Posts Tagged ‘UNICEF’
Iraq’s Lost Children
Written by Editors on May 7, 2008 – 8:28 amThe new reality in war-ravaged Iraq left thousands of children playing the roles of their fathers in putting bread on the table.
“These children are also much more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation by adults - particularly in areas where conflict has undermined the rule of law.”
But for many children the problem goes far beyond being forced out of school and into the labour market.
“In the beginning I liked my new duty [in the carpentry factor] until the manager started to beat and sexually harass me,” said Saleh, 11.
Scared and terrified he did not say a word to his mum.
Source: Iraq’s Lost Children : By Afif Sarhan, Islam OnLine Correspondent
BAGHDAD — For nations the young generation always holds the hope for a better future but with thousands of its children forced out of school into the labour market to make ends meet, Iraq seems to be an exception.
“My mother told me that I had to leave school and even knowing there isn’t choice, I tried to convince by showing my good marks in math and science but it just made her angrier,” says Waleed Saleh, 11.
One year ago his father, a waiter, was killed in a suicide attack on his restaurant in downtown Baghdad.
Saleh, the elder of his four brothers, had to find a job to help support the family with his house-keeper mother.
“She found me a job as helper in a carpentry factor near our home,” he said.
Child labour has been increasing in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion largely because of the spread of poverty, unemployment and widows, observers say.
There are no accurate estimates on child labour but a 2006 UNICEF survey put the percentage at 11 in the 10-14 age group.
“It’s very difficult to know whether this number is increasing as a result of the deaths of so many family wage-earners between 2006 and 2007,” said Claire Hajaj, Chief of External Relations for UNICEF.
“However, anecdotal data tells us that many families are being pushed into poverty as a result of conflict and displacement,” she added.
“Boys are more likely to work than girls in an average of 12 percent versus 9 percent and the problem is far higher in rural areas where poverty is most intense.”
Five years after the US-led invasion, the daily lives of Iraqis have worsened with millions having insufficient access to clean water, sanitation, electricity and health care.
With estimates putting the death toll at between 100,000 and one million, millions of families are left without bread-winners.
Sons or Fathers
Tags: Child Exploitation, Child Poverty, Children, Health, Hear Our Voices, Poverty, UNICEF, Water, Water Crisis (Iraq), Widows
Posted in Children, Features, Iraq, Society And Economy, Women and Children | No Comments »
الامم المتحدة : أطفال العراق هم الضحايا الصامتون للعنف الدائ
Written by Editors on April 26, 2008 – 12:12 amقالت الممثلة الخاصة للأمين العام للامم المتحدة لشؤون الأطفال والنزاعات المسلحة السيدة راديكا كوماراسوامي ،الجمعة ، ان أطفال العراق هم الضحايا الصامتون للعنف الدائرفي البلاد وان 50% فقط من طلاّب المدارس الإبتدائية يرتادون المدارس.
ونقل بيان لمكتب الممثل الخاص للأمين العام لشؤون الأطفال والنزاعات المسلحة ، تلقت الوكالة المستقلة للانباء ( أصوات العراق) نسخة منه الجمعة ، عن السيدة راديكا كوماراسوامي قولها ، لدى اختتام زيارتها الجمعة للعراق والتي استمرت ستة أيام ، إن أطفال العراق هم الضحايا الصامتون للعنف الدائر.
واضافت كوماراسوامي ان ” العديد من الأطفال العراقيين باتوا لا يرتادون المدارس وتم تجنيد العديد منهم في نشاطات تتسم بالعنف أو هم رهن الإعتقال، كما أنهم يفتقرون لمعظم الخدمات الأساسية وتظهر عليهم العديد من الأعراض النفسية جراء أعمال العنف التي يشهدونها يوميا.”
وأردفت قائلة إن ” هذا الحال لا يمكن السكوت عليه.”
وقال البيان ان السيدة راديكا كوماراسوامي ناشدت كافة الزعماء الدينيين والسياسيين والعسكرين وقادة المجتمعات إرسال رسالة واضحة لأطفال العراق مفادها ” تجنبوا العنف وعودوا إلى مقاعد الدراسة.”
