Nigeria ranked among 11 ‘most dangerous’ countries for children — Report

Nigeria has been named among the most dangerous places on earth for children according to a report by the Save the Children Report which said a total of 93,236 children had been killed or maimed in conflicts in the last 10 years.

The report also named Syria, Somalia, Afghanistan, Yemen, DRC, Mali, CAR, Iraq, South Sudan and Sudan as other most dangerous countries for children in conflict.

The report revealed that an average of 25 children were killed or injured every day.

This was contained in a new report released by Save the Children report, titled: ‘Killed and Maimed: A Generation of Violations Against Children In Conflict’.

The report which was the fourth in a series entitled Stop the War on Children, was also released to commemorate World Children’s Day.

It stated: “A total of 93,236 children have been killed or maimed in conflicts in the last 10 years, it was revealed today. That means 25 children; the equivalent of a classroom full of pupils, have been killed or injured on average every day.

“Many were victims of airstrikes, shelling, landmines and other explosive weapons used in populated areas where families have been ripped apart and tens of thousands of children left dead or scarred for life.

“Last year alone, more than a third of the verified child casualties were caused by explosive weapons – with the number dramatically higher in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.”

The report also revealed that in 2019, 426 million children lived in a conflict-affected area – a slight increase on the year before, while around 160 million children lived in a high-intensity conflict zone, also an increase compared to 2018.

The report noted that the impact of explosive weapons on children was complex, robbing families of their hopes and their ability to access vital services, and often profoundly altering the direction of a child’s life.

It said that over the past decade, more than 200,000 such violations were verified, adding that the record was sadly broken in 2019, which saw 26,233 grave violations committed.

The report noted that the actual number was likely to be even higher as some violations, notably sexual abuse, were grossly underreported.

The CEO of Save the Children, Inger Ashing, stated: “Behind the stark numbers are countless stories of the child victims of war. Many are casualties of people blatantly disregarding international laws and standards, and governments turning a blind eye.  (ThisDay)