insurgents

Deteriorating Security: Afghanistan

A woman carries her child in Kabul
REUTERS/Ahmad Masood

Security is deteriorating once more in Afghanistan, just as it emerges from a quarter century of conflict. Insurgents often target civilians, but disease is the main child killer - an estimated 600 under-fives die every day, mostly due to preventable illnesses like malaria and measles.
  • A quarter of children don't see their fifth birthday - the fourth highest rate in the world.
  • More than half of children are stunted.
  • In eleven provinces 80 to 99 percent of girls don't go to school.
  • A fifth of primary school children do some form of work.
  • Children are at risk from insurgent and military operations, landmines and unexploded ordinance.
"The most important thing now is to have all children in school. That's very important for the development of the country."

UNICEF deputy executive director Rima Salah

Children of Conflict, Parts 1 and 2: Al Jazeera

    

Psychological Trauma

Artist: Mark Vallen

The poll underlined the psychological trauma experienced by children caught up in violence.

"Children (in Iraq) may fear both American soldiers and insurgents; they fear being drummed out of their home if they're from the wrong sect," said Lindsey Hilsum, international editor for Britain's Channel 4 News. "They have no security and no sense of what tomorrow may bring."

Respondents who chose the Palestinian territories cited the long-term strain of living in a place with limited freedom of movement and access to basic services.

"A key concern, especially in Palestine, is that protracted emergencies lead to a lack of opportunities in later life adding to boredom and a sense of hopelessness," said Amalia Fawcett, a policy analyst for World Vision New Zealand.

Somalia and Afghanistan, where warlords are battling for political power, featured due to deteriorating security and widespread poverty.

In 11 provinces in Afghanistan, more than four-fifths of girls do not attend school. More than a quarter of children in Afghanistan and a fifth of children in Somalia die before their fifth birthday.

Journalist Aidan Hartley and humanitarian consultant Tony Vaux also chose Somalia due to the widespread practice of female genital mutilation.