وأشارت السيدة راديكا كوماراسوامي ، بحسب البيان ، إلى أن ” حوالي 50% فقط من طلاّب المدارس الإبتدائية يرتادون المدارس وهو عدد متدني مقارنة بالعام 2005 حيث كانت النسبة 80%، وأنّ حوالي 40% فقط يحصلون على مياه نظيفة للشرب ولا يزال الإحتمال قائم لتفشي مرض الكوليرا.”
وتابعت قائلة انه ” ومنذ عام 2004، تنامت أعداد الأطفال الذين يتم تجنيدهم في العديد من الميليشيات والجماعات المتمردة للقيام بعمليات منها شن الهجمات الإنتحارية، ويقبع زهاء 1,500 طفل في مرافق الإعتقال.”
وقالت ان العديد من العقبات تعترض المساعدات الإنسانية التي يتم تقديمها للمجتمعات المحلية في أرجاء متباينة من البلاد لتحول دون حصول الأطفال على هذه المساعدات ، لافتة الى ان ” أكثر من نصف النازحين داخلياً واللاجئين هم من الأطفال الذين يتعرضون لصعوبات جمة في الأماكن التي يعيشون فيها سواء داخل العراق أو في دول الجوار.”
وأشارت الى انه “يتعين على المجتمع الدولي تقديم المساعدات للبلدان المضيفة لضمان حماية حقوق هؤلاء الأطفال وحصولهم على الخدمات الأساسية كالتعليم والرعاية الصحية.”
وحثت السيدة راديكا كوماراسوامي ” كافة أطراف النزاع في العراق على الإمتثال التام للمعايير الإنسانية الدولية من أجل حماية الأطفال وإطلاق السراح الفوري لكافة الأطفال دون سن الثامنة عشرة المنخرطين في قواتهم بأي طريقة كانت.”
كما دعت” كافة الأطراف للإمتثال للمعايير الدولية لحقوق الإنسان المعنية بأحكام عدالة الأحداث والتحول إلى تدابير بديلة للإعتقال بما فيها عمليتي العدالة الوقائية و الإصلاحية.”
ودعت الممثلة الخاصة للأمين العام لشؤون الأطفال والنزاعات المسلحة ايضا ” كافة الأطراف إلى منح عمّال الإغاثة وتقديم المساعدات حرية وإستقلالية للقيام بمهامهم.
كما دعت السيدة راديكا كوماراسوامي الحكومة العراقية وحكومة الولايات المتحدة والمجتمع الدولي إلى ” المشاركة في مبادرات سياسية ودبلوماسية لتأمين وصول آمن للمساعدات الإنسانية وذلك ليتسنّى لوكالات مثل اليونيسيف ومفوضية الأمم المتحدة لشؤون اللاجئين ومكتب تنسيق الشؤون الإنسانية وبرنامج الأغذية العالمي الوصول للأطفال في كافة أرجاء العراق دون أن تعترضهم أي عقبات.”
وذكر البيان ان السيدة كوماراسوامي حثّت كافة الوكالات الإنسانية على التواجد في العراق وممارسة نشاطاتهم، بحسب الأوضاع الأمنية.
وأكّدت مجدداً على دعوتها للزعماء الدينيين وقادة المجتمعات المحلية في العراق لإقناع مجتمعاتهم بإبقاء الأطفال خارج نطاق النزاع.
اصوات العراق - الامم المتحدة : أطفال العراق هم الضحايا الصامتون للعنف الدائر
English text here.
Iraqi children silent victims of ongoing violence, says UN envoy
Baghdad, Apr 25, (VOI)- Wrapping up a six-day visit to Iraq, the United Nations human rights envoy tasked with protecting the rights of children caught up in armed conflict said that the war-ravaged country’s children are silent victims of the continued violence.
“Many of them are no longer go to school, many are recruited for violent activities or detained in custody, they lack access to the most basic services and manifest a wide range of psychological symptoms from the violence in their everyday lives,” said Radhika Coomaraswamy, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, in a statement received by Aswat al-Iraq – Voices of Iraq (VOI).
She urged religious, political, military and community leaders to encourage children to stay out of the violence and return to their studies.
Gender-based violence is also reported to be on the rise, which Ms. Coomaraswamy said is “intolerable.”
Only half of primary school children are attending school, down from 80 per cent in 2005, she noted. Only 40 per cent having access to clean drinking water, with the outbreak of cholera possible.
