(November 21, 2016) –
MISSISSAUGA, ON – Children of Mosul have begun to share their terrifying experiences during the past 2 years of conflict in their home town. At Zelican camp, 25 kilometres outside of Mosul, children who lived under ISIL control say they had years of nightmares from witnessing atrocities, according to World Vision staff.
At first the children were confused when they were invited to draw and paint, says Dejin Jamil, World Vision’s Project Coordinator at the camp. “‘It wasn’t a familiar concept for them. When we gave them paper to draw, they recreated war scenes, drawing tanks and warplanes.”
QUOTES FROM MOSUL CHILDREN:
“I was afraid because I didn’t cover my hair and ISIL prevented girls from showing their heads. They were arresting us and humiliating us in front of other people. It wasn’t good there,” says Raqwa*, 12
We were not allowed to play - they [ISIL] didn’t allow that. They were shooting the bullets and the sound of bullets scared me the ‘pawh’ ‘pawh’ ‘pawh’,” says Ahmed*, 8 years old
“A remote controlled plane [drone] struck my neighbour’s house and it was very strong - the sound was like ‘whoosh’. Five people died and the rest were hurt. I thought, ‘Now it’s going to hit us!’ I was scared by that bad plane. We were all terrified,” says Hamaad, 14
*Names have been changed to protect identities
MEDIA RESOURCES:
Video of Children from Mosul:
HERE
QUICK FACTS:
- More than 60,000 people have been displaced since the battle for Mosul began on October 17, nearly half of them are children
- Up to 700,000 people could still leave the city, which has been occupied since June 2014
- 275+ children are registered and attending the Zelican Child Friendly Space run by World Vision
- The child friendly space offers games, art and drama with trained child protection workers
- World Vision supports the registration of families and provides stoves and fuel for cooking
- World Vision supports more than 400,000 displaced people in Iraq
“We’re appalled by the violent stories children from Mosul have been telling us. The next few weeks are crucial to help them begin the recovery process. When children are able to access informal learning centres like the Child Friendly Space, they can start to familiarise themselves with their childhood and find hope in the future again,” says Khalil Sleiman, World Vision Response Manager, Northern Iraq
HOW CANADIANS CAN HELP:
Donate to World Vision’s RAW HOPE initiative, which supports conflict-affected families in Mosul.