ABSTRACT
Children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of malnutrition. Chronic hunger and malnutrition affect millions of children every year. The World Health Organization (2001) reports that up to six million infants die every year due to protein–energy malnutrition. In the surviving child, protein–energy malnutrition can result in reduced physical and mental development. In addition, children are the victims of hidden hunger, that is to say, malnutrition due to micronutrient deficiency. The World Food Programme and UNICEF (2006) estimate that micronutrient deficiencies result in 19 million infants worldwide suffering brain damage, mental retardation, or learning disabilities, mainly due to a lack of iodine or iron. Thousands more will go blind due to a lack of Vitamin A. And zinc deficiency is believed to be a direct cause of an additional 800,000 child deaths every year. As a group, young children and infants are the most susceptible to the tragedy of malnutrition. Yet, they are also almost exclusively dependent on others to prevent their suffering and impairment. When a country or region experiences food scarcity and insecurity, it is the children who suffer the most. Thomas Hammarberg writes: “When famine spreads, children die first” (1990: 98).
