Madam, - I was dismayed by the tone and inaccuracies of Mark Steyn's opinion piece in your edition of September 22nd, when he referred to humanitarian agencies working in Iraq.
Mr Steyn questions whether it is dangerous in Iraq right now. Only four weeks ago UNICEF lost two colleagues in the bombing of the UN compound in Baghdad. Along with 20 other UN personnel, they paid the ultimate price for their commitment to the human rights and well-being of the Iraqi people.
To quote Kofi Annan, "If there is one way to honour the memory of colleagues murdered in the line of duty, it is to carry on with our work, determined and undaunted".
In the past 24 hours, we have seen a further attack on the same UN compound, in which more personnel were killed. Crime, looting and shootings also continue to impede the most effective delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the country on a daily basis. There have also been numerous other instances of attacks on other humanitarian aid agencies over the past few months.
Mr Steyn cites his belief that the humanitarian catastrophe that was predicted in Iraq has not occurred. What is true is that the possible number of casualties from the bombing campaign in Iraq was not, thankfully, realised. What is also true is that after months of lawlessness, the humanitarian crisis in Iraq is now in a worse state than ever before.
1. Before this most recent war began, one in seven Iraqi children died before their fifth birthday.
2. There has been a doubling of diarrhoeal diseases compared with this time last year - a frightening statistic if one considers that before March, the average Iraqi child suffered at least 13 bouts of diarrhoea every year.
3. Sewage treatment facilities are not operating due to the breakdown of the fuel supply line, the lack of maintenance, and looting. As a result, it is estimated that the amount of raw sewage being discharged daily into the Tigris River may have doubled from the pre-war estimates to 1,000,000 tons.
4. Poor water and sanitation have resulted in over 70 per cent of children contracting water-borne diseases, including diarrhoea, cholera and typhoid.
5. Acute malnutrition rates in children under five have nearly doubled since this time last year, with nearly a million children now actually wasting away.
6. Weapons such as cluster- bombs and land-mines have injured more than 1,000 children.
7. Children in conflict with the law who were held in institutions or reformatories were released after the war and it is assumed that many of them ended up in the streets with no support. For example, there is a visible increase in the number of working children in urban centres such as Baghdad.
We know the risks that Iraq's children face, and we know what to do. But the increasing level of insecurity throughout Iraq is hampering our work and prevents us from reaching those children in greatest need. Ultimately we are humanitarian workers, not a police force. Secure aid delivery equals effective aid delivery. We need somebody to deliver that security in Iraq.
Nobody is immune to the ongoing insecurity in Iraq and humanitarian agencies are the softest of targets. Any humanitarian agency that has taken the decision to pull out of Iraq given the ongoing insecurity has not taken that decision lightly.
UNICEF has been working in Iraq since 1983. We still remain in Iraq, operating under very difficult circumstances. We are defiant to those who would see us leave and committed to the women and children of Iraq who need us most. - Yours etc.,
MAURA QUINN, Executive Director, UNICEF Ireland, Great Strand Street, Dublin 1.