UNICEF: More than 50 children killed in Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain

[News_Editor]

UNICEF: More than 50 children killed in Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain

2011-04-21 01:33:45 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW YORK (BNO NEWS) -- The ongoing unrest in countries such as Libya, Yemen, Syria and Bahrain has left more than 50 children killed in recent weeks, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported on Wednesday.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said the agency is greatly concerned about the effects of violence on children caught in the escalating conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. "We continue to condemn the targeting of civilians by armed groups, and call on all parties to provide humanitarian aid workers with immediate access to all areas and children in need," he said.

Lake said scores of children have been killed in Libya, where anti-government protests have escalated into a civil war. "In [the city of] Misrata alone, at least 20 children have been killed and countless others injured," he said, adding that many others have been deprived of basic needs. "Reports of the use of cluster munitions are particularly alarming."

In Yemen, where anti-government demonstrations have been ongoing since January, at least 26 children have been killed since early February. UNICEF said more than 800 other children were injured, some seriously.

Anti-government protests have also been ongoing in Syria since late January, resulting in a fierce crackdown from forces loyal to the government of Bashar al-Assad. "Reports [there] indicate that nine children were killed and many injured over the last few weeks," Lake said.

Meanwhile, children have also been affected by the anti-government protests in Bahrain and the ongoing violence in southern Israel and Palestine. "In the occupied Palestinian territory, since the beginning of the year, more than eight Palestinian children have been killed and at least 48 injured both by Israeli security forces and by Palestinian armed groups," Lake said.

Lake pointed out that in many areas of the Middle East and North Africa, children were already facing multiple challenges to their survivial, health and wellbeing. "Now, these children are at still greater risk," he added.

UNICEF urged all parties involved in the conflicts to meet their obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and international humanitarian law, and to take all necessary steps to protect children from the direct and indirect effects of violence.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-04-21

[chuckd]

I wonder where the posts expressing outrage are?