A new report reveals the devastating impact of explosive weapons on children across the world's five deadliest conflicts and calls for Australia to stop arms export to Saudi Arabia.
Save the Children's 'Blast injuries' analysis, released on Thursday, looked at UN data on Nigeria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
According to the analysis, of the total casualties of children in the five deadliest conflicts (7364 in 2017), 5322 (72% average) were caused by blast. That’s three out of four child deaths and injuries that were caused by suicide bombs, landmines and airstrikes.
Afghanistan accounts for 3179 (more than 43%) of the total children casualties in 2017, with 2216 (more than 41.5%) of them caused by blast.
اسماعیل هفت ساله بود که بمبی بر بس مکتب او اصابت کرد. Source: Save the Children
Yemen with 1316 casualties (814 caused by blast), Syria with 1271 (1058 by blast) Nigeria with 881 (672 by blast) and Iraq with 717 (562 by blast) come next.
“When including data for 2016 as well, a staggering 84% of child fatalities in Afghanistan over the two years were related to blasts,” the report said.
The aid group estimates almost every hour a child is killed or maimed with horrific injuries - including limbs lost, bones shattered and organs damaged.
Save the Children chief executive Paul Ronalds told SBS News the world needs to do more to keep children safe.
سلوا، 12 ساله، در یک بمبگذاری در نوار غزه معلول شد. Source: Save the Children
"International law makes it clear that everyone has a responsibility to protect children from war, yet explosive devices are killing children in their homes, in their schools and even in hospitals," he said.
"We have got to stop this war on children, and that is what this is."
"420 million - or one in five - of the world's children are living in conflict zones where they are being killed and maimed by these explosive devices and that's simply a war on children and it's got to stop.
'Australian weapons killing children'
Save the Children says Australia can do more to help prevent the trauma inflicted on the young.
Mr Ronalds said whichever party wins power in Saturday's federal election should take real and immediate action on arms sales.
"The Australian Government has the opportunity to ban the export of weapons to countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that are involved in conflicts, such as the one in Yemen, that are clearly breaching international law with the level of maiming and killing of children that is going on in that conflict," he said.
Gazan "Lulu" was left injured and traumatised by a deadly bombing Source: Save the Children
"There's just no excuse for Australian weapons to be used to kill children in Yemen and fuelling what is the world's worst humanitarian crisis. So that's got to be right at the top of the agenda for an incoming government."
In February, Australia was reported to be still considering whether to ban arms exports to Saudi Arabia.
The federal government has continued to approve weapons sales to the kingdom, bucking a growing international trend.
Italy, Denmark and Finland have all said they will follow Germany's lead in banning arms sales to Saudi Arabia, with the US Congress calling called for an end to support for the kingdom.
