UNITED NATIONS: The devastating impact of explosive hazards on innocent lives continues to plague Afghanistan, with children bearing the brunt of this tragic reality.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Afghanistan recently revealed a chilling statistic: an overwhelming 85% of victims of explosions and unexploded mines in the country are children.
Afghanistan, unfortunately, holds the dubious distinction of being one of the most weapons-contaminated nations in the world, a fact underscored by UNICEF’s distressing revelation. The organization has been working tirelessly to mitigate the effects of this grim reality through a combination of awareness campaigns, education initiatives, and practical training.
In a statement shared on a prominent social media platform, UNICEF lamented, “Afghanistan is one of the most weapons-contaminated countries in the world, and children represent about 85% of casualties.” The organization has taken a proactive stance, collaborating with partners such as the European Union (EU) to provide children with the knowledge and tools to recognize and avoid the dangers posed by unexploded ordnance. Child-friendly spaces have been established as practice settings for this crucial education.
The origins of this hazardous landscape can be traced back to Afghanistan’s tumultuous history, marked by successive wars that have left behind a deadly legacy of unexploded mines and ordnance. Tragically, real stories of the toll these hazards take on children’s lives have emerged. Amanullah and Fatema, two siblings from an Afghan family, suffered life-altering injuries in a mine explosion. Amanullah recounted, “We climbed a mountain to bring weeds, and we found the bomb and brought it down to sell it. The seller said I don’t want to buy it. As soon as we were entering the house it exploded.”
Efforts to remediate these hazardous areas face significant challenges. Akhtar Mohammad, a relative of a mine victim’s family, shared the difficulties they encountered in seeking assistance. “We referred to them so that they clean up the area from mines, but they told us that currently there are a lot of mines in the land, and we cannot reach the mines in the mountains. Because of that, we have prevented the kids from going to the mountain.”
However, a discrepancy emerged in the reported figures. The Afghan Directorate for Mine Action Coordination (DMAC) contradicted UNICEF’s claim, stating that only 65% of victims of explosions and unexploded ordnance are children. “UNICEF, which shared the report with the media and has indicated that children who are victims of the mines make up 85%, we reject that report. Based on our information, children’s victims are 65%,” declared Noorddin Rustam Khil, head of DMAC.
Amid this discrepancy, one stark truth remains undeniable: the toll on Afghan children is immense. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) had previously reported that in the preceding year, over 700 children in Afghanistan lost their lives or suffered injuries due to landmine explosions, explosives, and improvised explosive devices.
