Ration cuts accelerating hunger crisis, leading to increased child marriage, sexual violence, child trafficking and suicidal thoughts

• 68% of people affected by ration cuts said someone in their family had gone to bed hungry in the past 4 weeks because there was not enough food
• 41% of refugees thought both girls and boys are now subject to more violence, neglect or abuse at home 
• More than one in ten (13%) adults reported feeling so hopeless that they no longer want to carry on living all of the time. Half (50%) of adults said they felt that way most or some of the time. 

GENEVA (June 11, 2024) - More funding for lifesaving food assistance is urgently needed, a new report from global humanitarian organization,  World Vision reveals today.

Published ahead of World Refugee Day on June 20, the report includes survey results from refugees and other vulnerable communities in six countries that have been affected by recent shortfalls in emergency food and cash assistance.   (The countries are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lebanon, Uganda and Somalia.)  .It shows that these families are receiving just a fraction of their monthly required calories or being cut from aid distributions altogether, leading to a drastic reduction in meals and increases in child marriage, child labour, and mental health risks.

Specifically, the report found that while children on average consumed two meals per day before the cuts, when asked how many meals they were eating in January 2024, most families had eaten just one or no meals the day before. More than two-thirds (68%) of people said someone in their family had gone to bed hungry in the past four weeks because there was not enough food, and almost half (46%) said someone had gone a whole day and night without eating.

, “These findings should instantly ring an alarm bell,” Mary Njeri, director of World Vision’s Global Hunger Response said. “Climate shocks, conflict, and COVID-19 have left more than 38 million people[1] one step from starvation, and humanitarian aid is struggling to keep up. Children are telling us about parents sending them to work or get married, and in some cases, considering suicide as a result of the cuts.”

The report found alarming increases in the risk of child marriage, sexual violence, child labour, and child trafficking, with 41% of respondents thinking both girls and boys are now subject to more violence, neglect or abuse at home. Almost a third (30%) of parents thought that the ration cuts were pushing girls into child marriage, rising to 97% of parents in Afghanistan, and in the  Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda, 75% of families reported underage girls were getting pregnant, leading them to drop out of school.

“We must urgently increase the essential lifesaving aid that children and their families so desperately need to survive. Long-term support is also essential so children can go back to school and families can once again farm, find jobs and support themselves.” Njeri added.

"We already knew that one in five people affected by conflict were at risk of experiencing some form of mental health disorder,[2] and during COVID-19 saw the additional impact food security could have on parents’ mental health.[3] We need not just increased food assistance, but better education, mental health, and protection support for the most vulnerable families to prevent a mental health epidemic.”

The findings paint a sobering picture, with more than one in ten (13%) adults saying they feel so hopeless that they no longer want to carry on living all of the time. Half (50%) of adults said they felt that way most or some of the time. In Afghanistan, parents' answers seem to indicate that almost all adults (97%) are at risk of mental health disorders - more than four times the prevalence for other conflict-affected populations; levels were also four times higher in Lebanon (89%); and more than three times in Bidi Bidi (79%).

“Hunger isn’t just killing people through malnutrition, but also through mental illness,”  Njeri added. “We know that with the right support, children and their families can thrive.”

Last year  World Vision provided over 20 million people in 46 countries with food and cash assistance, including more than 16 million people in partnership with the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP).

“No one should be going hungry in the 21st century. World leaders must urgently accelerate efforts to resolve conflicts tackle climate change, and provide the children and families affected with the humanitarian support they need. It is essential that we come together and say enough.”

About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people, regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit worldvision.org or follow on X, formerly known as Twitter, @WorldVisionUSA.

Report available to download here: wvi.org/ration-cuts

About the report

For this report, World Vision’s Global Hunger Response spoke to communities in six countries that have been affected by recent shortfalls in emergency food and cash assistance. Included in the research were 562 families and 36 focus group discussions in February 2024 in communities selected based on their exposure to food ration cuts: families in Afghanistan, Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, a mix of displaced, host and refugee families in Demba (Kasais) and Tanganyika in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), host communities and Syrian refugees in Lebanon, host and displaced families in Somalia, and refugees in Bidi Bidi refugee settlement in Uganda. 

It is important to note that the findings of this study do not represent the countries or global context as a whole, but present the experiences of specific families in communities affected by the ration cuts, and share their views on the knock-on effects of these reductions