The United Nations has put the Russian army and its armed groups on its “list of shame” for killing and maiming hundreds of children during its ongoing war in Ukraine, reported news agency AFP, on Thursday (June 22). In the UN Security Council report also seen by Reuters, Russia killed at least 136 children in Ukraine last year and has since added Moscow’s forces to a global list of offenders.
What was the report about?
The UN report, as per Reuters, said that at least 24,300 violations had been committed against children in 2022.
The annual report is about the treatment of children in conflict zones which is submitted to the 15-member UNSC and accounts attacks such as for killing, maiming, sexual abuse, abduction or recruitment of children, denial of aid access and targeting of schools and hospitals.
The report was compiled by Virginia Gamba, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres’ special representative for children and armed conflict.
Notably, the so-called “list of shame” is intended to shame the parties involved in the conflict and hopes to push them to implement measures for protecting children during a war.
The report, in question, will be made public next week. It also reportedly noted most violations were in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, Somalia, Syria, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Haiti and Yemen.
Guterres in the report said that “non-state armed groups” were responsible for 50 per cent of the “grave violations,” adding that “government forces were the main perpetrator of the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and the denial of humanitarian access,” as quoted by Reuters.
What did it find about Russia and Ukraine?
According to the UN report, Russian armed forces and affiliated groups in addition to killing over 100 children, also maimed 518 children and carried out 480 attacks on schools and hospitals, reported Reuters.
The Russian forces have also been accused of using 91 children as human shields. Last year, as per the document, a total of 477 were killed in Ukraine and 909 were maimed, as per AFP.
On the other hand, the report also shows that Ukrainian armed forces killed 80 children, maimed 175 children and carried out 212 attacks on schools and hospitals, as per Reuters, but has not made it to the so-called “list of shame”.
Notably, Gamba visited Kyiv and Moscow where she met with Russia’s envoy for children’s rights, Maria Lvova-Belova who is currently wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes charges along with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This comes after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against them, earlier this year, for the illegal deportation of Ukrainian children and unlawful transfer of people from Ukraine to Russia since the beginning of the conflict over a year ago.
‘Particularly shocked about…’: UN chief fumes over the findings
In the document, as per reports, the UN chief said he is “appalled” by the high number of grave violations committed in Ukraine, last year. Guterres also said that “particularly disturbed” by such a number of offences committed against children by Ukrainian armed forces.
“I am particularly shocked by the high number of attacks on schools and hospitals and protected personnel, and by the high number of children killed and maimed attributed to the Russian forces and affiliated armed groups,” said Guterres about Russia, in the report, as quoted by AFP.
It is also worth noting that despite years of criticism and push by human rights organisations, Israel has not made it to the so-called list for killing dozens of Palestinian children. According to the UN report, Israeli forces killed 42 children last year, and 78 in 2021.
Addressing this the UN chief noted, a “meaningful decrease in the number of children killed by Israeli forces, including by air strikes.” “Nevertheless, I remain deeply concerned by the number of children killed and maimed by Israeli forces during hostilities,” Guterres said, as quoted by AFP.
(With inputs from agencies)
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