ICC Note: UNICEF has reported that 4.7 million children are in dire need of humanitarian aid. One in five Iraqi children are at serious risk of death, injury, sexual exploitation and abduction following the continued violence and displacement in the Middle Eastern country. After four decades of continued violence, the situation in Iraq is worse than ever has it has been nearly emptied of all minorities. In the last two and a half years, 1,496 children have been abducted, nearly 50 children per month are abducted and forced into soldiering and sexual violence.

07/05/2016 Iraq (albawaba): Some 3.6 million children in Iraq – one in five in the country – are at serious risk of death, injury, sexual violence, abduction and recruitment into armed groups, according to a new UNICEF report.

“A Heavy Price for Children” reveals that the number of children in danger of these violations has increased by 1.3 million in 18 months.

The findings show that 4.7 million children need humanitarian aid – a third of all Iraqi children – while many families now face deteriorating conditions following military operations in Fallujah and around Mosul.

“Children in Iraq are in the firing line and are being repeatedly and relentlessly targeted,” said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Iraq Representative. “We appeal to all parties for restraint and to respect and protect children. We must help give children the support they need to recover from the horrors of war and contribute to a more peaceful and prosperous Iraq.”

UNICEF’s report documents the scale and complexity of the humanitarian crisis in a country reeling from nearly four decades of conflict, insecurity and neglect, and where the impact on children worsens every day.

Staggeringly, a total of 1,496 children have been abducted in the country over the past two and a half years. That translates to 50 children abducted each month, with many forced into fighting or sexually abused.

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