Older people should never face the threat of being killed while queuing for their pensions. Yet this morning in the village of Yarova, Donetsk Region, a strike reportedly killed more than 20 civilians and injured nearly 20 others, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).
Many of those killed and injured would have been older women and men waiting to collect their pensions – often their only means of survival. Despite escalating hostilities, they remain in front-line communities because these are their homes, where they have lived their whole lives.
“What happened today in Yarova is both heartbreaking and outrageous. Older people should not fear for their lives while collecting the pensions they rely on to eat and buy medicine. We call on all parties to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and to ensure civilians, especially older people, are protected,” said Victoriia Panchenko, Acting Country Director of HelpAge International in Ukraine.
This appalling attack underlines once again the devastating toll of the war on civilians, and the particular risks faced by older people in conflict. Targeting people as they carry out the most basic daily activities – receiving their income to buy food and medicine – is indefensible.
HelpAge International and its partners are active in the Donetsk Region supporting hundreds of older people who have been isolated by the on-going conflict. This work is being carried out against a daily backdrop of constant shelling in the cities and surrounding villages.
International humanitarian law is clear: civilians must never be targeted. All parties to the conflict must respect and protect people’s lives, homes, and essential civilian infrastructure.