Unicef: Civil strife afflicts children the most
23/06/2008
The United Nation's Children's Fund has put the spotlight on the plight of children in the world's numerous conflict zones.
Issuing a statement late last week, Unicef said that youngsters growing up in countries such as the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were facing unbearable conditions.
On top of the direct physical threat posed by living in a war-zone, the agency said that food shortages and poverty are creating unbearable living conditions for many of the world's most vulnerable people.
Most worrying of all, it noted the spiralling problem of kidnapping, with at least 2,000 under-18s trafficked to the Democratic Republic alone.
"It is everyone's duty to ensure children are safe from harm, and governments have a responsibility to enact and enforce measures that provide a protective environment for all children," the agency's statement read.
Alluding to reports that some 50 children have been abducted in Haiti since the beginning of the year, Unicef country representative Annamaria Laurini said the situation was deplorable.
"There is no acceptable motive or rationale for these crimes," she asserted. "There is no acceptable excuse that they should be allowed to continue with flagrant impunity."
The report also bemoaned the heightened vulnerability of girls, many of whom are enlisted in militias to serve a dual function as both combatants and sexual slaves.
According to the latest estimates, some 250,000 children around the world have been recruited to serve in armed conflicts.
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