A United Nations report reveals that there has been a sharp rise in child abuse in countries such as Somalia.
The UN’s annual report says at least 19,379 children have been victims of serious military abuses and rapes.
The countries with the highest rates of child abuse are Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Yemen and Syria.
“Armed conflict and disregard for international humanitarian law and international human rights law have had a devastating effect on the protection of children,” the report said.
More than 8,400 children have been killed or injured in the ongoing conflict in these countries. Nearly 7,000 more have been recruited in the DRC, Somalia, Syria, and Myanmar, according to the UN report.
The United Nations report comes at a time when rape and child abuse have been reported in many parts of Somalia over the past two years.
BY OSMAN HUSSEIN ALI
