The three countries plagued by conflict, violence and civil war are Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and the number of displaced children in Yemen now stands at 36.5 million. This is more than the number of child refugees in World War II.
The United Nations National Children’s Fund (UNICEF), a United Nations children’s rights organization, said in a report released on Friday.
According to the report, the number of displaced children worldwide before 2021 was 34.3 million; But from the beginning to the end of last year, another 2.2 million children have been added to this number.
However, the UNICEF report only reveals the number of children displaced by the civil war, conflict and violence.
It does not include the number of children displaced by natural disasters caused by climate change and the effects of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022.
According to the report, about 50 percent of the 36.5 million refugee children are primary school students. Of the rest, 25 per cent are secondary school students and 25 per cent are not yet old enough to go to school.
In addition to being refugees, a significant number of children have been trafficked. Out of 36.5 million displaced children, 28 percent are victims of human trafficking.
A statement from UNICEF headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, said on Friday that “peace in the conflict-torn country is still unlikely. Due to this, the number of refugee and refugee children is increasing in the world every day.
“If the number of children displaced by climate change and the recent Russia-Ukraine war is added to this list, it will be even more worrying.”
“We hope that governments around the world will take the necessary steps to prevent the displacement and trafficking of children and ensure the protection, health care and education of children who have already become refugees,” said Katherine Russell, Executive Director of UNICEF.
