Italian
On June 4th, we celebrate the International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression, established by the United Nations General Assembly with resolution A/RES/ES-7/8.
It is a painful but necessary date, created to remember the unspeakable suffering inflicted on children during armed conflicts, and to renew our commitment to defend those who, more than anyone, do not have the tools to defend themselves: childhood.
On this occasion, the National Coordination of Teachers of Human Rights wishes to express deep solidarity with all the girls and boys in the world who, still today, suffer violence, bombings, hunger, exploitation, abuse, and indelible trauma due to wars and military aggressions.
Unfortunately, this is not just a symbolic day. The numbers speak for themselves and challenge us as educators, citizens, and institutions. In the conflict in Sudan, which began in April 2023, over 5 million children have been displaced. This is the most serious crisis of child displacement in the world. Of these, almost 3 million are under five years old and lack assistance, homes, schools, and medical care. The health system is collapsing, and it is estimated that at least 770,000 children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition by the end of 2025.
In Gaza, where the conflict has dramatically escalated since October 7, 2023, military operations have caused the death of over 54,000 people, the majority of whom are women and children. The images and accounts coming from the Rafah camps, the schools that have been hit, the destroyed hospitals, give us a harsh truth: children are always the first victims of adult wars.
And these are not isolated situations. Even in Ukraine, Myanmar, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and in various areas of the Sahel, hundreds of thousands of children are trapped in war zones, recruited as child soldiers, orphaned, forced to flee, or to survive amidst hunger and abuse.
In a similar context, the role of schools becomes fundamental. Educating about human rights is not a theoretical exercise, but an act of moral resistance. This is why the CNDDU invites all Italian schools to dedicate a concrete space in these days to reflect on violated childhood: through readings, watching documentaries, creating murals, or simply sharing words and silences in the classroom. Furthermore, we have launched the social campaign #InfanziaViolata2025, to which we invite teachers, students, and parents to participate by posting thoughts, drawings, messages of solidarity for the young victims of war.
But school alone is not enough. A strong institutional stance is needed. This is why we are calling on the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hon. Antonio Tajani, to take a leading role internationally in protecting children in war zones.
We ask:
- the activation of humanitarian corridors to save children from conflict zones;
- an explicit condemnation of violations of the rights of minors;
- an increase in funds allocated to educational and assistance projects in affected areas;
- Awareness campaigns in embassies and crisis areas;
- and finally, the establishment of a National Day dedicated to children victims of war, to be celebrated on June 4 in parallel with the international one.
We cannot remain silent. Every child who suffers because of war is a defeat for all of humanity. Every child who dies without experiencing peace is a failure for our time. It is our duty, as educators and as citizens, to loudly proclaim that war is never right, especially when it strikes those who are innocent.
“Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire,” reminds us a Talmudic saying. And we want to believe that another world is possible. A world where every child has the right to simply be a child.
