UNICEF Statement on Attack on School in Mosul, Iraq
NEW YORK (June 9, 2014) – UNICEF is horrified by reports from the northern Iraqi city of Mosul of multiple child casualties when a school was directly targeted by mortar fire during clashes between militants and government forces on Saturday, June 7.
Any attack that targets children or schools is a grave violation against the rights of the child as outlined in Security Council Resolutions 1612 and 1882. Schools are zones of peace where children must be allowed to play and learn in safety and security. Violations of this sort undermine the basic humanitarian principles that all cultures, religions and governments agree upon, and further escalate the spiral of violence in Iraq.
UNICEF condemns this attack and calls for an end to any actions that endanger children.
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About UNICEF
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and improve children’s lives, providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more. The U.S. Fund for UNICEF supports UNICEF’s work through fundraising, advocacy, and education in the United States. Together, we are working toward the day when zero children die from preventable causes and every child has a safe and healthy childhood.
For additional information, please contact:
Susannah Masur, U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 212.880.9146, smasur@unicefusa.org