The confirmed number of children killed in attacks across Ukraine this year has increased by almost 40% compared to last year, bringing the total number of children killed in attacks since the "escalation of the war" in 2022 to at least 600, UNICEF said today, UNN reports.
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"According to UN-verified data, 25 children were killed in attacks between January 1 and March 31, 2024 - the youngest was only two months old. Nine children were reportedly killed in attacks during the first three weeks of April," the statement said.
According to official UN data, "since the war escalated in 2022, at least 600 children have been killed in attacks." More than 1,350 children have been injured. The actual number of children killed and injured is likely to be much higher, UNICEF noted.
The infrastructure on which children depend also reportedly continues to come under attack. "In the first three months of the year, thousands of homes, 36 health facilities and 140 educational institutions were damaged or destroyed. Attacks on electricity and water sources have further disrupted essential services, putting children's lives and well-being at even greater risk," the report said.
"Two years of war, preceded by two years of COVID-19, have meant that children's access to schooling has been interrupted for more than four years - years equivalent to primary education. Almost half of the children attending school in Ukraine are not attending full-time, with nearly one million children across the country not having access to full-time education at all due to insecurity," UNICEF said.
It is stated that UNICEF currently needs "an additional $250 million to provide critical support to children and families in Ukraine, including in frontline areas, for humanitarian and recovery programs in 2024.