UN: 'Unspeakable violence' against children in Iraq increased in 2017

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The number of children affected by armed conflict and also the severity of "grave violations" affecting them has increased in the past year, both worldwide and in Iraq, the United Nations (UN) said on Wednesday.

"Spikes in armed clashes and violence led to a substantial increase in the number of child casualties in Iraq," read a statement accompanying the Annual Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC), released on Wednesday.

Since the report covers all of 2017, the majority of violations in Iraq described were perpetrated by the Islamic State (IS), but actions against the jihadist group by Iraqi security forces, Hash al-Shaabi militias (PMF), Peshmerga, and other Coalition forces are listed as the reason for the overall increase from 2016.

"Large-scale military operations led to the ousting of ISIL (IS) from Mosul, Tall Afar, Hawijah and Qa’im," the statement continued. "The military operations led to a significant increase in violations against children."

Over half of all incidents of the killing and maiming of children "were the result of air strikes, shelling, sniper fire and rockets, resulting in 390 child casualties," the report detailed. "Improvised explosive devices were the second leading cause... followed by targeted attacks on children," many for their alleged connection to IS.

In its report, the UN documented 523 cases of children recruited to take part in conflict. The most egregious charges were leveled at IS and included children "used as suicide bombers and combatants, for logistics and manufacturing explosive devices."

It mentioned "credible reports from south Iraq, specifically Najaf and Diwaniyah, in which groups under the umbrella of PMF organized military training for boys aged 15 and above," and also smaller numbers of child recruitment by forces including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Sinjar Resistance Units, and Kurdish Zeravani forces.

It continued, "In 2017 at least 1,036 children (1,024 boys, 12 girls), including 345 in the Kurdistan Region, remained in juvenile detention facilities on national security-related charges, mostly for their alleged association with ISIL."

It also listed violations such as sexual violence, the military use of schools, and the targeting of schools.

In its own words, the UN report deals with "unspeakable violence children have been faced with, and shows how in too many conflict situations, parties to conflict have an utter disregard for any measures that could contribute to shielding the most vulnerable from the impact of war.”