UN says number of children killed due to war in Ukraine on the rise

More children died in Ukraine in the first nine months of 2024 due to war than in the whole of 2023, The Guardian has quoted a UN report as saying.

More child casualties have been confirmed in Ukraine in the first nine months of 2024 than in the whole of 2023. The number of child casualties in 2025 is likely to grow," the organisation's report said.

The organisation notes that the situation of children in the world is rapidly deteriorating. The percentage of children living in conflict zones around the world has doubled from about 10 per cent in the 1990s to almost 19 per cent now.

There are now 473 million children suffering from levels of violence that are the highest since World War II," the organisation's report says.

It is pointed out that since 2023, the UN has confirmed a record 32.9 thousand grave violations against 22.5 thousand children, the highest number since the UN Security Council introduced monitoring almost 20 years ago.

The UN report said many children living in conflict zones are deprived of food, education and health care. In addition, their housing conditions are precarious or they simply have nowhere to live.

Sexual violence in conflict zones has also increased critically. In Haiti in particular, reports of child sexual abuse have increased by 1000% during 2024 alone.

The impact on children's mental health is also huge. A study supported by the charity War Child earlier this month (December - ed.) found that 96 per cent of children in Gaza felt their death was imminent, and almost half of them wanted to die as a result of their trauma," UNICEF said.