Abused boys rescued from Baghdad orphanage
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 20 June 2007 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Abused boys rescued from Baghdad orphanage, 20 June 2007, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/469f5c361e.html [accessed 22 May 2013] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
(RFE/RL)
June 20, 2007 – The U.S. military says soldiers helped rescue 24 abused and severely malnourished boys this month from a Baghdad orphanage, where they were found in conditions of appalling squalor.
In a statement, it said Iraqi and U.S. soldiers were led to the Al-Hanan orphanage on June 10 by members of a neighborhood council and immediately took the children to hospital.
It said the boys, aged 3 to 15 years old, were found naked in a darkened room without any windows, and that many of them were tied to their beds and were too weak too stand once released.
"In a nearby locked room, the soldiers discovered a room full of food and clothing that could have been used to aid the children," it said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has vowed to investigate and punish those responsible.
Two orphanage workers have since been arrested.
(Reuters, AFP, AP)
