Increase in Child Rights Violations in Ukraine
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres has noted a significant rise in serious violations of children's rights in Ukraine amid the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. He has once again included the Russian armed forces on the «list of shame».
This information was released in Guterres's annual report titled «Children and Armed Conflict», presented at the UN Security Council by the Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba.
The highest increase in violations was recorded in Lebanon (545%), Mozambique (525%), Haiti (490%), and Ethiopia (235%). In Ukraine, this figure stands at 105%.
«I am deeply concerned about the sharp increase in serious violations against children in Ukraine, including killings and maiming of children, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals», – stated the Secretary-General in the section dedicated to Ukraine.
During the reporting period (2024–2025), the UN documented the killing of 94 and injury of 577 children. Responsibility for these acts is attributed to the Russian armed forces and associated groups, according to the report. Additionally, 559 attacks on schools and 303 on hospitals were recorded.
The document confirms that many Ukrainian children taken to Russia are still missing.
«I urge the Russian Federation to cooperate with the UN to return Ukrainian children and reunite them with their families and/or guardians», – emphasized Guterres.
In light of these findings, the Russian Armed Forces have once again been officially included in the list of state entities that systematically violate children's rights (the so-called «list of shame»). Other countries and regimes on the list include the DRC, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, and several others.
The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN, Andriy Melnyk, called on the Security Council to impose sanctions against states and individuals responsible for serious violations of children's rights during armed conflicts.
