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"It is time to throw a lifeline to Iraqi children: those facing the violence in Iraq, and those now sheltering in Jordan and Syria. Today’s launch of UNICEF’s report on Iraqi children in Iraq and neighbouring countries tells a painful story. 

Faced as we are with a daily barrage of bad news, some might feel that the situation is hopeless. But stepping up support right now in Iraq and in neighboring countries is not only possible, it is also the best way to protect Iraq’s future – its children.

(Office of Her Majesty, Press Department - Amman) Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah joined UNICEF in an international appeal for Iraqi children, urging the global community to act on their behalf and noting that those affected by violence and displacement have reached a critical point. 

Mothers’ faces wretched in agony as they stumble through debris crying out their children’s names. Despair. My stomach tightens in fear for them.

Little ones, no older than my youngest, crouching bewildered, jostled by surging crowds. Soft, tear stained, skin sprinkled with concrete dust. Frightened. I close my eyes in prayer.

The shaky steps of the frail and disorientated, searching for anything, anyone familiar. Lives ebbing away.

A primeval howl of loss. The fragile frame of a tiny girl collapses onto a lifeless body. She clings. She clings.