UNICEF wants funds for Iraqi children in dire straits

Iraq's children are in dire straits, UNICEF said on Wednesday as it appealed for 42 million dollars to help those caught up in the horrors of sectarian killings, economic insecurity and mass migration.

"Conditions for Iraqi children affected by violence and displacement have reached a critical point," said a UNICEF report.

Jordan's Queen Rania, named earlier this year as UNICEF's first ever Eminent Advocate for Children, told a news conference in Amman that it was imperative for the world to act now.

"Faced as we are with a daily barrage of bad news, some might feel that the situation is hopeless. But stepping up support right now in
Iraq and in neighbouring countries is not only possible, it is also the best way to protect Iraq's future -- its children," she stressed.

"What children need, above all, is a resolution to this crisis. That has to be our ultimate hope. For many Iraqi children, the long-term future may be unclear, but their present needs -- for education, for health care, for clean water and proper sanitation -- are clear and must be met, now," the queen said.

The report noted that the first cholera cases of the year are all among children, portending a serious outbreak as summer intensifies. Diarrhoea rates in the southern city of Najaf exceed twice their average for this time of year.

"The deterioration of Iraq's water and sanitation systems means only an estimated 30 percent of children have access to safe water," UNICEF said.

The organisation is asking for 42 million dollars (31 million euros) to provide water and sanitation for children inside Iraq, as well as education services for refugee children in Jordan and
Syria.

"Since 2003, nearly 15 percent of Iraq's population have fled their homes -- four million people, half of them children," it added.

For the children left behind, the exodus of Iraq's best and brightest has left hospitals and schools bereft of the professionals key to the welfare of children, the report said.

Roger Wright, UNICEF special representative in Iraq, told a separate news conference in Geneva that the "drain of care-givers is creating major gaps in children's daily lives, an issue often overlooked amid the violence.

"We need to fill these gaps to address the most debilitating effects of the insecurity. Conditions for too many Iraqi children are deteriorating."

UNICEF said it will use the money for a number of campaigns for children in the country, citing as an example its recent house-to-house immunisation drive for measles, mumps and rubella that reached 3.6 million children.

"Plans are in place to reach Iraq's most vulnerable children with basic health, water, sanitation and education support -- particularly displaced children living in host communities, as well as children living in Iraq's most violent districts," acting Deputy Executive Director Daniel Toole said.

Planned projects include continuing a water tank project helping 120,000 people a day in Baghdad, as well as providing basic health and obstetric kits, oral rehydration salts for diarrhoea and other medical supplies.

UNICEF will also help Jordan and Syria provide social services for their growing populations of Iraqi children. Initial priorities in these countries include ensuring full access to the classroom, health care and protection from exploitation.