The Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (the Secretariat of the Commissioner) on basis of the report provided by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) informed, ‘During the entire conflict period, from 14 April 2014 to 30 April 2021, 152 children have been killed (102 boys and 50 girls) and 146 children have been injured (120 boys and 26 girls). Unfortunately those grim statistics are not reflecting the real scale of casualties among children, which occurred due to the armed conflict.’

The Secretariat of the Commissioner emphasized that it is difficult to impose state control over the human rights observance in the Temporarily Occupied Territories (TOT). The estimation of the full spectrum of the issues the children of the TOT are facing is hence impossible.

According to the law of Ukraine “On Protection of Childhood” a child who, as a consequence of hostilities or armed conflict, was injured, sexually or psychologically abused, kidnapped or illegally got out of Ukraine, involved in military formations or illegally confined, in particular was in captivity, should be granted the status of a child who suffered from hostilities and armed conflicts.

As of the end of May, Ukraine’s National Social Service informed that there are 66 491 persons who obtained the status of children who suffered from hostilities and armed conflicts (95 of them have been injured).

The Secretariat’s of the Commissioner press service added that the children who suffered from hostilities and armed conflicts don’t have any special guaranties except free warm meal provided by the state and municipal educational units. The press service also stressed that the Commissioner called on the Government, the Parliament, and other public authorities to take all the possible measures in order to ensure due protection of Ukrainian children in armed conflict.