Germany Report: 473 million children live in conflict zones
Around 473 million children worldwide lived in conflict zones last year - more than twice as many as 30 years ago. This was reported by the aid organization Save the Children in Berlin. That is 19 percent of all children worldwide.
31.10.2024, 10:32
SDA
At the same time, the number of serious crimes against children in conflicts increased: there were 31,721 confirmed cases in 2023, 15 percent more than in the previous year.
In terms of the number of people affected in relation to the total population, the Middle East is the most dangerous. "Here, more than one in three children live in the immediate vicinity of an armed conflict," the organization continued. The highest increase in serious crimes against children was recorded in Sudan, north-east Africa, with 1,759 violations registered, where the number has increased more than fivefold since 2022. The highest number of 8,434 violations was recorded in the Palestinian territories.
"Behind every figure in our report are many individual fates of children who only want one thing: a life in peace," said Lea Meyer, humanitarian aid expert at the organization. According to the statement, she demanded: "States must fulfill their obligations to protect children in conflicts - legally, financially and through their foreign policy actions."
According to the aid organization, the report is based on data from the Oslo-based peace research institute Prio as well as reports from the United Nations. The report defines a conflict zone as an area within a radius of 50 kilometers around a location where there has been at least one "conflict event" in a year.
