UNICEF slams Iraq orphanage neglect as "totally unacceptable"

[Barrett808]

Source: AFP

GENEVA (AFP) - The United Nations children's fund on Friday denounced the neglect and abuse of children in a Baghdad orphanage as "totally unacceptable," urging Iraq's government to carry out a review of all children's care homes as soon as possible.

Iraqi and US forces last week uncovered grisly scenes of neglect and squalor in Baghdad's state-run Al-Hanan orphanage, with 24 boys aged between three and 15 years, some tied to cribs, others writhing in their own waste and some appearing, at first glance, to be dead.

The scenes were broadcast by the US television network CBS and sparked outrage worldwide.

"Even in a country overshadowed by daily scenes of violence, these images are truly shocking. Making children suffer in this way is totally unacceptable," said UNICEF's representative for Iraq, Roger Wright.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070622/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestchildrenun