Children must be off-limits, warring parties told

KABUL in 2016.

A statement from the Save the Children expressed its concern at startling new UN figures that reveal 2016 to be the deadliest year on record for children in Afghanistan.

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan found 923 children were killed last year, while more than 2,500 others were injured. UNAMA recorded 3,498 civilian deaths and 7,920 wounded.

The number of children killed and injured hit an all-time high in 2016 -- a massive 24 percent increase in total child casualties and the highest number since the agency began recording casualties in 2009.

Save the Children Country Director Ana Locsin said: “These figures are truly shocking, and represent a sharp decrease in the wellbeing of Afghan children. Almost 1000 children were killed from conflict in Afghanistan last year – that’s nearly three per day.”.

Locsin added: “This simply isn’t good enough. Children are innocent victims of conflict and need to be protected at all costs. They must be seen as off limits no matter what.”

The organisation called on all parties to conflict in Afghanistan to do everything in their power to protect children at all times, and especially during times of fighting.

Unsurprisingly, the figures come amid a year in which there was a surge of violence across Afghanistan, including major outbreaks of fighting in Kunduz and Helmand, it said.

Adding to the crisis in Afghanistan where 9.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, more than 600,000 Afghans returned from Pakistan last year following a tightening in regulations by Pakistani authorities.

“The humanitarian situation across much of Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly in the past 12 months, and with the start of the traditional fighting season not far away with the end of winter, it could get even worse in the coming months,” Locsin said.

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