Since 2004, rising numbers of children have been recruited into militias and insurgent groups, some serving as suicide bombers, while some 1,500 are known to be in detention facilities.
Since humanitarian workers’ access to children is impeded in many parts of Iraq, children are deprived of their assistance.
The special representative called on all parties to give free and independent access to aid workers, and urged the Iraqi Government, the United States Government and other countries to allow agencies, such as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP), to be able to reach children in all parts of Iraq without hindrance.
Ms. Coomaraswamy also appealed to the international community to assist neighbouring countries to which Iraqis have fled to ensure that the children are protected and can access basic services, including education and health care.
She called on all sides in the Iraqi conflict to follow international humanitarian standards for the protection of children and to release without delay any children under the age of 18 associated with their forces, and also to adhere to international human rights standards pertaining to juvenile justice provisions.
“Let peace in Iraq begin with the protection of children” the special representative said.
SH
Tags: Child Exploitation, Child Poverty, Children, Education Crisis (Iraq), Human Rights, IDPs (Internal Refugees), Militias, Refugees, UNHCR, UNICEF, Water Borne Disease, Water Crisis (Iraq), WFP, WHO, Women - domestic assault, Women and Children, الكوليرا
Posted in Children, Cholera, Human Rights, Iraq, Women and Children | No Comments »
Drastic Deterioration of Humanitarian Situation In Basrah
Written by Editors on March 29, 2008 – 10:18 amAs posted immediately below the Red Crescent, the IOM, and UNICEF are warning that the situation has deteriorated drastically. The international federation of Red CRoss/Cresecent say that the main problem is that they are running out of fule to get food to trapped civilians and that ambulances and relief convoys are being attacked. Yesterday the Basah hospitals manager for the city appealed urgently for emergency suppilies of medicines and surgical supplies he confirmed that the hospitals could not cope and said the system was close to collapse. He confirmed also that ambulances has been directly fired at.
The photo below gives an idea of civilian life in Basrah. The children are trying to get water from a water main that was hit by a shell and flooding in the street. Note the condition of the car from explosion and shrapnel and the same for the building in the background the photo was taken by Ahmad Al-Rubaie for AFP
Tags: Attacks on medical and humanitarian workers, Basrah, Basrah "surge", Children, Food Shortages, Health, Poverty, Red Crescent/Red Cross, Rescue Work, UNICEF, War Crimes, Water, Water Crisis, Water Crisis (Iraq)
Posted in Children, Health, Iraq, Photos, Society And Economy, Women and Children | No Comments »
UNICEF: Iraq’s water and sanitation crisis adds to dangers faced by children and families
Written by Editors on March 20, 2008 – 11:48 pmOn World Water Day, 20 March 2008, UNICEF is focusing on the importance of sanitation and hygiene in reaching global goals for safe water. Here is one in a series of related reports.
UNICEF-run water tankering operations have been a lifeline for 200,000 Iraqis struggling without safe drinking water since 2003.
Only 17 per cent of Iraq’s sewage is treated before being discharged into the country’s rivers and waterways. Untreated wastewater from Baghdad alone is enough to fill 370 Olympic swimming pools every day.
On World Water Day, UNICEF and the World Health Organization are calling for a renewed drive to put much-needed resources into Iraq’s water and sanitation sectors.
All photos © UNICEF Iraq/2007
BAGHDAD, Iraq, 19 March 2008 – Iraq has a large water and sanitation network, but it is in a critical state of disrepair. System failures are a daily fact of life.
Efforts to fix the country’s municipal pipes and treatment plants – damaged by the impact of a decade of sanctions and war – have been seriously undermined by chronic under-investment, frequent power shortages, lack of qualified personnel, illegal water tapping and acts of sabotage.
As a result, less than half of Iraq’s population can claim reliable access to potable water.
Health and hygiene dangers
Sanitation is also a persistent problem. Less than 10 per cent of urban households outside Baghdad are connected to sanitary sewage systems, and where they do exist, there are frequent failures. Operating on limited electricity, idle sewage-pumping stations and treatment plants flood neighbourhood sites and discharge raw wastewater into Iraq’s rivers.
The situation is creating widespread health and hygiene hazards for children. Iraq’s 2007 cholera outbreak, the worst in recent memory, underlines the dire state of water and sanitation across the country.
