He emphasized the damage that war leaves on the body, mind and spirit of young learners, “from injury and loss of life due to abduction, forced displacement, sexual violence, recruitment into combat and loss of opportunity”.
From 2022 to 2023, there were 6,000 attacks on students, professionals and educational institutions, including 1,000 military attacks — an average of eight per day, according to a study by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, which includes the United Nations educational and cultural agency (UNESCO) is a member.
The figure represents a 20 percent increase over the previous two years. It is believed that more than 10,000 students and educators have fallen victim to these attacks.
Millions of Ukrainian students affected
Among the hardest hit are millions of students in Ukraine who have been unable to return to in-person school, with nearly 300 airstrike warnings and multiple attacks in the country in the last week alone, the United Nations in Ukraine said in a post on X.
Thousands of schools in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed since the war escalated in 2022, the UN children’s agency added. UNICEF.
Almost all children Children in Gaza and Sudan, along with many others in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are also out of school due to war and violence, according to UNICEF director Catherine Russell.
Increase in serious violations against children
The increase in armed conflicts around the world has also led to many serious violations against children.
In 2023 alone, 32,990 serious violations Verified with 22,557 childrenwith the highest numbers occurring in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria, and Sudan.
Violations committed by armed groups and government forces were almost equal, with armed groups primarily responsible for kidnapping, recruitment, use, and sexual violence, while government forces were primarily involved in killing, maiming, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
Furthermore, More than 5,000 children were killed in 2023, equivalent to nearly 15 children every day..
The alarming number of children seriously abused in conflicts in 2023 is a “wake-up call,” said Virginia Gamba. Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
“We are failing children,” she declared, calling on the international community to “recommit to the common consensus to protect children from armed conflict.”
Basic right to education
The official launch of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack was a unanimous decision by Member States in May 2020 to affirm that governments have the primary responsibility to protect and ensure quality, inclusive and equitable education at all levels, for all learners, especially those in vulnerable situations.
“Education is not only a basic human right but also essential for the realization of all human rights.“, the head of the United Nations stressed.
Mr. Guterres called on all countries to “invest in education and make every effort to protect education and places of learning, to protect both students and teachers, and to hold accountable those who attack places of learning.”
“Let us protect education from attack and defend the fundamental right to education that belongs to every child and young person, everywhere,” he concluded.
