At least 16% of the children killed in Ukraine since the invasion of Russia last February he was less than five years old. This was reported this Sunday by the organization Save the Children.
The report recalled that between February 24 and August 10, “at least” 942 minors have suffered the impact of the war, with 356 dead and 586 injured in this age group, according to data from the High Commissioner for human rights of United Nations.
Of this total of deceased, 16.5% were under five years old, while of the total number of injured, 13% were under five years old.
Save the Children has also warned that the total number of victims is likely to be much higher, while pointing out that the majority of verified deaths and injuries are caused by the use of explosive weapons in highly populated urban areas.
“Although the children in Ukraine are not involved in the causes of the war, they are the most affected. They are growing up to the sound of bombs and seeing their homes and schools destroyed, while their friends and family are killed or injured,” Sonia Khush, director of Save the Children in kyiv, said in a statement.
The activist insisted that minors need both “humanitarian aid and hope” so that they trust that “this war will end, that they will be able to return to their homes and that they will have a promising future.”
“Without meaningful support and an immediate cessation of hostilities, Ukraine will not only become a graveyard for more children, but also for the hopes and dreams of minors,” Khush added.
Save the Children collects in its report the testimony of Dana, 29, and her daughter Antonia, two, who fled from the city of Kharkov, eastern Ukraine, to protect themselves from the war in Dnipro, in the south of the country.
“We live from day to day, we cannot do more. But we are clear that we have not come here to stay permanently. Whatever happens, we will come home,” Dana said.
