Escalating Violence In Iraq Taking Children's Lives
March 6, 2006The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the UNICEF Iraq
Country Office strongly condemn the continuing violent attacks in Iraq which are
taking an ever-increasing number of civilian lives, particularly those of
children.
The Special Representative of the Secretary General Ashraf Qazi expressed his
grave concern at the increasing civilian death toll, stating that, “This
brutal violence that takes innocent lives, especially those of children, is
totally unacceptable”. He stressed that the protection of civilians is an
obligation that must be observed by all.
“It is important and necessary that all parties, including the Government,
adhere to and respect international humanitarian law and are perceived by the
population as doing so”, he said, adding that, “As Iraqis attempt to rebuild
their country, callous acts of violence without regard to possible victims only
serve to further intensify and prolong the pervasive sense of insecurity,
uncertainty and fear”.
There is no official estimate of the number of Iraqi children who have died as a
result of the violence in the past crucial months. Nevertheless, figures for
civilians made public by a number of sources, such as Iraq Body Count, Brookings
Institute, People's Kifah, and the UK Lancet, are all too high. One recent
incident, which took place on 15 February in Baghdad, highlights the terrible
crime that such violence represents -- three Iraqi children were killed by a
bomb on their way to school.
The UNICEF Special Representative for Iraq Roger Wright said that in addition to
the three children being indiscriminately robbed of their right to life and the
terrible loss suffered by their families, “this type of incident creates fear
in the hearts of all families. In addition to being afraid your child may never
return home from school, just imagine how traumatized children who witness all
this violence become. These are the Iraqi civilians and leaders of tomorrow.
They must be allowed to grow up and develop in an environment of care and
respect, not constant concern and anxiety”. He stressed “Enough is enough -
it's high time to put Iraqi children first - on everyone's agenda.”
http://www.unicef.org