Recent years have seen a dramatic increase in the number of attacks on students, teachers and schools, resulting in an "incalculable cost" for children affected by conflict around the world, Secretary-General António Guterres said in a message commemorating the International Day to Protect Education from Attack on Monday.
He emphasised the damage that war leaves on young learners' bodies, minds and spirits, "from injuries and loss of life to abduction, forced displacement, sexual violence, recruitment to the fighting, and lost opportunities".
From 2022 to 2023, there were 6,000 attacks against students, professionals and educational institutions, including 1,000 cases of military use - an average of eight per day, according to a study by the Global Coalition for Protecting Education from Attack, of which the UN educational and cultural agency (UNESCO) is a member.
This figure represents a 20 per cent increase in the previous two years. More than 10,000 students and educators are believed to have fallen victim to these assaults.
Millions of Ukrainian students affected
Among the worst affected are millions of students in Ukraine kept from returning to in-person learning, with nearly 300 air raid warnings and multiple attacks in the country just last week, stated the UN in Ukraine in a post on X.
Thousands of Ukrainian schools have been damaged or destroyed since the escalation of the war in 2022, added the UN children's agency, UNICEF.
Nearly all children in Gaza and Sudan, and many others in Haiti and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are also out of school due to war and violence, according to UNICEF chief Catherine Russell.
Uptick in grave violations against children
The rise in armed conflict around the world has also led to a high number of grave violations against children.
In 2023 alone, 32,990 grave violations were verified against 22,557 children, with the highest numbers occurring in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Somalia, Nigeria, and Sudan.
The violations were perpetrated roughly equally by armed groups and government forces, with armed groups mainly responsible for abduction, recruitment, use, and sexual violence, while government forces were primarily involved in killing, maiming, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
Further, over 5,000 children were killed in 2023, the equivalent of almost 15 children every day.
The alarming number of children who suffered grave violations in conflicts during 2023 serves as "a wakeup call", said Virginia Gamba, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.
"We are failing children," she declared, calling on the international community "to recommit to the universal consensus to protect children from armed conflict".
Fundamental right to education
Introducing an official International Day to Protect Education from Attack was an unanimous decision by Member States in May of 2020 to affirm that governments have the primary responsibility to provide protection and ensure inclusive and equitable quality education at all levels, to all learners, especially those in vulnerable situations.
"Education is not only a basic human right in itself - it's essential to the fulfilment of all human rights," emphasised the UN chief.
Mr. Guterres is calling on all countries to "invest in education and spare no effort to safeguard education and places of learning, protect students and teachers alike, and hold accountable perpetrators of attacks on places of learning".
"Let's protect education from attack and safeguard the fundamental right to education that belongs to every child and young person, everywhere," he concluded.
