【导读】4月16日，联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯发布了有关新冠肺炎疫情对儿童影响的政策通报。他表示，新冠肺炎大流行已经导致社会中最贫困和脆弱的群体受到最严重的影响。因此，他对全球儿童的福祉表示尤为关切。
Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, many students in the world have been affected. XINHUA
Children are the future, but many people are concerned about the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic on the livelihood of the world’s youth.
孩子就是未来，但许多人都担心新冠疫情大流行对全球儿童的生活所带来的影响。
In a statement made on April 16, Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN), called for urgent action to “protect our children” amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
在4月16日发布的一份声明中，联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯呼吁在疫情期间采取紧急行动来“保护我们的孩子”。
“Thankfully, children have so far been largely spared from the most severe symptoms of the disease. But their lives are being totally upended,” he said.
“令人欣慰的是，截至目前儿童基本上没有出现疾病最严重的症状。但是，他们的生活已经被完全改变。”他表示。
As CBS News noted, the socio-economic impact of the pandemic, together with measures to contain the spread of the new coronavirus, is most likely to impact children’s lives in four areas: education, food, health and safety.
正如哥伦比亚广播公司新闻频道所指出的那样，疫情对社会经济所产生的影响，以及为控制新冠病毒蔓延所采取的措施最有可能影响儿童生活的四大方面：教育、食物、健康以及安全。
According to a report released by the UN, nearly 190 countries and regions have imposed school closures, affecting 1.5 billion students. Many schools have moved toward online classrooms. However, expensive and slow internet services in some countries prevent this from being a possible option for some students.
据联合国发布的一份报告显示，全球近190个国家和地区强制关闭了学校，15亿学生受到影响。许多学校都采取了网上教学。但在互联网服务薄弱或资费昂贵的国家，一些学生或许无法选择这种方式学习。
Additionally, with classrooms shut, nearly 310 million children worldwide who rely on school meals are missing out on this daily dose of nutrition, Guterres said.
此外，停课使全球近3.1亿儿童无法依靠学校提供校餐，获得每日所需的营养，古特雷斯说道。
Meanwhile, food access may be threatened as a result of lockdown measures, which may disrupt local markets and food supply chains.
与此同时，封锁措施或许扰乱了当地市场以及食物供应链，从而影响了食物供给。
Safety at home and online is another concern. With billions of people around the world in close quarters under lockdown measures, family stress levels are rising. As South China Morning Post reported, domestic violence cases have risen in Hong Kong since the outbreak of COVID-19. And as the UN Children’s Fund noted, with more children relying on technology for learning and socializing during this time, the risk of online exploitation and abuse is rising.
居家安全以及上网活动带来了另一个问题。在封城措施之下，全球数十亿人都待在家中，家庭压力也在不断上升。据《南华早报》报道，自新冠疫情暴发以来，香港家庭暴力的案件数量有所上升。同时，联合国儿童基金会还指出，随着越来越多儿童在疫情期间依靠科技进行学习和社交，上网不当与网络欺凌的风险也增加了。
Another major concern is that, as health systems become overwhelmed, it’s more difficult than ever for children to access standard healthcare. Polio vaccination campaigns have stopped, setting back progress in eradicating the disease in countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan. Additionally, 23 countries and regions have suspended measles immunization campaigns targeting nearly 80 million children, noted the UN.
另一大问题是，随着卫生系统面临较大压力，儿童比以往更难获得正规的医疗服务。小儿麻痹症疫苗接种活动已经暂停，令阿富汗、巴基斯坦等国为根除该疾病所取得的进步有所倒退。此外，联合国指出，已有23个国家和地区叫停了针对近8000万儿童的麻疹免疫接种活动。
While the COVID-19 crisis is unprecedented, it is also an opportunity for “unprecedented international solidarity” for children and humanity, as the UN put it. Governments are urged to take steps to counter the unintended effects on children. “With the pandemic placing so many of the world’s children in jeopardy, I reiterate my urgent appeal: Let us protect our children and safeguard their well-being,” said the Secretary-General.
正如联合国所言，尽管新冠疫情带来了前所未有的危机，但这也是一次为儿童和人类进行“前所未有的国际社会大团结”的机会。敦促各国政府采取措施消除对儿童的意外影响。“这场疫情使世界上许多儿童处于危险境地，因此我再次发出紧急呼吁——我们一定要保护儿童，保障儿童的福祉，”联合国秘书长如此说道。
