UNICEF is working to ensure that children associated with the Islamic State terrorist organisation will undergo rehabilitation, an agency official said on Tuesday.
Thousands of people, including children, have recently been evacuated from Baghuz village, the last significant territory still in Islamic State hands, as U.S.-backed Syrian rebels are pushing to recapture it.
“A child is a child, this is very important for us,’’ said Bertrand Bainvel, UNICEF’s deputy regional director in the Middle East and North Africa.
“We work with a range of partners and we do it in a quiet way because we do not want to increase the level of stigma associated with this group of children,’’ he added.
Bainvel disclosed it in statements given on the sidelines of a visit by two European Parliament members to Jordan.
Anna Maria Corazza Bildt and Caterina Chinnici are in Jordan for a few days ahead of an EU-UN conference on Syria in Brussels by March 12.
“A child should not be punished for the choices made by his or her parents,’’ Bildt said.
During their visit, both members of parliament met with refugee children and Jordanian children supported by UNICEF projects that target both Syrians and Jordanians from vulnerable backgrounds.
In Jordan, UNICEF is supporting 45,000 children with projects focused on education, health, nutrition and child protection services.
The third Brussels conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region will be held by March 12 to14, when leaders will focus on the refugee crisis, humanitarian aid and support for the UN-lead peace process. (dpa/NAN)
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