STORY: Traumatized Iraqi child struggles to overcome hardships after years of war
SHOOTING TIME: Earlier footage
DATELINE: June 1, 2024
LENGTH: 00:02:56
LOCATION: SALAHUDIN, Iraq
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of Hathal Sabbar herding sheep
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): HATHAL SABBAR, Iraqi child
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): OUD, Local resident

STORYLINE:

Iraqi children have been struggling to escape the impacts of violence, displacement, and terrorism that swept the country following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
   
10-year-old Hathal Sabbar living in the town of al-Dhuluiya in north Baghdad is one of them.

Sabbar has suffered from poverty and insufficient education after his father was killed and his three uncles kidnapped by the Islamic State (IS) militants days after his birth.
   
Not long after the death of his father, Sabbar's mother left home, which made his life even harder. He is now in the third grade of primary school, which is about 7 km from his home.
   
Sabbar also needs to herd the sheep in his spare time to earn some money that can hardly support his over 80-year-old grandfather, the widows of his three uncles, and his seven cousins, all younger than him.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): HATHAL SABBAR, Iraqi child
"My father was killed by IS terrorists. Now I have to work as a sheep herder. (During the summer vacation) I get up at sunrise every day to herd the sheep and go home at noon for lunch. After a short break, I continue herding sheep until the sun sets. Life is hard, children of my age can play and have fun in their leisure time, but I have to herd the sheep to support my family. (The school was far away from home), I had to stop the vehicles on the way to school, some drivers would give me a ride, if there were no vehicles on the way, I had to walk to school. I hope to be a fighter pilot someday. And I hope all the children are safe and happy.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): OUD, Local resident
"Sabbar's father was killed by IS terrorists when he was just 40 days old, and the loss of their main laborer has made things very difficult for Sabbar's family. Sabbar started herding with me when he was 5 years old, and I taught him herding skills and helped him with his life. He had a happy family with a house, livestock, and everything they needed, but the catastrophe (the IS attack) changed everything, leaving him displaced and orphaned."
   
Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Salahudin, Iraq.
(XHTV)