Red Cross that has been spearheading a global push towards measles and rubella elimination.

SOURCE: UNICEF Canada

Related Video:

UNICEF: Nearly 3,000 Children Crossed From Guatemala To Mexico Since Mid-January

Paloma Escudero, UNICEF Director of Communication, visits migrant families waiting at the Mexico-Guatemala border to apply for a humanitarian visas in Tecun Uman, Guatemala, on January 29, 2019. © UNICEF/UN0277464/Bindra (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada)

More than 12,000 people, including 3,000 children, have crossed from Tecun Uman, Guatemala, to Tapachula, Mexico, since January 17, UNICEF said today. It is critical to uphold special protection for these children, particularly those among them traveling alone, the children's agency said. 

"The Mexican government and people have been mostly welcoming towards the thousands of children and families crossing the border every day," said Paloma Escudero, UNICEF Director of Communication at the end of a two-day visit to Tapachula. "Whether these children stay in Mexico or head further up north, it is crucial that they remain with their families, that they are kept out of detention centres and that their best interests are protected throughout the journey."

According to government statistics, more than 30,000 children from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador were temporarily held in detention centres in 2018.

Although Mexico is increasingly implementing measures to safeguard children's rights while in transit or seeking asylum in the country, challenges persist. At the Tapachula migration station, which holds close to 1,000 men, women and children, Escudero spoke with mothers and young women kept at the station while their asylum claims or deportation orders are processed.

"Although people staying in the centre have access to food, health and recreational services, the conditions are inadequate," Escudero said. "I saw mothers and small children sleeping on the floor in the hallways. Many told me that they were unsure what would happen to them next or when they might be allowed to leave."

The new Mexican Government has officially committed to end detention of all child migrants and is presently working to fulfill this new policy. UNICEF and other organizations are closely supporting these efforts by helping develop alternatives to detention.

"Many of these children and young people are trading the trauma of violence and poverty back home for the trauma of displacement and uncertainty while on the move," Escudero said. "The hope of a better, safer future that keeps them going is getting further and further out of reach." 

In Mexico, UNICEF continues to work with the Government and its partners to ensure that migrant children receive the support and services they need and that their rights are upheld. Through its teams in Tapachula, UNICEF is giving direct support to children arriving at the migration office in Ciudad Hidalgo, providing them with information about their migratory options. The children's agency is also providing direct technical assistance to the Social Welfare Agency and Child Protection Authorities to ensure unaccompanied children are duly processed and receive appropriate care.

UNICEF is advocating with its Government partners to build on the country's existing successful programmes for children on the move, keeping the best interests of the child above all other considerations.

"UNICEF has been working with the government to identify and implement alternative solutions, including humanitarian visas, open shelters and day centres, that can keep families and children safe and protected while their claims are being processed," Escudero said. "We look forward to seeing more of these programmes along the Mexico migration route. After all, migration is not a crime and should not be treated as such."

SOURCE: UNICEF Canada

Scholastic Acquires Alyssa Milano's Activism-Themed Children's Book Series

Scholastic willl publish actor and activist Alyssa Milano's debut children's book series "HOPE" (Photo Credit: Dirk Franke)

Scholastic, the global children's publishing, education, and media company, has acquired actor and activist Alyssa Milano's debut children's book series. 

Hope, to be illustrated by Eric S. Keyes and published on October 1, 2019, is an empowering fiction series centered on a spunky eleven-year-old girl named Hope who seeks to create social change in her community. 

Scholastic Audio will release the audiobook narrated by Alyssa Milano simultaneously with the hardcover edition.

"As a mother, I can't think of a more important time to let kids know that their voice matters. I'm so excited about my new character, Hope Roberts. She believes in dreaming big. She's brave and strong and confident in her abilities—but she's also a girl just trying to survive middle school. I'm thrilled to be working with Scholastic on this empowering book series and can't wait for everyone to meet Hope," said Alyssa Milano.

"I've been a huge fan of Alyssa Milano's for years and I was so excited from the very moment she shared her idea and vision for HOPE—a series centered around a smart and passionate character who is ready to conquer the world," said Debra Dorfman, Vice President and Publisher, Global Licensing, Brands and Media, Scholastic. "Alyssa is such positive role model and I admire how she uses her voice and her platform to help those in need around the world, especially children. We at Scholastic are thrilled to share her inspiring and hopeful message to kids everywhere."

