UN urges Iraq to protect children of Daesh terrorists

The UN on Tuesday called for Iraq to protect children born to Daesh terrorists, often as a result of rape, from discrimination and abuse.

Daesh took thousands of women and girls captive as it swept across large parts of northern and western Iraq in 2014, forcing many into sex slavery.

“The physical, mental and emotional injuries inflicted by ISIL are almost beyond comprehension,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said, using an alternative acronym for the terror group.

“If victims are to rebuild their lives, and indeed those of their children, they need justice and they need redress.”

The UN report added: “The Iraqi government needs to ensure that the thousands of women and girls who survived rape and other forms of sexual violence by ISIL fighters receive care, protection and justice and that children born as a result of such violence do not face a life of discrimination and abuse.”

Hundreds of children born in Daesh-controlled areas without birth certificates or with documents issued by Daesh are not accepted for registration by Baghdad or the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), the report said.

These children must be “protected from marginalization and abuse” that could result from references on birth certificates, Hussein said.

They must be registered to avoid the “risk of statelessness, exploitation and trafficking,” he added.

“Women and girls under the control of ISIL, in particular women from the Yezidi and other minority communities, have been especially vulnerable to abuses of human rights and violation of international humanitarian law,” the report said.

It noted positive steps by the Iraqi government and the KRG but said the criminal justice system largely failed to ensure proper protection for victims.

The report also voiced concerns about agreements reached with tribal representatives that included the forced eviction of families connected to Daesh.

Meanwhile, the UN warned that as many as 100,000 people could be displaced as troops move against Daesh in western Iraq. More than 3 million people are displaced across Iraq.