Attacks against schools in war zones doubled last year, UNESCO said, charging combatants with a dramatic rise in violence against educational institutions, primarily in the Ukraine and the Middle and Far East.
Almost 1,300 attacks occurred globally against schools in 2024, according to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation. The UN body further noted the ‘increasingly frequent’ use of schools for military purposes, in violation of international humanitarian law.
UNESCO refererd specifically to the worrying data from areas of on-going conflicts or crises, such as Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, Haiti and Afghanistan.
The UN has launched an effort to continue providing schooling in 31 countries and giving material and psychological assistance to pupils in Gaza, Sudan, Syria, Afghanistan and the Ukraine.