UNICEF 'disturbed' over child abuse claims
The United Nations children’s agency said today it was “profoundly disturbed” by reports that children may have been abused in prisons in Iraq.
“Any mistreatment, sexual abuse, exploitation or torture of children in detention is a violation of international law,” UNICEF spokesman Damien Personnaz said.
“UNICEF is profoundly disturbed by news reports alleging that children may have been among those abused.”
The US network NBC News reported last week that unreleased videotapes, apparently shot by US personnel, showed Iraqi guards at Baghdad’s Abu Ghraib prison raping young boys. British newspapers have reported that children were tortured under interrogation.
Personnaz said UNICEF so far had no independent confirmation of the reports.
UNICEF stressed that mistreating children breached the UN treaties on children’s rights, torture and civil rights, as well as the Geneva Conventions on the conduct of war.
