The number of civilian deaths in conflicts jumped by 72% in 2023, according to the UN

The number of civilian deaths in conflicts has increased by more than 70% in 2023, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, expressed concern on Tuesday June 18. “In 2023, data collected by my office shows that the number of civilian deaths in armed conflicts has increased by 72%. Frighteningly, the data shows that the proportion of women killed in 2023 has doubled and that of children has tripled compared to the previous year”he declared, at the opening of the 56th session of the Human Rights Council.

A few days earlier, the UN also reported that the world had a record number of 120 million forcibly displaced people at the end of April, a number that continues to rise and “a terrible indictment on the state of the world”. The wars in Gaza, Sudan and Burma have significantly contributed to increasing the number of people forced to flee their places of residence for more than a year, underlined the High Commission for Refugees in its annual report.