Working children gather around a paralyzed man on the outskirts of Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 23, 2019.
UNITED NATIONS - A U.N. report says the deteriorated security situation across Afghanistan the past four years led to more than 14,000 “grave violations” against children, including nearly 3,500 killed and more than 9,000 injured.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned “the alarming level” of grave violations against children by all parties and said he is “deeply disturbed by the scale, severity and recurrence of grave violations endured by the children in Afghanistan.”
The U.N. chief said in the report circulated Thursday that he is “extremely concerned” especially about the significant increase in child casualties resulting from aerial operations conducted by government and pro-government forces.
According to the report, child casualties from aerial attacks have increased every year since 2015, reversing a downward trend. They totaled 1,049 for the four-year period through 2018.