There are three letters below.

The first is a desperate plea for help, sent to the United Nations by the Iraqi Association for Child Mental Health, the third a reply from Roger Wright, UNICEF Special Representative for Iraq.

The second is a supporting letter, sent by the Federation Internationale des Communautes Educatives, the leading international professional association for people who work with children and young people.

Iraqi Association for Child Mental Health

Chair: AbdulKareem S. AlObaidi ,MD

c/o Medact
The Grayston Centre
28 Charles Square
London N1 6HT

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017
USA
13 June 2007

Dear Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon,

We are taking the liberty of sending you this letter because of our extreme concern about the deteriorating life conditions for the children of Iraq.

The United Nations have done a lot to help. The recent Paris Guidelines are an example, and we are most appreciative.

However, the situation of the Iraqi children is desperate and we need your urgent help. Currently Iraqi children and adolescents form more than 55% of the 29 million Iraqi population, most of whom have experienced unbearable traumas and heart wrenching experiences.

Iraqi children are suffering from continuous exposure to violence; many are killed and mutilated every day. They suffer from neglect and abuse, including deprivation, oppression, loss of parents through death or imprisonment, separation and dislocation from families. There is social breakdown; health care is minimal and the education system is no longer functioning. Militias are recruiting children to violence.

All this is having a terrible impact on the mental wellbeing of Iraqi children. Emotional disorders such as depression, anxiety disorders including post-traumatic stress disorder and panic disorders are increasing dramatically. Behaviour disorders, which never used to be a problem in our country, are now prominent, including truancy, delinquency, drug and substance abuse.

This is a crisis situation that needs urgent attention. Our children carry the future of Iraq and that future is being corrupted. The risk is great, not just for our country but for the region and for the world.

We ask for your help. We are committed to working with you in any way we possibly can, so that together we can make a difference. We enclose an appeal document, which is supported and signed by many experts in child health from all over the world.

Yours respectfully,

AbdulKareem S. AlObaidi, MD
Chair, Iraqi Association for Child Mental Health