37 percent of Iraqi children live in poverty: official

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq is among the top ten most dangerous countries in the world for children, with 37 percent of Iraqi children living below the poverty line, said the head of the Kurdistan Region's Human Rights Commission, Mona Yaqo, on Sunday.

At a press conference marking this year's International Day Against Child Labor, Yaqo outlined the dangers and poverty many Iraqi children face.

"The Iraqi constitution, which was issued in 2005, specified a number of rights for children, but these rights are not applied in practice," she said. "For example, Article 30 stipulates that the government must provide adequate housing for all families, but these articles are only ink on pages."

"The problem of underage and child marriage represents a threat to the rights, safety, and health of Iraqi children, and we must all take a stand on it and find an appropriate solution," she added.

Yaqo also pointed out that "although Law No. 8 of 2011 on Combating Domestic Violence stipulates that female genital mutilation is a crime," it is still carried out.

Furthermore, while there is a law that clearly states children under the age of 15 should not work, "every day we see children between the ages of 10 and 12 working, even in dangerous places."

"We can even see children aged 14 working in nightclubs," she said.