The number of murders and mutilations of children as a result of wars increased by 35%

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According to the UN, the number of cases of murder and maiming of children living in war zones has increased by 35% in the last year alone.

This was stated by the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets during the press conference dedicated to the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, Ukrinform correspondent reports.

«As of now, according to the UN, the percentage of violence against children in armed conflicts has increased by 21 points and is the highest in the history of the world. In the last year alone, the number of cases of murder and mutilation of children who, unfortunately, live in territories where international conflicts are taking place, has increased by 35%,» he noted.

Dmytro Lubinets informed that in preparation for this press conference, the Office of the Ombudsman held a separate meeting with UN representatives, at which they, in particular, reported that there is a high probability that these indicators will increase again in 2024. According to him, unfortunately, the tendency towards the spread of armed conflicts continues to grow.

He stated that the main task of Ukrainian initiatives, including the Fourth Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen, is to find specific methods and mechanisms to stop aggression against Ukrainian children, as well as children on the territory of the entire planet.

«I know that it will be a difficult story, that there will be difficult discussions. But I know for sure that, like all three previous summits, the fourth one will have concrete results — both for Ukrainian children and for children all over the world,» the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights believes.

He informed that they want to invite to this summit representatives of countries that have not only faced or are facing similar cases of human rights violations in the context of armed conflicts, but that have their own specific experiences — on how to protect children, how to return them after deportation, how to do so that responsibility finally appears in the international system, for example, for the militarization of children, for their deportation, etc.

As previously reported, since 2014, Russia has killed more than 800 children in Ukraine. During the full-scale invasion, the occupiers killed at least 551 Ukrainian children, and another 1,368 children were injured.