Stronger concerted efforts are needed to reduce the increasing impact of these explosives as the number of child casualties grew 67% compared to 2020 (79 children for that year, including 61 boys).
Heavy rains caused flash floods and widespread damage in Erbil and Kirkuk. Iraq witnessed record-low rainfall this year, but officials have warned of sporadic heavy rains due to climate change.
New research by NRC shows that one in two families in drought-affected regions require food assistance because of drought, while one in five do not have sufficient food for everyone in the family.
The effects of COVID-19, the worsening economy, the ongoing drought and the camp closures have compounded a crisis, resulting in Mosul remaining a shell-shocked city with destroyed infrastructure.
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Girls who spoke to Save the Children said child marriage laws, if they exist at all, were unlikely to protect them because they are rarely enforced. Stronger enforcement was vital, they said.
With 250,000 Iraqis still living in camps after fleeing ISIS, the sudden closure of 14 sites in late 2020 forced many to return to destroyed homes and villages lacking basic services.
The campaign will target 10,000 children, their families and guardians, teachers, employers, and the media through activities that aim to raise awareness on the increasing dangers of child labour.
A rising number of children are reported to have been infected by COVID-19 without access to care as the variant is wreaking havoc in the country, Save the Children warned.
The post-conflict humanitarian situation in Iraq remains fragile, with approximately 1.3 million IDPs and deepening socio-economic vulnerabilities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Soon after ISIL marched into Mosul City in northern Iraq in 2014, the classrooms fell silent. After great efforts by Iraqis, those who stayed and those who returned, they are coming back to life.
The campaign will target children in 46 districts in 16 governorates, including Baghdad, Babylon, Anbar, Dahuk, Erbil, Kerbala, Kirkuk Missan, Najaf, Ninewa, Salah Al-Din, Suleymaniya, Wassit and Basra.
Save the Children spoke to parents who had been forced to leave the camps. They told harrowing accounts of finding unexploded bombs and corpses in buildings and under rubble in areas they now live in.
So far, around 48,000 IDPs have been informed that the camps where they shelter will be closed before the end of this month. Information about closures and timelines have changed rapidly creating uncertainty.
Many come from neighbourhoods that are still totally destroyed and risk being blocked at checkpoints, or even arrested, due to of lack of security clearance and perceived affiliation with armed groups.
One year after re-opening of its Basra office, WFP has set up new projects to create work opportunities to lessen socio-economic effects of COVID-19 crisis alongside existing school feeding programs.
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Years of conflict, displacement and destruction of infrastructure have increased the vulnerability of children in Iraq, with about 7% of children aged 5 to 17 engaged in various forms of labour.
Iraqi medical staff has already experienced high levels of violence over the past years, and the Covid-19 outbreak has exacerbated an already difficult situation.
Up to 200,000 Yazidis are still displaced. Some are still facing harsh conditions on Mount Sinjar, where they fled to escape, while the majority live in camps for internally displaced persons in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
With humanitarian funding for COVID-19 falling short of an alarming rate of 87% for Iraq, CARE urges donors to step up their financial support to manage the current health emergency.
This support enabled UNICEF to continue trucking in safe water for drinking and cooking. This helped to protect the health of 90,000 people from dangerous diseases, including AWD and Cholera, in IDP camps in Ninawa governorate.