“February has been one of the most dangerous months for children in Iraq in recent times,” UNICEF said on Twitter, adding that six children, all boys, had lost their lives, “and 10 children (9 boys, 1 girl) have been maimed by explosive remnants of war (ERW).”
UNICEF added that ERWs and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) remain one of the leading causes of killing and injury of children in the country, urging stakeholders “to accelerate efforts to clear existing mines and unexploded ordnance, expand risk education, and promote victim assistance.”
The UNICEF tweet comes a month after a United Nations report on children and armed conflict in Iraq indicated a “sharp increase” in the total number of children detained in the country on national security charges and alleged links to the Islamic State group (ISIS), along with reporting that the number of grave violations committed directly against children has decreased significantly between the summers of 2019 and 2021, compared to previous years.
The report outlined the progress made in the country so far in addressing crimes against children, highlighting key violations committed between the period of August 2019 to June 2021 and - crucially - naming the main perpetrators: ISIS, Iraq’s security forces, the Turkish Armed Forces’ “Operation Claw,” and the Iran-backed militia, the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi).
The report found at least 317 grave violations were committed against 254 children; four of whom were abducted, 98 of whom killed, and 151 maimed; the explosive remnants of war (121) and improvised explosive devices (46) being the leading causes of these casualties.
