UNICEF warns of after-war dangers
Children are particularly at risk from the aftermath of war in Lebanon, Israel and Gaza, the UN Children’s Fund said today.
The death of a child in south Lebanon on Monday underscored the danger of unexploded ordnance – the shells, bombs and land mines that failed to go off during the combat but can easily be triggered by a slight movement, UNICEF and other officials said.
Already the war has been particularly hard on children, said UNICEF spokeswoman Wivina Belmonte. In July alone 38 children have been killed in Gaza, said another UNICEF official, Michael Bociurkiw. “This has almost been the highest number since the beginning of the intifada” in 2000.
The agency hasn’t been able to collect accurate statistics for Lebanon, but is so concerned about the danger that it is mounting an advertising campaign to warn parents to keep their children away from shiny, strange objects in the rubble.
A similar campaign is already under way in Gaza. UNICEF doesn’t have a country programme in Israel, but has a national committee that coordinates with the Israeli government to protect the interests of children.
