At least one child killed and another six confirmed injured in Iraq since the year began

BAGHDAD, 28 January 2021 - “We are less than a month into 2021, yet children and adolescents in Iraq continue to undergo death and injury due to violence and poverty.

“In the last ten days alone, UNICEF can confirm that:

• Three children suffered serious burns in the Darashkaran camp in Erbil in the north of Iraq, as a result of a malfunction in the heating for system inside their tents.
• Two children were injured as a result of an attack in the Gara mountain region last Friday in the Dohuk governorate of the Kurdish Region of Iraq, north of the country.
• A child and was killed and her sibling wounded in Najaf governorate on Wednesday, after coming into contact with an unexploded remnant of war while collecting discarded metal to sell and earn an income.

“UNICEF received credible reports that children were among the casualties of the twin Baghdad explosions in a market last week which took the lives of at least 32 people.

“UNICEF appeals to all parties to protect children across Iraq at all times. Violence in Iraq is commonplace due to decades of conflict, war, socioeconomic deprivation and poverty.

“As per the Convention on the Rights of the Child, children and adolescents have the right to safety at all times, free from all forms of violence. UNICEF renews its call on all parties to fulfill their responsibilities and safeguarding children’s rights this year, and at all times”.

ENDS