Scholastic has acquired actor and activist Alyssa Milano's debut children's book series. "HOPE," an empowering fiction series centered on a spunky eleven-year-old girl named Hope who seeks to create social change in her community.

About Hope: 
Meet Hope Roberts. She's eleven years old, and she wants to be an astrophysicist. She loves swimming, Galaxy Girl comic books, and her two rescue dogs. 

Hope believes it's always a good day to champion a cause, defend an underdog, and save the future. And most of all, she believes in dreaming big. 

She's smart, fearless, and confident in her abilities. But though Hope seems super strong on the outside, there's another side of her, too. She's just a regular girl trying to survive middle school. 

Relatable and wholly inspirational as well as aspirational, Hope's can-do attitude will inspire a generation of do-gooders.

About Alyssa Milano: 
Actress and activist Alyssa Milano has spent almost her entire life in the public eye. A famous child actor, she has continued to work throughout her adulthood in both television and film, most notably starring in the wildly popular television series "Who's the Boss" and "Charmed." 

Alyssa is also a lifelong activist and is passionate about fighting for human rights around the world. In 2003, UNICEF invited Alyssa to become a National Ambassador in recognition of her charitable work on behalf of children. Ever since then, Alyssa has been a champion of children's rights, working closely with UNICEF to raise money and awareness and provide aid to the children who need it most all over the world. 

Alyssa also speaks to kids in schools around the country about the importance of voting and teaches them how to fill out a ballot because she believes it's never too early to be civic-minded. 

Most recently, Alyssa is known for popularizing the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter, sparking the massive viral movement. 

She was named one of the 2017 Persons of the Year in Time magazine alongside other prestigious activists. 

She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.

Illustrator Bio:
Eric S. Keyes is currently an animator and character designer on The Simpsons, joining the show in its first season. He has worked on many other shows throughout the years, including King of the Hill, The Critic, and Futurama. 

He was also a designer and art director on Disney's Recess. This is his first time illustrating a children's book. 

Eric lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

SOURCE: Scholastic

"Stop Attacks On Children" [Statement By UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore]

On 3 April 2018 in the Syrian Arab Republic, children stay at a school-turned shelter in Zeyarah village, north of Aleppo city. © UNICEF/UN0207849/Al-Issa (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada)

Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta H. Fore 

"From the Central African Republic to South Sudan, and from Syria to Afghanistan, attacks on children in conflict have continued unabated during the first four months of the year.

With little remorse and even less accountability, parties to conflict continue to blatantly disregard one of the most basic rules in war: the protection of children.

No method of warfare has been off-limits, no matter how deadly for children: Indiscriminate attacks on schools, hospitals and other civilian infrastructure, abductions, child recruitment, besiegement, abuse in detention, and denial of humanitarian assistance were all too commonplace.

In Yemen, for example, more than 220 children were allegedly killed and over 330 were injured since the beginning of the year as a result of the conflict. Nearly 4.3 million children are now at risk of starvation, a 24 per cent increase over 2017 levels. An acute watery diarrhoea and cholera outbreak which killed more than 400 children under the age of five last year is threatening to claim even more young lives as the rainy season begins and hygiene conditions deteriorate further.

In Syria, hopes for peace remain dim. More than 70 attacks on hospitals and health facilities were verified during the first three months of the year, denying children and families vital health services. Over 300 education facilities have been attacked since the beginning of the conflict. Some 5.3 million children have been internally displaced or became refugees, and nearly 850,000 children continue to live in besieged or hard-to-reach areas.

In Bangladesh, more than 400,000 Rohingya refugee children who survived recent atrocities in Myanmar need humanitarian assistance. As the monsoon season approaches, the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases is higher than ever.

In South Sudan, the first country I visited as UNICEF Executive Director, at least 2.6 million children have been forced to flee their homes. More than 1 million children are acutely malnourished including over 250,000 severely so and at increased risk of death. Although close to 600 children have been released from armed groups so far this year, around 19,000 continue to serve as fighters, messengers, porters, cooks and even sex slaves for the warring parties.

In Afghanistan, more than 150 children were reported killed and over 400 injured during the first three months of the year because of the conflict.

