Child Victims Of war

In the 1970s, Iraq was one of the best countries in the Middle East and North Africa to be a child, but after decades of war and neglect it is one of the worst. According to the Iraqi government almost 1 in 3 children have lost one or both parents and approximately 600,000 children are living on the streets. Child labor has increased (15% of children under 14 now working). By 2008 over 2 million children had been displaced since 2003. Internally displaced children are often victims of crime, exploitation and abduction. Each year around 35,000 infants die before their first birthday, Over 1.5 million children under the age of five are undernourished; around 700,000 children are not enrolled in primary school. Thousands of children have been maimed by the war and subsequent violence. Many have lost limbs but their families are unable to afford the most basic aids such as crutches or wheelchairs let alone prosthesis. The rights of many Iraqi children to be with family and community, in good health and in appropriate education have been violated by war. Going before the Father Arise, cry out in the night, at the beginning of the watches; pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children, who faint from hunger, at the head of every street. Lamentations 2:19 from Jericho Walls International Prayer Network