UNICEF: Iraq's children in worsening tragedy
Iraqi children are caught in a rapidly-worsening tragedy as violence tightens its grip on their homeland, the UN Children’s Fund said today.
Four million Iraqis – nearly 15%of the population – have fled from their homes since the US-led invasion in 2003, Unicef said in Geneva. Half the refugees are children.
“Violence is creating widows and orphans on a daily basis, many of whom are left to struggle for survival,” it said.
“Iraq’s children, already casualties of a quarter of a century of conflict and deprivation, are being caught up in a rapidly worsening humanitarian tragedy.”
Even though international aid has been strong, the needs of Iraqi children are quickly outstripping the help, the agency said.
It appealed for donations of €30.6m for the next six months to boost assistance in Iraq and to Iraqi refugees living in neighbouring countries.
It is still possible to deliver aid to displaced children in Iraq, even though they face grave conditions as they move into “communities that are already poor and often also badly hit by violence,” it said.
“Our experience operating daily inside Iraq confirms to us that aid does indeed reach children and makes a tremendous impact, even in extremely insecure areas,” said Daniel Toole, Unicef’s chief of emergency operations.
