GENEVA March 28 —
More than half a million traumatized Iraqi children could need
psychological counseling by the time the war ends, the U.N.
Children's Fund representative in Iraq said Friday.
"There are 5.7 million primary school age children in Iraq, and
we estimate that a minimum of 10 percent of those would need
support," said Carel de Rooy.
He cited the case of an Iraqi colleague, whose 9-year-old son
became hysterical and had to be sedated after a missile fell close
to their home.
UNICEF has experience counseling children affected by other
conflicts and natural disasters, including in East Timor, Mozambique
and the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch in Central America.
The agency trains older children to work with younger ones in
carefully controlled games designed to help them deal with what
happened. The treatment costs about $20 per child.
De Rooy was evacuated from Iraq before the war started along with
other non-Iraqi U.N. employees. The agency has 200 Iraqi staffers in
the country, almost all in Baghdad.
Since leaving Iraq, de Rooy has been setting up aid operations in
neighboring countries to prepare for an eventual return.
photo credit
and caption:
Corporal Nick Chapple, of RAF 51
Squadron, hands out his own rations to Iraqi children in a
village near Basra, Thursday March 27, 2003. (AP Photo/James
Vellacott, Pool)
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