The number of children killed or injured in Afghanistan rose by 30% last year, according to a new report on children and armed conflict issued by the Office of the UN Secretary-General earlier this month. At least 545 children were killed and 1,149 injured, most from explosives and landmines.
A recent article in the New Yorker examines the growing number of conflict-related child fatalities. As more conflicts occur within country borders, schools, hospitals and other civilian zones are increasingly under attack.
But violence is not the only threat to children caught in war. Conflict destabilizes water, food, education and health systems: in Afghanistan, decades of conflict have contributed to the highest rates of malnutrition and stunting in the world.
Delivering nutrition, immunizations and education is difficult because of insecurity, but it's possible. Watch UNICEF Afghanistan Representative Akhil Iyer explain how UNICEF reaches the most deprived and dangerous places in the country.