This was “a year of horror, fear and despair” declares UNICEF, noting that more than 15 million children were exposed to “unspeakable brutality” in 2014.
Children were exposed to conflict in countries from Central Africa Republic, to Gaza, Syria, Iraq and South Sudan, notes the UN body. They have been kidnapped, tortured, raped, orphaned, recruited as child soldiers and sold as slaves. They have been hungry and deprived of schooling.
‘Robbing children of their future’
In the Syrian conflict alone, more than 7.3 million children are affected. “It’s robbing these children if their future and it’s robbing a future for Syria as a country,” says David Morley, president and CEO of UNICEF Canada.
“These kinds of results of civil conflict are absolutely reprehensible… that children end up being the victims when this happens.”
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We need a ‘global effort to protect children’
It’s ironic that the broader picture for children has improved dramatically. Half as many children are dying from preventable causes as were 20 years ago, says Morley. “It’s been a child survival revolution. Children have never been so healthy.
“We need to see that same global effort that’s been put into health and we need to put it into peace. We need to put it into protecting children. We need to put it into psychosocial care for children…
“When we put our mind to it as a global community, we can make it happen.”
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