In the Central African Republic, renewed violence over the past few months has forced nearly 29,000 children to flee their homes, bringing the total number of internally displaced children close to 360,000. More than 2 in 5 children under the age of five suffer from chronic malnutrition and one third of school-aged children are now out of school.

In all these countries and many more, committed teams from UNICEF and partners are doing all they can to alleviate the suffering of the most vulnerable, those separated from their families, terrified and alone, those getting sick in densely populated refugee camps, those on the move in monsoon and unrelenting dry seasons, and those who are starving.

Despite funding shortfalls – we have only received 16 per cent of our funding needs for this year – we are resolutely committed to serving the most vulnerable. We are vaccinating children, treating them for malnutrition, sending them to school, providing them with protection services, and trying to meet their basic needs.

Humanitarian aid alone is not enough. Children need peace and protection at all times. The rules of war prohibit the unlawful targeting of civilians; attacks on schools or hospitals; the use, recruitment, and unlawful detention of children; and the denial of humanitarian assistance. When conflicts break out, these rules need to be respected and those who break them need to be held to account. Enough is enough. Stop attacks on children."

Iraq, 2018: Noor and Sarah walk in the west of Mosul where many buildings have been totally destroyed. "I do not know what happened to my father. He's been missing for three months," says Nour. (© UNICEF/UN0161148/Rfaat)

About UNICEF:

UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization. We work tirelessly to help children and their families, doing whatever it takes to ensure children survive. We provide children with healthcare and immunization, clean water, nutrition and food security, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF is supported entirely by voluntary donations and helps children regardless of race, religion or politics. As part of the UN, we are active in over 190 countries - more than any other organization. Our determination and our reach are unparalleled. Because nowhere is too far to go to help a child survive. 

⏩ For more information about UNICEF, please visit unicef.ca.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 2017: Marie-Pierre Poirier, UNICEF's Regional Director for West and Central Africa, visits the "Baptême et Graduation Des Capoeristes" in Goma. (© UNICEF/UN0126977/Wessels)

SOURCE: UNICEF Canada

UNICEF: "Violent Discipline, Sexual Abuse And Homicides Stalk Millions Of Children Worldwide"

Javier, 10, attends the UNICEF-supported Carlos Alberto Rivera Hernandez School in San Pedro Sula, Cortes, Honduras. His father and five uncles were killed in gang violence and his mother abandoned him.  © UNICEF/UN076694/Amaya

Staggering numbers of children – some as young as 12 months old – are experiencing violence, often by those entrusted to take care of them, UNICEF said in a new report released today.

"The harm inflicted on children around the world is truly worrying," said UNICEF Chief of Child Protection Cornelius Williams. "Babies slapped in the face; girls and boys forced into sexual acts; adolescents murdered in their communities – violence against children spares no one and knows no boundaries."

A Familiar Face: Violence in the lives of children and adolescents uses the very latest data to show that children experience violence across all stages of childhood and in all settings:

Violence against young children in their homes:

• Three-quarters of the world's 2- to 4-year-old children – around 300 million – experience psychological aggression and/or physical punishment by their caregivers at home;
• Around 6 in 10 one year olds in 30 countries with available data are subjected to violent discipline on a regular basis. Nearly a quarter of one-year-olds are physically shaken as punishment and nearly 1 in 10 are hit or slapped on the face, head or ears.
• Worldwide, 1 in 4 children under age five – 176 million – are living with a mother who is a victim of intimate partner violence.

Sexual violence against girls and boys:

• Worldwide, around 15 million adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 have experienced forced sexual intercourse or other forced sexual acts in their lifetime.
• Only 1 per cent of adolescent girls who had experienced sexual violence said they reached out for professional help.
• In the 28 countries with data, 90 per cent of adolescent girls who had experienced forced sex, on average, said the perpetrator of the first incident was known to them. Data from six countries reveals friends, classmates and partners were among the most frequently cited perpetrators of sexual violence against adolescent boys.

Violent deaths among adolescents:

• Globally, every 7 minutes an adolescent is killed by an act of violence.
• In the United States, non-Hispanic black boys aged 10 to 19 years old are almost 19 times more likely to be murdered than non-Hispanic white boys of the same age. If the homicide rate among non-Hispanic black adolescent boys is applied nationwide, the United States would be one of the top ten most deadly countries in the world.
• In 2015, the risk of being killed by homicide for a non-Hispanic black adolescent boy in the United States was the same as the risk of being killed due to collective violence for an adolescent boy living in war-torn South Sudan.
• Latin America and the Caribbean is the only region where adolescent homicide rates have increased; nearly half of all homicides among adolescents globally occurred in this region in 2015.

