Afghanistan: No Place for Children

Afghanistan: No Place for Children

Postby Oscar » Fri Jul 10, 2015 10:30 am

Afghanistan: No Place for Children

[ http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/3180 ... r-children ]

Thursday, 09 July 2015 00:00 By Kanya D'Almeida, Inter Press Service | News Analysis

United Nations - No one will deny that when a child – any child – is killed, it is a tragedy. Imagine, then, the extent of the tragedy in Afghanistan where, in just four years, 2,302 children have lost their lives as a result of ongoing fighting in this country of 30 million people.

According to his latest report on children and armed conflict in Afghanistan, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon states that more kids were killed or maimed in 2014 than in any previous year under review.

During the reporting period from Sep. 1, 2010, to Dec. 31, 2014, an additional 5,047 young people were badly injured, leaving many crippled for life.

Ground engagements were reportedly the number one cause of child casualties, leaving 331 children dead and 920 injured in 2014; these figures represent a doubling of the number from the previous year.

Armed groups' use of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in populated areas resulted in 664 casualties, while suicide attacks took the lives of 214 children – an increase in 80 percent compared to 2013.

The report also stated that "explosive remnants of war killed or maimed 328 children", while international military airstrikes left 38 kids either dead or injured – including eight from drone strikes alone.

The biggest culprits appear to have been the Taliban and the Hizb-e-Islami, followed closely by the Afghan National Securities Forces, who were responsible for 126 killings and 270 injuries.

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"These tragically high casualty numbers show that children are bearing the brunt of the conflict, and unfortunately this trend continues with the deterioration of the security environment into 2015," Leila Zerrougui, the Secretary-General's special representative for children and armed conflict said in a press release last week.

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As a new government attempts to gain control over the situation, U.N. experts are hopeful that the deadly tide can be reversed.

"I look forward to working with the Government of Afghanistan even more intensively in the months ahead as we move towards fully implementing the country's Action Plan for ending recruitment and use of children," Zerrougui said at the report's launch this past Thursday.
Oscar
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