Veronika Wild

 I won't say too much about this. This UN report says it all. I am just shocked that it needs to be said and that a special commemorative day has to be created for it. Children are the most innocent victims here and it is particularly important that their lives become as normal as possible and as quickly as possible to help them to heal from the trauma associated with war, loss and displacement.  The following facts and figures are from the UN's website   In 2022, children continued to be disproportionately affected by armed conflict, and the number affected by grave violations increased compared with 2021. From January to December 2022, there was a 112 per cent increase in attacks on schools and hospitals, particularly in Ukraine, Burkina Faso, Israel, the State of Palestine, Myanmar, Mali and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, the UN verified 95 attacks (72 on schools; 23 on hospitals), including attacks on protected persons. While non-state armed groups were respons...

  The World Health Organisation defines violence against women as  “ Any act   which could result in physical, sexual or mental harm or suffering including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty whether occurring in public or private life.“ Intimate partner violence refers to behaviour by an intimate partner or ex-partner that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours. Sexual violence is "any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, or other act directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting. It includes rape, defined as the physically forced or otherwise coerced penetration of the vulva or anus with a penis, other body part or object."   If America’s shame is the number of school children killed by gun violence, then Australia’s shame is the n...