London – Amnesty International on Thursday said children caught up in the occupation of Mosul by Islamic State and the fight to free the Iraqi city needed help to recover from lasting psychological trauma.
Amnesty’s Donatella Rovera said on her return from a 17-day mission to northern Iraq that the children also needed to recover from horrific physical injuries.
Iraqi government forces and a U.S.-led coalition fighting against the extremist organisation have been urged by the humanitarian group to provide better rehabilitation care for civilians in the region.
Children who are not trapped in areas where the conflict is still raging are finding themselves in hospitals overflowing with patients or camps for displaced people.
“I met children who have not only sustained horrific wounds but have also seen their relatives and neighbours decapitated in mortar strikes.
“Also, torn to shreds by car bombs or mine explosions, or crushed under the rubble of their homes,’’ Rovera said in a report.
She added that children from the Yazidi sect who have returned from being kidnapped by Islamic State struggle to process what they have endured, with girls as young as 11 raped.
Rovera said that even boys were forced to undergo military training, watch executions and learn how to decapitate people.
Humanitarian workers say children affected by Mosul’s occupation are in urgent need of mental health support as many show signs of trauma such as excessive crying, mutism and violent behaviour.
“If there are resources for the war there must also be resources to deal with the consequences of war,’’ Rovera stressed.