While Iraq’s rural areas are the most deprived, water and sanitation services in urban centres are struggling – with violence accelerating the downward slide. Over 600 workers from the Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works have been killed attempting to repair these networks since 2005. Their loss has damaged the sector and cut off whole communities from essential services.
‘Sanitation is central to life’
As population movement increases the demand for safe water in many areas without sufficient supplies, funds to expand water-tankering operations are insufficient to meet all the needs – leaving families to resort to rivers, dirty tap water and other unsafe sources to find drinking water.
In the Sab’Qsoor neighbourhood on the outskirts of Baghdad, says one elderly resident, “we are deprived of schools and hospitals, we need paved roads so that our children could reach to schools … but our most critical need is water.”
UNICEF water tanks have been a crucial source of drinking water for over 200,000 Iraqis since 2003. But the need continues to grow. This year, UNICEF Iraq and its partners anticipate tankering 300 million litres of safe water and distributing water and hygiene kits to up to 120,000 families in crisis.
Immediate action on water and sanitation is crucial to securing a long-term solutions to Iraq’s myriad problems, according to UNICEF Special Representative in Iraq Roger Wright.
“Adequate sanitation is central to life, dignity and development in every country, and never more so than in Iraq” says Mr. Wright. “Iraqi families need to see clean neighbourhoods and safe water in their homes before they truly believe that their country’s situation will improve.”
Source: UNICEF - Iraq - Iraq’s water and sanitation crisis by Ban Dhayi
Tags: Baghdad, Children, Iraq, Poverty, UNICEF, Water, Water Borne Disease, Water Contamination, Water Crisis (Iraq), Water Poisoning, WHO
Posted in Children, Features, Health, Iraq, Society And Economy | 1 Comment »
لة كبيرة لتلقيح الاطفال من الحصبة والنكاف في الانبار
Written by Maryam on March 12, 2008 – 9:28 am
اكدت ممثلة منظمة الصحة العالمية في العراق نعيمة القصير ان المنظمة اطلقت حملة واسعة في الأنبار لتقليح اكثر من 200 الف طفل تحت سن الخامسة ضد امراض الحصبة والحصبة الألمانية والنكاف .
واضافت القصير في حديث صحفي ان الحملة تجري بالتعاون مع السلطات الصحية ومنظمات المجتمع المدني وانها بدأت بعد ظهور 44 اصابة في المحافظة خلال الأيام العشرة الماضية.
وقالت القصير ان المفوضية الأوربية تتحمل العبء الأكبر في دعم وتمويل برامج الرعاية الصحية الأولية في العراق وذلك منذ عام 2003.
واشارت الى ان منظمة الصحة العالمية وبتمويل من المفوضية الأوربية تقوم بدعم عمليات التدريب والتخطيط والتنظيم والدعم اللوجستي للقطاع الصحي في العراق.
من جانبه اكد المدير الإعلامي لدائرة صحة الأنبار انس الدليمي أن عدد الأطفال الذين ظهرت عليهم اعراض مرض الحصبة لا يتجاوز الـ 50 ويتمركز اغلبهم في مدينة حديثة.
ويشارك في الحملة 600 موظف صحي ستشمل جميع الأطفال تحت سن الخامسة الذين لم يسبق لهم تلقي التلقيحات الضرورية.
إقرأ أيضاً
عملية طارئة للقضاء على تهديد فاشية الحصبة في مدينة الأنبار بالعراق
عمان/بغداد، 6 آذار/مارس 2008، تبدأ يوم الأحد التاسع من آذار/مارس جهود ضخمة لإيصال اللقاح الثلاثي ضد الحصبة والنكاف والحصبة الألماني لتمنيع جميع الأطفال تحت عمر خمس سنوات في مدنية الأنبار والذين يقدر عددهم بأكثر من 200 ألف طفل، وقد قررت وزارة الصحة ومنظمة الصحة العالمية واليونيسف تغطية جميع الأطفال مع إيلاء جل الاهتمام بالأطفال الأكثر عرضة للإصابة والذين يعيشون في مناطق نائية وعير آمنة. النشرة الإعلامية
Tags: Al Anbar (Governorate), Children, MMR, Preventable diseases, UNICEF, Vaccination campaign, WHO
Posted in Children, Health, Iraq | No Comments »