Unicef has collected truly alarming data on Iraq: poverty and conflict have interrupted the schooling of three million children. “Many children have had their childhood stolen, forced to fight, says Unicef regional director for the Middle East and North Africa Geert Cappelaere.
At least one in four children affected by conflict and poverty, over 4 million children victims of extreme violence, over one million those forced to leave their homes, 270 children killed only last year.
Some will carry both physical and psychological scars for life, as they are exposed to unprecedented levels of violence. Over a million children have been forced to leave their homes. Even though fighting has ended in various areas, violence continues to occur. Only this week, there were three bombings in Baghdad. Violence is not only killing and causing mutilation to children, it is also destroying schools, hospitals, homes and streets. It is tearing the social fabric and the culture of tolerance that keeps communities together.
In this country UNICEF is carrying out one of its biggest operations to meet the needs of the most vulnerable girls and boys in the country, with humanitarian assistance and for development. In the northern part of the city of Mosul, a place of horrible destruction, I have met children hit hard by three years of violence. In one of the schools that Unicef recently reopened in the western part of Mosul, I met in a class Noor, a girl of 12 years. He told me about how his family lived in the city even when the fighting was more intense. He described the fear he felt when he had to take refuge. He lost three years of school and is now working to recover them, learning English with other boys and girls.
Humanity has shown once again in Mosul and in other parts of Iraq that it can cause great destruction, but another, greater force can leave an even deeper mark: the determination to rebuild and move forward. The children were so excited to talk about their aspirations, to share their happiness of being able to play and study again. Poverty and conflict have interrupted the schooling of three million children in Iraq. Some have never entered a school. Over a quarter of all children in Iraq live in poverty, particularly those in the southern and rural areas, among those most affected in recent years. Now that Iraq is preparing for elections and the international summit for Iraq, it is the best time to prioritize the interests of children, stop violence and stop the cycle of poverty and depravity. " "On behalf of Noor and millions of children and caregivers, UNICEF asks the authorities in Iraq and the international community to: end all forms of violence in the country, so that children and their families can live in security, with dignity and be protected; continue to provide humanitarian assistance such as safe water, education, protection, psychosocial support, nutrition and health services to the most affected children, including those in camps and informal settlements; prepare mass, immediate and long-term investments in education. Children of Iraq, like all children in the world, have the right to learn and aspire to a better tomorrow. Today's children will be the teachers, the doctors, the engineers, the scientists of tomorrow. Investing in them now means investing in the future of the country.
"The international summit for Iraq, hosted by the Kuwait State from the 12 to the February 14, continues the regional director, represents another great opportunity for the government of Iraq and the international community to further strengthen the commitments for children 'Iraq. The strongest commitment is not another plan, but the commitment to increase the funds allocated to support children, with a positive impact on their lives. Member States and the private sector should turn financial commitments into concrete commitments for children. This is essential for rebuilding a peaceful and prosperous Iraq, away from the vicious cycles of violence and intergenerational poverty. UNICEF and its partners will continue to work with Iraqi girls and boys to ensure respect for and fulfillment of their rights under the Convention on the Rights of Adolescence and Humanitarian Law. UNICEF in Iraq: supported local authorities to rehabilitate 576 schools and guaranteed school materials for 1,7 million children; since January 2017, together with its partners, UNICEF has reached 2,4 millions of vulnerable people displaced from their homes, including over 1 million children, with life-saving assistance packages containing water, food and sanitary ware. UNICEF asks 186 for millions of dollars to meet the needs of children in Iraq for the 2018.