UN officials will investigate the killing and wounding of children in Ukraine, Ethiopia and Mozambique, UN chief Antonio Guterres said in a new report that found 2,515 children were killed and 5,555 maimed in global conflicts in 2021.
The annual “Children and Armed Conflict” report released on Monday also verified the recruitment and use of 6,310 children in conflicts globally in 2021. Other violations the report covered included abductions, sexual violence, school and hospital attacks, and denial of aid during conflicts.
The report found the highest number of verified violations against children in 2021 were in Yemen, Syria, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.
Guterres said next year’s report would include verified violations against children in Ukraine, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
The UN chief’s special envoy for children and armed conflict, Virginia Gamba, said that the two most concerning violations emerging from the conflict in Ukraine were the killing and maiming of children and attacks on schools and hospitals.
“So I think these two clearly are going to be very high,” said Gamba, who compiles the annual UN report.
Without laying blame, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said last week that as of July 3, some 4,889 civilians had been killed in Ukraine, including 335 children, stressing that the real figure is likely much higher.
Russia invaded neighbouring Ukraine on February 24 and denies going after civilians.
The children and armed conflict report includes a blacklist intended to shame parties to conflicts in the hope of pushing them to implement measures to protect children.
The report has long been controversial, with diplomats saying Saudi Arabia and Israel exerted pressure in recent years in a bid to stay off the UN’s blacklist.
