More than 2,000 Afghan children killed or wounded in 2020: AIHRC

Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said Wednesday that in the past 25 days at least five children were killed and 29 others wounded in the ongoing conflict in the country.

Speaking at the launch of two children’s story books on their rights, AIHRC officials said the right to life and health of children in Afghanistan were in danger and was a source of serious concern.

The books, The Right to Health and The Right to Life, are a joint venture between Afghanistan Center at Kabul University (ACKU) and UNICEF Afghanistan.

Addressing guests present, Mohammad Naeem Nazari, Deputy Chairperson of the AIHRC, said that last year, 565 children were killed and 1,454 wounded in the conflict, and in the current solar month alone, five children have been killed and 29 injured.

“Unfortunately, the right to life and health of Afghan children is in grave danger in Afghanistan,” Nazari added.

“Recently, we decided to inform the children about their health and life [rights] in simple language and to tell them about their rights,” said Razia Sayad, a member of the AIHRC.

“In Afghanistan, the living conditions of children are very difficult,” said Humaira Qadiri, one of the authors.

“I work here to earn a living for my family, and I have been deprived of the right to education,” said Hasseb, a child vendor.

The two picture-story books were written by Humaira Qadiri and Mohammad Waizi.

Meanwhile, a new UN study which was released on Wednesday reported that the coronavirus pandemic may have indirectly contributed to around 228,000 additional child deaths in 2020, 11,000 maternal fatalities and 3.5 million unwanted pregnancies in South Asia.

The study, commissioned by UNICEF and published on Wednesday, blamed “drastic cuts in the availability and use of essential public health services” because of the pandemic across India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, home to 1.8 billion people.