In the world, about 473 million children live in areas of military conflict, which is twice as many as thirty years ago, reported charity organization Save the Children from Berlin. This is approximately 19% of the total number of children on the planet.
At the same time, the number of serious crimes against children in conflict zones has also increased significantly: in 2023, 31,721 confirmed cases were recorded, which is 15% more than in the previous year.
According to confirmed data, as of October 26, 2024, 583 children were killed in Ukraine, and more than 1,655 were injured of various degrees of severity. Also in 2023, Save the Children recorded a record number of attacks on schools in Ukraine – among 2,414 attacks on educational and medical facilities in the world. This is the highest indicator for the last decade.
Ukraine is mentioned in the study as one of the three areas with the highest number of child victims of war, along with Ethiopia and the Gaza Strip. In 2023, the total number of children killed or injured reached 11,338, an average of 31 children per day.
According to the share of affected children relative to the population, the Middle East is recognized as the most dangerous zone, where more than a third of children live in conditions close to conflicts. The largest increase in crimes against children was recorded in Sudan, with 1,759 such cases in 2023, more than five times the number in 2022. At the same time, the highest total number of crimes – 8,434 – was recorded in the Palestinian Territories.
The report is based on data from the Oslo-based Prio Peace Research Institute and UN reports. In the study, the conflict zone is defined as the territory within a radius of 50 km from the place where at least one conflict event took place during the year. According to Save the Children, in 2023, 59 interstate armed conflicts were recorded in the world.
