Children in refugee camps and temporary shelters are at high risk of burns because of chronic overcrowding and a lack of safe electricity and gas supplies.
Nowhere is this more so than in Gaza. Last summer’s conflict saw the displacement of half a million people and destruction of 18,000 houses. The displaced have sought temporary shelter in UN schools, with extended family or in tents next to their bombed out homes. These temporary shelters are far from safe.
Many people living together in cramped conditions around poorly installed heating and cooking elements create dangerous conditions where accidents can easily happen. Electrical burns occur because of faulty wiring, a result of bad construction practices in the rush to rebuild homes.
