In a briefing to the UN Security Council on July 5, the United Nations revealed that it verified a record-breaking number of grave violations against children affected by war last year, reaching a staggering 27,180 cases, Reuters reports.
Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General's special representative for children and armed conflict, presented her annual report, highlighting the urgent need for decisive action to protect boys and girls from death, recruitment, rape, and other atrocities.
Gamba addressed the significant increase in the mandate's coverage since 2017, stating, "The mandate has since grown significantly. It now spans across five geographical regions and covers 26 situations. Two new situations - Haiti and Niger - have been added given the worrying and unfolding security situations on the ground."
The report detailed that 18,890 children were affected by the verified violations, including 2,880 violations that were late verified. The violations encompassed various categories, with 8,630 children either killed or maimed, 7,622 children recruited and used, and 3,985 children abducted. These three violations saw the highest levels of verification and witnessed an increase in 2022.
Children fell victim to various forms of violence, including airstrikes, explosive weapons, live ammunition, crossfire, and direct attacks. Many also suffered from explosive remnants of war. The report also highlighted the chronically underreported issue of rape and sexual violence against children, with 1,165 cases documented, predominantly affecting girls. Some cases were so severe that they resulted in the death of the victims.
Gamba expressed grave concern over attacks on schools and hospitals, reporting that the United Nations verified attacks on 1,163 schools and 647 hospitals, representing a 112 % increase compared to the previous year. Shockingly, 50 % of these attacks were perpetrated by government forces. The use of schools and hospitals for military purposes remained a major concern, resulting in harm to teachers, students, medical personnel, patients, and the destruction of critical civilian infrastructure.
In addition to the grave violations, the report highlighted over 3,930 incidents of humanitarian access denial to children, attacks on aid workers, looting of humanitarian supplies, and the destruction of critical infrastructure.
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