KARACHI (NPTV/UN): UN observes 4th June as the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression.
Children living in wars across the globe are facing unspeakable horrors every day.
They are not safe sleeping in their homes or playing outside, learning in school or seeking medical care at hospitals.
From killing and maiming, abduction and sexual violence, to attacks on education and health facilities, and the denial of the humanitarian assistance that they desperately need, children are being caught in the cross-hairs of warring parties at a staggering scale.
UN Report on Children and Armed Conflict highlights that in 2022 alone:
- Over 8,630 children were killed or maimed. 5% increase compared to 2021.
- The use of explosive ordnance, including explosive remnants of war, improvised explosive devices and landmines, was responsible for over 25% of the killing and maiming of children.
- 7,622 children were recruited or used. 85% of children recruited and used were boys. Factors such as sex, age, disability, ethnicity, religion, geopolitical location, and economic status primarily determine a child’s risk of recruitment, how they are exploited, and the violations they experience
- 3,985 children were abducted. The situations with the highest number of child abductions occurred in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, and Mozambique.
- 1,166 children were victims of sexual violence
- Sexual violence in conflict is the most under-reported grave violation for both girls and boys due to stigma and lack of legal protection.
- 99% of sexual violence was perpetrated against girls, who are disproportionately affected by sexual violence and forced marriage.
- Boys are also victims of sexual violence or experience secondary trauma from becoming forced witnesses of sexual violence against family members.
- 3,931 incidents of denial of humanitarian access
- The most affected situations are in Israel and the State of Palestine, Yemen, Afghanistan, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
- 1,846 incidents in schools and hospital
- With 1,846 incidents verified, the number of attacks on schools and hospitals showed the sharpest increase of all grave violations with over 110%.
- A significant rise (60%) in the use of schools and hospitals for military purposes by both armed forces and armed groups has been confirmed.
- Ending and preventing grave violations against children is central to the mandate on children and armed conflict.
- The most effective way to protect children from hostilities is to eliminate the push and pull factors that lead to their involvement in armed conflict.”
Newspakistan.tv/United Nations