ANKARA 

Over 449 million children were living in areas of violent conflict in 2021, international non-governmental organization Save the Children reported.

In 1982, the UN declared June 4 the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, dedicated to the Palestinian and Lebanese children affected by Israeli attacks.

Nearly 24,000 serious violations against children were reported in armed conflicts in 2021, according to a UN report.

The most common crimes against children included murder, mutilation, recruitment for war, and denying access to humanitarian aid.

A total of 2,515 children were killed, while 5,555 children were disabled in the same period, according to the report.

In 2021, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Israel, Palestine, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen were among the countries with the most crimes against children.

While child abduction crimes rose 20%, sexual abuse cases climbed over 20% from the previous year.