On Universal Children's Day, Tuesday, UNICEF called for an urgent action for Iraq's most vulnerable children.

"Every third child inIraq, or about 5.3 million children, is still currently deprived of many of their fundamental rights," said UNICEF's Representative toIraq Dr.Marzio Babille.



"UNICEF calls on all stakeholders - in government, civil society, the private sector and the international community - to urgently invest in these children to respect their dignity and give them an equal chance to become healthy, productive young citizens of the newIraq," Dr. Babille stated.



Child rights violations across Iraq that need to be addressed include: inadequate access to and promotion of health services; lack of access to quality education; violence against children in schools and families; psychological trauma from years of extreme violence; discrimination; prolonged detention in juvenile facilities; insufficient attention to the special needs of children with disabilities and who are not in their family environment; and lack of access to information and participation in cultural life.



While the majority of children inIraqexperience at least one violation of their fundamental rights, around 1.7 million children, or 10% of all Iraqi children, have most of their rights fulfilled, the UNICEF said in a press release.



"There are extreme disparities amongstIraq's 16.6 million children," noted Dr. Babille. "Our collective challenge now is to narrow these gaps between those children who are marginalized, having very limited opportunities to improve their well-being, and the children who have every opportunity to fully progress in their lives."



Soran Ali