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 . Earlier this year , there was a rash of poisonings involving schoolgirls , and several instances of acid attacks have been reported . On Monday , Sedwill elaborated on what he meant in his remark . `` Any comment you have to clarify obviously was n't very well put and the comparison I made with western cities distracted attention from the important point I was seeking to make , '' he said . `` I was trying to explain to an audience of British children how uneven violence is across Afghanistan . Half the insurgent violence takes place in 10 of the 365 districts , and , in those places , children are too often the victims of IEDs and other dangers . But , in cities like Kabul where security has improved , the total levels of violence , including criminal violence , are comparable to those which many western children would experience . `` For most Afghans , the biggest challenges are from poverty -- the absence of clean water , open sewers , malnutrition , disease -- and many more children are at risk from those problems than from the insurgency . ''
NEW : Remark ##ably away from point he was trying to make , Sedwill says . Despite Afghan children 's fears , there are few bombs in Kabul , the envoy says . He makes his comments on a BBC current - affairs program for children . ` ` Most children can go about their lives in peace '' in Kabul , he says .