Tolo TV (Translated by RAWA), May 2, 2008

Pakistani Police Kills a 7-y-old Afghan Girl on Torkham Border

Due to great rise in flour prices, everyday hundreds of children and young people bring 3 or 4 kilograms of flour from the other side of the border.

The Pakistani police at the Pak-Afghan border in Torkham killed a 7-year-old Afghan girl for carrying 3 kg of flour. She was crushed under a car carrying load.

"In Afghanistan, despite the progress in school enrolment over the last two years, half of school-age children are estimated to be out of school," Shigeru Aoyagi, country director of UNESCO in Afghanistan, told a news conference in Kabul.

Reuters, April 21, 2008

Due to great rise in flour prices, everyday hundreds of children and young people bring 3 or 4 kilograms of flour from the other side of the border. The children who are aged between 5 to 12 years, say that they are forced to go to the other side of the border to buy themselves flour. They claimed that the police at the border beat them and they are able to bring only a small amount of flour with them. Some of them say that they are the only people earning for their families. Many children also say that the Pakistani patrols take away their flour.

Ahsanullah Kamwal, the head of the Customs Department of Ningarhar called the matter very painful and added that the issue was temporary and the price of flour would decrease soon. The children are at an age where they have to be in school but have to do this tough job despite the beating of the police.

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