DID Press: UNICEF warned that more than 500 million children living in conflict-affected areas worldwide are being denied access to education, as schools are increasingly damaged, destroyed, or turned into military targets.
Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell cautioned that attacks on schools are rising and that education systems in war zones are facing severe and systemic disruption.
According to UNICEF, more than 14,000 armed attacks on schools have been recorded globally over the past two decades, and at least 3,000 schools have been used as military bases or shelters by armed forces.
Russell highlighted the acute situation in the Gaza Strip, where since 2023 around 97 percent of schools have been damaged or destroyed by military operations. She also pointed to other conflict-affected countries, including Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Ukraine, where hundreds of schools have been hit by bombardment and direct attacks.
The UNICEF chief warned that the destruction of schools has consequences beyond the loss of education, depriving children of access to basic health services, psychosocial support, and safe social spaces. She said such conditions expose children to heightened risks, including recruitment by armed groups, forced labor, human trafficking, and early marriage.
UNICEF urged all states and parties to armed conflicts to recognize schools and educational facilities as protected civilian sites and to refrain from their military use, stressing that safeguarding children’s education is essential to protecting the future of humanity