Four children killed on their way to school south of the city of Mosul
Statement by Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Iraq
BAGHDAD, 22 November 2018 - "The violence that took the lives of four school children today and injured several others in al-Shoura subdistrict south of the city of Mosul is a stark reminder that the vicious cycle of violence continues in Iraq.
“UNICEF verified that 11 secondary-school children between the age of 12-17 were making the long journey to school from their remote village when the truck they were riding came under attack.
“This attack might jeopardise the tremendous efforts to get children back to school in areas where violence was the heaviest.
“Iraqi children keep saying over and over again, ‘if there is no school there is no life and if there no life there is no school’.
“Attacks on children are senseless and must stop. Children and their right to education must be protected at all times.”
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Notes for editors:
- Over 80 schools were completely destroyed in the city of Mosul alone during the conflict between 2014-2017.
- Hundreds of thousands of children were forced to miss school because of the conflict.
- UNICEF with partners have worked to rebuild schools, support teachers, and provide classrooms with books, stationery, and equipment to help children return to school.
- Across Iraq, 3 million children don’t have access to regular education.
- Half of the schools in Iraq require rehabilitation.
