3.6 mln Iraqi children at risk of increasing violence: UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Thursday that 3.6 million Iraqi children need urgent action to protect their rights amid increasing violence in the country.

The UNICEF report titled "A Heavy Price for Children" revealed one child in five in the country is at serious risk of death, injury, sexual violence, abduction and recruitment into armed groups.

The number of children in danger of these violations has increased by 1.3 million in 18 months, the report said.

The report finding also showed that 4.7 million children need humanitarian aid, or a third of all Iraqi children, while many families are facing deteriorated conditions due to the ongoing violence and military operations in Fallujah and the areas around Mosul in northern Iraq.

It showed that almost 1.5 million children, or 10 percent of the Iraqi children, have been forces to flee their homes because of violence since the beginning of 2014. Most of them were displaced multiple times.

Consequently, nearly one in five schools is out of use due to conflict and almost 3.5 million children of school-age are missing out on an education, according to the report...
  [Xinhua -globaltimes.cn]
1/7/16