A woman at a center for internally displaced people in El Fasher, Darfur. Top news of the day | Thursday: children and conflicts, Ukraine, refugees, Sudan UN
The main news of the day in the UN and in the world: an increase in the number of cases of violence against children in conflict situations, Russian shelling of a residential area in Krivoy Rog, record levels of forced displacement, a Security Council resolution on Sudan.
Violence against children
In 2023, violence against children in armed conflict increased by 21 percent compared to the previous year. Children have been killed and maimed in numerous crises, including in Israel, the occupied Palestinian territories and Ukraine, according to a report by the UN Secretary-General released on Thursday. In Ukraine, the UN confirmed 938 cases of grave violations against 543 children in 2023 alone. In particular, 80 cases of murder and 339 cases of maiming were identified, for which responsibility was attributed to the Russian armed forces and associated groups. Russian forces and associated groups are included in the report’s “blacklist”. This year, the list of violators of children’s rights also includes Israeli forces and Hamas.
Strike on Kryvyi Rih
UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Denise Brown condemned the shelling of a residential area in Krivoy Rog, which killed and injured civilians, including children, in a residential area of the densely populated city. Educational institutions were also damaged, and numerous residential high-rise buildings were damaged. Aid workers on the ground are providing psychological support and materials to repair damaged housing, Brown said.
Forced displacement
This year and last The world has seen historically high levels of forced displacement, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in its 2024 annual report released on Thursday. The report notes that in May 2024, the number of internally displaced people rose to 120 million. The main reason for the sharp increase in indicators is the war in Sudan, as a result of which 10.8 million people were forced to flee their homes by the end of 2023. However, Syria holds the record for the number of displaced people inside and outside the country: 13.8 million people were forcibly displaced within its borders and abroad.