Increasing numbers of children are killed or injured daily in Afghanistan:

• 1 in 4 Afghan children die before reaching their 5th birthday
• Only 50% of Afghan children between 7 and 13 attend school
• Nearly 45% of Afghan children are younger than 14 - many of the older youth have been killed in the continuous fighting

    The latest UN assessment reports that nearly 1,800 children were either injured or killed during the last two years in conflict generated by the Taliban and other militant groups. UN Secretary General Ban has also expressed concern that many children are killed by armed groups who portray them as spies or supporters of ISAF troops. In June 2010, a 7 year old boy accused of spying was publicly hanged by the Taliban in Helmand province.

     Many Afghan children, particularly girls, do not experience a childhood because of the constant strife and the rigors of Afghan life.  Although Afghan law prohibits the marriage of girls younger than 16, UNICEF estimates that 57% of all Afghan marriages involve girls between 9 and 15, often to men older than 60.  UNICEF attributes such child marriages to extreme poverty, when girls are given into the "care of a husband" to ease the family's burden for feeding and clothing them. In addition to being abused in such relationships, these young girls are frequently pressured to bear children while they themselves are still children.

    The Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, however, may have begun to address these problems when he recently encouraged the development of nationwide Youth Councils for Afghans age 12-25 (68% of the population), noting that the youth are the only population group able to secure Afghanistan's future. The Youth Councils are tasked with apprising the government of their problems, and taking action in their communities to help solve them. He also asked the councils to fight corruption, campaign against drug abuse, and assure equality for both men and women.