Violence in schools:

• Half the population of school-age children – 732 million – live in countries where corporal punishment at school is not fully prohibited.
• Three-quarters of documented school shootings that have taken place over the past 25 years occurred in the United States.

Children play at the Rio Blanquito school in Choloma, Cortes, Honduras © UNICEF/UN076688/Amaya

UNICEF prioritises efforts to end violence across all its work, including supporting government efforts to improve services for children affected by violence, developing policies and legislation that protect children, and helping communities, parents and children to prevent violence through practical programmes like parenting courses and actions against domestic violence.

To end violence against children, UNICEF is calling for governments to take urgent action and support the INSPIRE guidance which has been agreed and promoted by WHO, UNICEF and the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children, including:

• Adopting well-coordinated national action plans to end violence against children – incorporating education, social welfare, justice and health systems, as well as communities and children themselves.
• Changing behaviours of adults and addressing factors that contribute to violence against children, including economic and social inequities, social and cultural norms that condone violence, inadequate policies and legislation, insufficient services for victims, and limited investments in effective systems to prevent and respond to violence.
• Focussing national policies on minimizing violent behaviour, reducing inequalities, and limiting access to firearms and other weapons.
• Building social service systems and training social workers to provide referrals, counselling and therapeutic services for children who have experienced violence.
• Educating children, parents, teachers, and community members to recognise violence in all its many forms and empowering them to speak out and report violence safely.
• Collecting better disaggregated data on violence against children and tracking progress through robust monitoring and evaluation.

About UNICEF:
UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization. We work tirelessly to help children and their families, doing whatever it takes to ensure children survive. We provide children with healthcare and immunization, clean water, nutrition and food security, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF is supported entirely by voluntary donations and helps children regardless of race, religion or politics. As part of the UN, we are active in more than 190 countries - more than any other organization. Our determination and our reach are unparalleled. Because nowhere is too far to go to help a child survive. 

• For more information about UNICEF, please visit www.unicef.ca. 
• For updates, follow UNICEF on Twitter and Facebook

SOURCE: UNICEF Canada

The Videos:

THE SCRIPT:

TEXT ON SCREEN:
Unsuspecting parents walked into a furniture store

Watch what happened next

Customer A: 
Hi!

Customer B: 
Hi how are you doing?

Customer A: 
So, we’re looking for a bed for my five-year-old daughter.

Associate: 
We have a brand new line of furniture that I’m really excited about. It has a really amazing feature that kids, especially, love, because you might have the creepy uncle that comes over one day and starts to chase your kid around and make him feel uncomfortable, so he wants to escape. He can run away from the uncle!

Customer B: 
Oh…..

Associate: 
You know what I mean? Or, like the caregiver who’s maybe hitting her a little too hard. Because a lot of times children feel unsafe in their own home.

Customer C: 
I’m not even sure how to respond to that.

Customer B: 
Do you get a lot of people looking for that?

Associate: 
It’s so prevalent these days that you really need a place to escape and hide.

Customer D: 
Why are those things happening at home? I don’t think that would happen…

Associate: 
This crib is one of our best sellers. And I’m sure you know…you know. You get so tired, so impatient and you just shake your baby and just throw him in the crib!

Customer C: 
The foam that comes on the crib…?

Associate: 
Yes, it’s to protect the baby. Let me show you one other option. This is our highchair. Now sometimes, the chair will go over as you’re hitting your child. This time, the chair is secure because it’s weighted. All four legs have weights, and it won’t move. You’ve spend hours making the macaroni and cheese and what do they do? They throw it on the floor!

Customer E: 
Well, you know what? No one is trying to hurt my child.

TEXT ON SCREEN 
Three out of four young children worldwide are violently disciplined at home.

Director: 
We saw you were really upset. Do you want to talk about it?

Customer C: 
I thought I was just going to get some furniture for a five year old, and I ended up getting a reality check.

Customer B: 
It’s hard to even hear numbers like that, you know…three out of every four…

TEXT ON SCREEN 
Violence is closer than you think

Recognize it. Report it.

#ENDviolence