Children are now committing street crime, which was previously unheard of in Baghdad. The incidence of begging is now very common. The drop-out rate will lead to higher levels of illiteracy in a country formerly renowned for maintaining a high standard of education. In general, there is a sense of hopelessness and depression. I recently met with trade union leaders who asked me why the United Nations does not simply bomb the Iraqi people, and do it efficiently, rather than extending sanctions which kill Iraqis incrementally over a long period.
Sanctions continue to malnourish and kill.
Sanctions are undermining the cultural and educational recovery of Iraq, and will not change its system of governance. Sanctions encourage isolation, alienation and fanaticism. Sanctions destroy the family, undermine women's social and economic advances and encourage a brain-drain. Sanctions constitute a serious breach of the United Nations Charter on Human Rights and children's rights. Sanctions are a counter-productive, bankrupt concept that has led to unacceptable human suffering.