Middle East: Terrifying surge in violence affecting children ‘must stop’ – UNICEF

Children across the Middle East and North Africa Region (MENA) are again confronting a surge in violence, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday, describing the “unacceptable reality” that on average, over 10 children have been killed every week since the beginning of the year.

“Children in the region continue to suffer the devastating impact of protracted conflicts, communal violence, explosive ordnance and remnants of war, and political and social unrest that permeate several countries”, the UN agency said, including in Iran, Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Yemen, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Before marking the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, on Sunday’s World Children’s Day, UNICEF raised the alarm that nearly 580 children have been killed in conflict or violence across the MENA region this year, with many others injured.