UN statistics on children killed by mines in Donbass over 5 years have been released
Since 2014, at least 128 children have been injured by mines, ammunition and other explosive remnants of war (ERW) in eastern Ukraine, and at least 38 children have died, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This is stated in a study published by the representative office of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Ukraine.
“More than 200 thousand children live in a 20-kilometer zone on both sides of the demarcation line, heavily contaminated with mines and other explosive remnants of war (WWW). Since 2014, at least 128 children have been injured by mines, ammunition and other explosive devices. At least 38 children died,” the report said.
During the study, 39 families were interviewed in which children were victims of accidents related to mines or WWII in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions (18 and 21 children affected, respectively).
“Children collect interesting objects as trophies, including from military training grounds,” the report explains common causes of mine-related accidents.
Among the respondents, the majority of accidents (15) occurred due to the fact that the victims picked up, disassembled, handled or played with WWII. Children found WWII or unidentified explosive devices in their free time. At least ten children brought the device home to play with it, take it apart, or make a keepsake item (such as an amulet).
According to the results of a survey among families of children affected by mines/WWII, the majority are boys - 82 percent (14 people) and 18 percent (3 people) are girls. During the assessment, it turned out that the youngest child who suffered from mines/WWII was a four-year-old girl, and the oldest was a 16-year-old boy.
It is noted that after being injured as a result of accidents with mines, the families of such children most often face the following problems: independent acquisition and receipt of prostheses; lack of comprehensive assistance in rehabilitation; lack of access to physical and functional rehabilitation in rural areas and lack of psychological rehabilitation as such.
The report draws attention to the fact that currently in Ukraine there is not a single created or functioning information system about mine victims or an information system about such children.
Let us recall that over 12 months, at least 70 people were killed or injured as a result of mines and unexploded ordnance in eastern Ukraine, including 18 children.
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