77 pct of Cambodian households with children experience loss of income during pandemic: UNICEF

PHNOM PENH, March 11 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Cambodia said on Friday that 77 percent of households with children have experienced loss of income since the COVID-19 pandemic started.

In its press statement, the UN agency said that it, together with the World Food Program and the Asian Development Bank, has conducted regular COVID-19 Socio-Economic Surveys throughout the pandemic to monitor its impact on vulnerable households.

The results confirmed that Cambodian households with children were more likely to lose income than households without children, said the statement.

It said "77 percent of households with children experienced loss of income, compared to 69 percent of households without children," adding "Similarly, 69 percent of households with children resorted to at least one negative food-based coping strategy during the pandemic, such as reducing food portions or choosing less healthy ingredients."

Foroogh Foyouzat, UNICEF's representative in Cambodia, said the study demonstrated that children have faced the greatest hardships as a result of the pandemic.

"The Royal Government of Cambodia's notable efforts to combat the pandemic and to alleviate its negative impacts through the introduction of comprehensive social protection have certainly cushioned the harm caused to children, but haven't eliminated it," she said.

"We need to expand social protection services for the most vulnerable to give children a chance to recover from the pandemic and be able to access the education, healthcare, nutrition and other social services they deserve," she added.

Cambodia has fully resumed its socio-economic activities and reopened its borders to vaccinated travelers since the middle of November last year after most of its 16-million population have been fully inoculated against COVID-19.