Over 70 children killed in Iraq in 2021: UN report
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A United Nations report on children and armed conflict revealed on Monday that over 70 children were killed in Iraq in 2021, while over a thousand remain detained on national security related charges.
The UN annual report on children and armed conflict by the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday addressed the impact of armed conflict on children in specific countries between January and December 2021, presenting a number of important figures regarding the issue in Iraq.
The report mentioned that a total of 72 children were killed and 87 others were injured in Iraq over 2021, mainly by unidentified perpetrators and in areas previously held by the Islamic State (ISIS). The majority of the incidents came from explosive war remnants, amounting to over a hundred.
Guterres sounded his concern regarding the explosive remnants being the leading cause of child casualties in Iraq, urging the Iraqi government to continue the demining process across the country.
A report from UN bodies in April stated that over 519 children have been killed or injured in Iraq over the last five years from explosive ordnance, adding that landmines and explosive remnants of war remain one of the leading threats to children in the country.
As of December 2021, a total of 1,267 children remain detained in Iraq on charges relating to national security, including those with alleged affiliations with ISIS, according to the report.
Guterres called on the government to release these children, believing that detaining children should only be used as a last resort and for a short period of time. The sentences of the children detained in Iraq for national security-related charges reaches up to five years.
The official expressed content that no cases of recruitment of children by armed forces was recorded in Iraq in 2021, asking the government to implement an action plan to end and prevent the use of children by armed groups completely.
The report also verified 288 grave violations against children, eight cases of abduction, and 118 cases of denial of humanitarian access in Iraq in 2021.
As opposed to Iraq, the trend of child recruitment by armed forces was more prevalent in Syria over the same time period, according to the report.
The report stated that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had recruited 221 children, and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) had recruited 220 children in 2021.
The Guterres said that he was concerned about the increase in child recruitment by the Kurdish armed forces, urging the forces to reverse the “negative trend.”
Turkey claims that the YPG, the backbone of the SDF, is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. Ankara considers both the PKK and YPG as terrorist organizations and a threat to its national security.
The SDF has been the Unites States’ main ally on the ground in the fight against ISIS since the group controlled swathes of land in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The US has provided ammunition and military support to the SDF as well as mediating between Kurdish ruling and opposition parties. The YPG is considered the backbone of the SDF, and the YPJ is an all-female brigade of the YPG.
The UN annual report on children and armed conflict by the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday addressed the impact of armed conflict on children in specific countries between January and December 2021, presenting a number of important figures regarding the issue in Iraq.
The report mentioned that a total of 72 children were killed and 87 others were injured in Iraq over 2021, mainly by unidentified perpetrators and in areas previously held by the Islamic State (ISIS). The majority of the incidents came from explosive war remnants, amounting to over a hundred.
Guterres sounded his concern regarding the explosive remnants being the leading cause of child casualties in Iraq, urging the Iraqi government to continue the demining process across the country.
A report from UN bodies in April stated that over 519 children have been killed or injured in Iraq over the last five years from explosive ordnance, adding that landmines and explosive remnants of war remain one of the leading threats to children in the country.
As of December 2021, a total of 1,267 children remain detained in Iraq on charges relating to national security, including those with alleged affiliations with ISIS, according to the report.
Guterres called on the government to release these children, believing that detaining children should only be used as a last resort and for a short period of time. The sentences of the children detained in Iraq for national security-related charges reaches up to five years.
The official expressed content that no cases of recruitment of children by armed forces was recorded in Iraq in 2021, asking the government to implement an action plan to end and prevent the use of children by armed groups completely.
The report also verified 288 grave violations against children, eight cases of abduction, and 118 cases of denial of humanitarian access in Iraq in 2021.
As opposed to Iraq, the trend of child recruitment by armed forces was more prevalent in Syria over the same time period, according to the report.
The report stated that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had recruited 221 children, and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) had recruited 220 children in 2021.
The Guterres said that he was concerned about the increase in child recruitment by the Kurdish armed forces, urging the forces to reverse the “negative trend.”
Turkey claims that the YPG, the backbone of the SDF, is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which is an armed group fighting for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey. Ankara considers both the PKK and YPG as terrorist organizations and a threat to its national security.
The SDF has been the Unites States’ main ally on the ground in the fight against ISIS since the group controlled swathes of land in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The US has provided ammunition and military support to the SDF as well as mediating between Kurdish ruling and opposition parties. The YPG is considered the backbone of the SDF, and the YPJ is an all-female brigade of the YPG.