Almost every fifth child in the world lives according to the “Save the Children” in a place of war and Chaos – and the trend is rising. Particularly dramatic is the situation in the Middle East, and Africa.
The number of children living in conflict-affected areas, is alarmingly risen high, and in the last two decades: Over 420 million children were living in around the world by 2017 in areas of conflict – almost one in every five. To this finding, a study by the children’s rights organisation “Save the Children” and of the peace research Institute in Oslo (PRIO).
As an area of conflict Save the Children “refers to” an area of 50 km Radius around a place where a minimum of a deadly struggle in the corresponding year, was held; children are, according to the Definition of the organisation people under the age of 18.
“Every day children are killed or mutilated by armed groups recruited, kidnapped or a victim of sexual violence. In addition, their schools are attacked, and humanitarian aid is being withheld from them,” so, “Save the Children” in a Statement.
“Although we now have the Situation that so many children have to be still life, never in armed conflicts and large-scale, the suffering of these children are often invisible,” says Meike Riebau of the “Save the Children Germany” in an Interview with DW. According to the assessment Riebaus the number of unreported cases of minors, victims of armed conflicts is high: “in Spite of the already staggeringly high Numbers, the assumption is that even more children are affected.”
Bad situation in Africa and the Middle East
Today, twice as many people under the age of 18 years in conflict areas, such as the end of the Cold war, “Save the Children”. In Africa and the Middle East, the situation is particularly dramatic. There are about 25 or even 40 percent of all children live in conflict zones.
Children in war zones are exposed to a variety of hazards you have to fear for their lives and to be as a child soldier recruited; and, above all, for girls the risk to be sexually abused is high.
Many children in war-torn countries like Yemen are malnourished.
Children under fire
“It is unfortunately the case that the deliberate shelling of children is used as a military – often a very effective tactic, because you can know the weaknesses that the opponent is very strong. This is a realization that we have seen here in this report,” said Meike Riebau. According to the latest estimates by UNICEF, there are currently in the world alone, up to 250,000 boys and girls who were recruited as child soldiers.
The weakened infrastructure in combat zones is particularly dangerous to children: closed schools and hospitals, inadequate food supply, and the like. “We know that children under five years of age, if you are over a longer period of time malnourished, can recover – that you will be forever scarred,” says Riebau in an interview with DW.
Where children suffer the most?
The countries where children suffer most from armed conflict, according to Save the Children Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the democratic Republic of the Congo, Iraq, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Syria and Yemen. Because there are many children in brutal umgekämpften areas of life, particularly; there’s a lot of children were killed and injured when soldiers are recruited, sexually abused, or abducted; there were attacks on schools or hospitals, and relief supplies were blocked.
In these ten countries were killed, according to the aid organisation between 2013 and 2017, at least 868.000 children less than five years old, due to armed conflicts – because they are Fighting or attacks, fell victim to, or because they follow in indirect Conflict, such as Hunger or lack of health care died.
More and more fights in densely populated cities
Why live more and more children in and near combat zones? “What we have observed, is to change the nature of the conflicts,” says Meike Riebau. “Combat operations are increasingly taking place within cities and thus civilians and children are automatically more and more often to Victims of the fighting.”
“Save the Children” calls, therefore, on tightening up controls and penalties by players, in violation of international law, especially the rights of the child. “Children and civilians must never be targets,” said Susanna Krüger, the managing Director of the organization in Germany. “Perpetrators must be held accountable and we must do everything possible to ensure children are better protected.”