UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this in his message issued on Monday, September 9, the International Day to Protect Education from Attacks.
He emphasized that war has a profound effect on the body, mind and emotions of young students. From injury to death, abduction, forced displacement, sexual violence, forced into war and loss of opportunities for advancement.
According to one estimate, from 2022 to 2023, six thousand attacks on students, educational and professional institutions were recorded, of which one thousand cases were linked to military use – that is, an average of eight cases per day.
This number represents a 20 percent increase over the previous two years. More than 10,000 students and teachers have been victims of these attacks.
Millions of affected students
Due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, millions of students have not been able to return to private schools. In the past few days, there were more than 300 warning sirens in the country to avoid airstrikes and there were serial attacks in many areas.
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, thousands of schools have been damaged or destroyed since the Russian military invaded Ukraine in 2022.
At the same time, almost all children in Gaza and Sudan and large numbers of students in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo are out of school due to war and violence.
Increase in cases of child abuse
All over the world, the number of armed conflicts has increased and against this background the number of violations of children’s rights has also increased.
In 2023, 32 thousand 990 cases of rights violations were registered against 22 thousand 557 children. The largest number were in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria and Sudan.
These incidents of rights violations were committed almost equally by armed groups and government military forces. Armed groups are blamed for kidnappings, recruitment and use of child soldiers, and sexual violence. At the same time government forces were mainly responsible for killing and maiming children and attacking schools and hospitals.
More than five thousand children died in 2023, which equates to about 15 children per day.
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Armed Conflict and Children, Virginia Gamba, said the number of child rights violations during violent conflict is alarming.
In view of this, he urged the international community to commit to universal consensus on protecting children from armed conflict.
Children study by lamplight at a shelter in Borodyanka, Ukraine.
Education is a fundamental right
In May 2020, member states unanimously endorsed the International Day, which states that governments have a primary responsibility to provide inclusive and equitable education at all levels, especially in disadvantaged settings.
The Secretary General said that education is not only a basic human right, but it is essential for the realization of all human rights.
He urged all countries to invest in education, to save education and to spare no effort in their efforts to ensure the safety of students and teachers in all centers of education.
The UN Secretary-General said those responsible for violating the fundamental right to education and targeting education centers must be held accountable.