KRG prepares draft bill covering children’s rights

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government is preparing draft legislation to cover the rights of children, Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Kwestan Mohammad told Kurdistan 24

Mohammad’s remarks came during an interview on Tuesday during International Children’s Day. The minister shed light on the condition of children in the Kurdistan Region and her ministry’s efforts to improve their lives.

The Kurdistan Region has no law to protect children from abuse, but Mohammad said the government is working on a draft bill to that end.

“We are working on a draft bill for children’s rights that will be finished in the coming days that has been worked on in cooperation with the United Nations Children Fund,” Mohammd told Kurdistan 24. The bill will be sent to the Council of Ministers and later the Kurdistan Parliament.

According to UNICEF, Iraq is among the top 10 countries where children live in poor condition, ranging from a lack of education to support to poverty. According to one study by the international children agency, Iraqi children make up the majority of the 4.5 million of those at high risk at falling into poverty as the result of COVID-19 pandemic.

The minister said there was “a great difference between Iraq and the Kurdistan Region” when it comes to the condition of children. 

The KRG has a hotline that is available to track and provide services for children in need, according to the minister. The Region has also provided shelters and economic assistance to children who have no supervision, the official said.

Editing by Joanne Stocker-Kelly