CAF, November 24, 2010

Charities criticise statement about safety of children in Aghanistan

"Afghanistan is the worst place on earth to be born a child - one in four children living there will die before they reach the age of five"

Save the Children has criticised a top NATO representative for stating that children are safer in Kabul than they are in London, Glasgow or New York.

Figures from the charity indicate that 850 children die in the country every day due to preventable diseases or malnourishment.

The comments came from a civilian NATO spokesperson in Afghanistan, who spoke to the BBC's Newsround programme yesterday (22 November).

According to Save the Children chief executive Justin Forsyth, the comment was "wrong and misleading".

"Afghanistan is the worst place on earth to be born a child - one in four children living there will die before they reach the age of five," said Mr Forsyth.

He added that the international community should be investing as much money in supporting children in Afghanistan as it is in security operations.

Figures from the charity indicate that 850 children die in the country every day due to preventable diseases or malnourishment.

Meanwhile, a thousand were killed as a result of armed conflict last year, the highest number since 2001.

Ashley Jackson, head of policy for Oxfam in Afghanistan, also spoke out yesterday, telling Reuters AlertNet that the statement was "tone-deaf".

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