KABUL - The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) unveiled a booklet about child protection laws for the Afghan government to implement in protecting the children of the country.

The booklet was prepared by UNAMA, Afghanistan Independent Human Rights (AIHRC) and a number of religious scholars.

According to the AIHRC, thousands of children were wounded, killed and recruited during armed confrontations between insurgent groups and the government forces over the last decade. AIHRC Chairwoman Dr. Sima Samar said that last year casualties among children increased by 14.9 percent.

United Nations (UN) Special Representative to Afghanistan, Ján Kubiš has asked the warring factions to stop recruiting children for war.

"Every life of a child is wasted, every future of a child is marred, and destroyed by this world is one too many," Kubiš said. "But what I find particularly appalling is to brainwash children and then to use them as suicide bombers. And in my two and half years, there have been many cases of children being misused as suicide bombers."

Kubiš added that there are underage individuals who are serving in the Afghan local police force asking the Ministry of Interior (MoI) to stop this trend. He also called on the insurgents to end the misuse of the children and respect international and Islamic laws. (Tolonews)