Iraq Conflict "Will Create A Violent Generation"

By Colin Brown,
Deputy Political Editor
Published: 15 June 2007
Independent

An Iraqi doctor has addressed a direct appeal to the UN secretary general over the plight of children in his home country, warning that the violence there was causing widespread emotional and behavioural damage - and could lead to spiralling violence in the future.

Dr Abdul Kareem Al Obaidi, chair of the Iraqi Association for Child Mental Health, said that the situation was "desperate", with children suffering "unbearable traumas and heart-wrenching experiences".

He warned Ban Ki-moon that there could be long-term problems for Iraq and the rest of the world as the children became adults. Behaviour disorders, which never used to be a problem in Iraq, were now prominent, including delinquency, drug and substance abuse, and a 50 per cent rate of truancy from school.

Emotional disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorders were increasing dramatically among children, who made up 55 per cent of the Iraqi population of 29 million, he said.

"This is a crisis situation that needs urgent attention. Iraqi children are suffering from continuous exposure to violence; many are killed and mutilated every day. They suffer from neglect and abuse, oppression and the loss of parents through deathand separation. Our children carry the future of Iraq, and that future is being corrupted. The risk is great, not just for our country, but for the region and the world."