UN reports 20% rise in attacks on students, schools in war-torn countries
Kids in Gaza, fleeing from tear gas near school. PHOTO: AFP
Attacks worldwide against students and educational facilities rose by 20 percent in 2022 and 2023 over the two previous years, especially in war-torn countries, the UN said Monday.
The UN's cultural agency UNESCO cited a study by the Global Coalition for Protecting Education from Attack, of which it is a member.
It said "6,000 attacks against students, professionals and educational institutions, including 1,000 cases of military use of these institutions, were recorded worldwide in 2022-2023 -- an average of eight per day".
"This represents a 20-percent increase on the previous two years".
These attacks were "much more frequent in countries currently experiencing armed conflict, foremost among them Myanmar, the Middle East and Gaza in particular, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Ukraine and Yemen," it added.