Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- Children in war-ravaged Afghanistan are safer than those growing up in London or New York, NATO's top civilian envoy says.
Mark Sedwill, the senior civilian representative for NATO, made the comments on an episode of CBBC's "Newsround," which is airing Monday.
In the show -- a BBC current-affairs program for children -- several youngsters in Kabul, Afghanistan, say they are afraid of daily violence and the frequent explosions in their war-torn country.
In response, Sedwill says: "Here in Kabul, and other big cities actually, there are very few of these bombs. The children are probably safer here than they would be in London, New York or Glasgow or many other cities.
"Most children can go about their lives in safety. It's a very family-oriented society. So it is a little bit like a city of villages," he added.
A U.N. report released earlier this year seems to contradict Sedwill's assessment.
The February report, by the special representative for children and armed conflict, says that children in Afghanistan are increasingly the victims of roadside attacks, crossfire between militants and international forces, and air strikes.
In addition, they have been used as human shields and recruited as suicide bombers.
The report also said boys are sexually abused and exploited by armed groups and girls schools have been burned down.
CNN
