Sunday 29 December 2024
Islamabad (UrduPoint News International/ Pakistan Point News - 29th December, 2024 ) According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), armed conflicts around the world are proving devastating for children and are likely to have a record impact in 2024.
A recent report released by UNICEF said that children’s rights are being violated in record numbers.
They are being subjected to violence, deprived of schooling and life-saving vaccines, and are malnourished, with the number of children suffering from this situation expected to increase further.
From Myanmar to Palestine and Haiti to Sudan, the world is facing the most violent conflicts since World War II.
About 19 percent of the world’s child population, or 473 million children, are currently forced to live in areas affected by violent conflict. Of these children, 472 million are also facing forced displacement.
Thousands of children have been killed and thousands injured in Gaza, while the number of child deaths in Ukraine in the first nine months of 2024 has already exceeded the total for 2023.
Sexual violence against women and girls has also been reported in areas affected by violent conflict.
Sexual violence against children has increased by 1,000 percent in Haiti so far this year. Similarly, children with disabilities are more likely to suffer abuses in areas affected by violent conflict.
Disruption of education and malnutrition
An estimated 52 million children in countries experiencing violent conflict are unable to attend school.
Children’s education has been disrupted for more than a year in Gaza and Sudan, while school buildings in Ukraine, Congo and Syria have been either heavily damaged or being used for other purposes, severely affecting children’s education in these areas.
Child malnutrition in areas of violent conflict has reached alarming levels.
Armed violence and conflict have led to food crises in many areas. The deteriorating conditions have disrupted food supply chains, displaced people and hampered humanitarian operations.
Mental and physical health problems
Violent conflicts have also affected children’s access to health care services.
Nearly 40 percent of unvaccinated children live in countries that are fully or partially affected by armed conflict.
These children are at risk of measles, polio and other diseases because they lack adequate protection, nutrition and health services.
Living in the shadow of armed conflict has also had a profound impact on children’s mental health. Children are stressed by the experiences of violence, death, destruction and the loss of family members. They have nightmares and find it difficult to sleep.
In this situation, their behavior changes and they suffer from aggression, sadness, fear, silence, and other problems.
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