Children ‘will need years of support’ after Mosul offensive

Monday, October 17, 2016

Children fleeing Mosul following an anticipated military offensive to re-take the city from ISIL will need years of specialist support to rebuild their lives, World Vision warns today.

World Vision Australia chief executive Tim Costello said the agency was preparing for the possibility that the military offensive on Mosul would become the largest global humanitarian operation of 2016, with fears that one million people could be displaced by Christmas.

“The military attack on Mosul has been planned for many months, but we are hearing a lot less about preparations for the humanitarian consequences of the offensive, which are likely to be terrible,” Mr Costello said.

“We know that in times of emergency at least half of those affected will be children. The children of Mosul must not be sacrificed in the taking of Mosul.”

As the Iraqi Armed Forces begin their long-anticipated offensive to retake the country’s second city, which has been occupied by ISIL since June 2014, World Vision is working around the clock to pre-position supplies of food, clean water and hygiene kits. Child friendly spaces– safe places where children can find some normality in the chaos and receive psychological support – will be set up in camps where displaced people arrive.

Khalil Sleiman, World Vision’s Response Manager for northern Iraq, said:

“We’re already supporting half a million people who fled Mosul when it was first occupied over two years ago. We’re now poised for another massive influx of children and families who will have been through horrific experiences most of us could never imagine.

“They will arrive with nothing but the clothes on their back and will be thirsty, hungry, and need urgent medical attention.

“The violence will also have taken a devastating emotional toll on children, many of whom will need years of specialist support to rebuild their lives, come to terms with what happened, and to regain some kind of normality.

“Children always bear the brunt of conflict and we call for humane treatment at every stage of the process of the Mosul operation – including screening when boys as young as 14 may be separated from their families.”

The charity is also raising concerns that identification documents may have been confiscated during ISIL occupation, which could lead to issues with registration. Separating fathers from the family for protracted periods during screening may also make families more vulnerable, the charity has warned.

Since January 2014, when conflict and widespread displacement erupted once again in Iraq, about 10 million people have been affected, including 3.3 million who have fled their homes, half of whom are children. Some families have been displaced multiple times.

Donations to World Vision Australia’s Mosul Crisis Appeal can be made at: www.worldvision.com.au/mosul

For interviews with Tim Costello, or World Vision staff in Iraq, please contact:

Stuart Rintoul +61 (0) 407 241 492, stuart.rintoul@worldvision.com.au

Chris Weeks, Communications Director for World Vision’s Syria Response.
Tel +962-7-7868 7784, Skype ce_weeks, email chris_weeks@wvi.org

Media Releases

Back to all Results