UN report highlights surge in child casualties and recruitment in Afghanistan

In its latest assessment, the United Nations documented a sharp decline in total rights violations yet confirmed that thousands of Afghan children have been killed or left disabled. Explosive remnants were responsible for more than a thousand child deaths, and cross-border shelling from Pakistan added several dozen casualties. The report urges the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to end all breaches of child rights, release children from armed ranks, and remove barriers to girls' schooling and women's employment.

It also calls for greater global funding for humanitarian assistance, education, health services, mine clearance and support for victims. The UN notes that the Taliban recruited over five hundred boys, including children as young as twelve, marking an 81% increase compared with the prior reporting period. Officials such as Yusuf Amin Zazi and former diplomat Aziz Maraj have demanded decisive action from the UN Security Council and the international community.