Children at risk due to
conflict in Mali, West Africa
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| Children in Mali (AFP) |
A recent UNICEF report reveals a dramatic increase in the
number of children murdered, maimed, or recruited into armed groups, in the
Republic of Mali.
By Vatican News
It all started in 2012 with the military coup that deposed
Mali’s President, Amadou Touré.
Since then, things have gone from bad to worse in this West
African country: ethnic militias and military forces regularly attack towns and
villages. Civilians, many of them children, get caught in the crossfire.
The facts and figures
More than 150 children were killed in the first six months
of this year alone. That’s twice the number who lost their lives during the
whole of 2018. Many others have been injured, orphaned, or forcibly recruited
by the various armed factions active in the country.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF,
nearly 400,000 children are in urgent need of assistance. As the armed crisis
escalates, young children are often separated from their families, exposed to
violence of all kinds, and suffer unspeakable psychological traumas as a
result.
A lengthening drought in the region, and the subsequent food
crisis, has led to an increase in cases of child malnutrition as well.
Almost 70% of the population of Mali is under the age of 25.
With most schools in the country closed because of the conflict, nearly 200,000
children and young people have been left without access to basic education.
The aid efforts
UNICEF is working with local authorities and partners, doing
what it can to provide medical and psychosocial assistance to these children,
including helping former child soldiers with social reintegration and, when
possible, promoting reunification with their families.
According to the same United Nations Agency, unfortunately,
the operations of aid to the population of Mali are among the least
economically supported in the world.
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