Children worst sufferers in Afghan conflict: UN

Dharam Shourie

New York, Jul 5 (PTI) The ongoing violence in Afghanistan
has taken a heavy toll on the nation's children, who continue
to be victims of attacks, have been sexually abused and used
as combatants, the UN envoy for children has said.

"I can't think of any country in the world in which
children suffer more than in Afghanistan," Radhika
Coomaraswamy, Secretary-General's Special Representative for
Children and Armed Conflict, said in a statement made
available here Thursday.

"Because you not only have terrible violations that occur
during war but also terrible poverty and hard work that they
have to engage in," she said at the end of a five-day visit.

Coomaraswamy said one of the grave violations against
children in armed conflict is killing and maiming, and during
her visit she met many such victims of attacks by the Taliban
and other anti-government elements.

The envoy also met President Hamid Karzai and other
government officials, representatives of International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Operation Enduring
Freedom (OEF) military forces, aid agencies, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and children themselves.

Besides, she met victims of operations by international
forces, including children who had been maimed by aerial
bombardment and night raids.

"We had discussions with ISAF and OEF commanders on how
they should minimize this collateral damage with clear
directions and procedures," she said.

The Special Representative voiced concern over
recruitment and use of children as combatants, saying she had
credible information of an increase in the number of children
in combat in the last few months, as well as verified reports
of individual cases of suicide bombers.

Another concern, she said, is about instances of children
being detained after military operations. "While I received
exact figures from ISAF, I do not know exactly how many minors
are being detained by Afghan authorities or American forces."

"As we know from other areas in the world, keeping young
people in detention often makes them hardened individuals and
only feeds the cycle of violence," she added.

Afghanistan has also witnessed numerous attacks on
schools, resulting in deaths of innocent students and
teachers. Some 228 schools were attacked in 2007 in which 75
persons were killed and 111 injured. So far this year 83
schools have been attacked.

The UN official also received allegations of sexual
violence against boys. "Afghan civil society is particularly
concerned about what has been called the Bacha-bazi system or
practice of young boys associated with military commanders.
This practice is against international humanitarian law," she
stressed.

One of the major objectives of Coomaraswamy's visit was
to set in place the monitoring and reporting process called
for by the Security Council to assess six grave violations
against children in situations of armed conflict.

They are the killing or maiming of children, recruitment
or use of children as soldiers, rape and other grave sexual
abuse, abduction, attacks against schools or hospitals, and
denial of humanitarian access for children. PTI