Mines kill, injure more than 500 children in Iraq: UN
Children in Iraq are falling victim to landmines and unexploded ordnance, killing and wounding hundreds.
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Un: Mines kill and injure more than 500 children in Iraq.
During five years, at least 519 children have been killed or injured by landmines or unexploded ordnance in Iraq, UN agencies warned.
"More than 80 percent of children affected are boys," the rights groups UNICEF, the world body's children's agency, and the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) said in a joint statement on Monday night.
They added that boys were "disproportionately impacted due to incidents of child labor, such as grazing animals or collecting scrap metal to sell."
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According to a Humanity & Inclusion assessment, "Iraq is regarded one of the countries most contaminated by explosive devices in the world," with over 3,225 square kilometers (1,245 square miles) of land contaminated by unexploded ordnance.
The material is especially prevalent near Iraq's borders with Iran, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia, all of which have seen military action during the last four decades.
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In the joint statement, UNICEF and UNMAS urged "all parties to accelerate every effort to clear existing mines and unexploded ordnance" and called on "all parties to accelerate their efforts to remove mines and explosive remnants, to strengthen victim assistance and to support children's right to a safe, secure and protected environment."
