An alarming scale of displacement raises further concerns for Ukraine’s 7.5 million children.
Civilian casualties, including children, continue to grow, with real numbers feared to be much higher than official tallies.
Civilian-populated areas and infrastructure have been attacked, including schools and hospitals, and the indiscriminate use of explosive weapons, such as ballistic missiles and cluster bombs, has caused mass destruction. The significant escalation has already had devastating impacts on children, and immediate action is needed to protect children from further harm. Hostilities seriously escalated last month, when Russia invaded Ukraine, following weeks of mounting tensions, build-up of Russian military presence along the border, and Russia’s February 21 decision to recognize the independence of the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk. The UN estimates that more than 750 schools have been damaged since 2014, disrupting children’s education. Between April 2014 and August 2020, 39 children were reportedly killed and 137 injured due to mines and explosives, representing around a third of all reported child casualties, and many children have been left with disabilities and invisible psychological scars. Since 2014, conflict has been ongoing between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed armed groups in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region with serious consequences for children’s rights.
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