Since the war began last February, 452 Ukrainian children have been killed and 876 injured by gun violence, according to Ukraine’s Attorney General. And these figures are fragmentary: it is impossible to count the losses in the Russian-held areas and in the combat zones.
Last summer, UNICEF estimated that on average more than five Ukrainian children were killed or injured by wartime violence in Ukraine every day. Since then things have only gotten worse. And the assessment only considered cases that the UN could verify.
crimes against children
For the past ten months, children and families in Ukraine have been deeply traumatized by the violence surrounding them. The civilian infrastructures they depend on are the Russians’ target.
According to UN estimates, every tenth school was damaged or destroyed. Mothers refuse to send their children there. Russian air and artillery strikes completely destroyed 337 educational institutions and damaged 3126 others.
About 8,500 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and over 11,000 injured since the Russian invasion began.
Bodies continue to be found in the rubble of air raids and evidence of atrocities is collected in liberated areas.
The Ukrainian authorities have so far registered more than 45,000 war crimes and identified 216 Russian soldiers as suspected war criminals, of whom 17 have been captured and 12 have been convicted.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said Russia had already fired around 5,000 rockets at his country. These weapons hit combatants and civilians alike.
The Russians are targeting populated areas, hoping to persuade the populace to pressure the Kiev government to accept Putin’s dictates.
Russian violence
The use of explosive devices (grenades, drones, rockets, missiles) is responsible for most of the deaths among children.
UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund that supports children and their families around the world, estimates that the lives and well-being of 5.2 million Ukrainian children are at risk.
The destruction of family homes and essential infrastructure such as water treatment plants has forced hundreds of thousands of families to flee their homes.
Almost all children remaining in Ukraine experience extremely traumatic events that could affect them mentally for the rest of their lives.
UNICEF adds that those who have fled combat zones “are at high risk of being separated from their families and becoming victims of violence, abuse, sexual exploitation and human trafficking”.
Would you like to donate to UNICEF Canada and help provide urgent humanitarian assistance to children and families affected by the war, including essential food? You can do this by calling 1.877.955-3111 or on the UNICEF website: secure.unicef.ca/page/98643/donate/1.
