SCHOOLS should be given the same protections as hospitals under international law to protect millions of children that are trapped in war zones, a major inquiry launched today said.

Chaired by former Labour prime minister Gordon Brown, the report said it’s “unconscionable” that the global community stands by while children are being killed in conflict-ridden countries such as Yemen, Syria and South Sudan.

The inquiry also suggests outlawing withholding of humanitarian aid in circumstances where it may lead to starvation, in its report written by a legal panel led by Shaheed Fatima QC.

“This report sets out an agenda which every government and every organisation working on children affected by conflict should act on to end the culture of impunity,” Mr Brown said.

The inquiry studied recent war events that have impacted children, including the bombing of a school bus in Yemen and a suicide bombing at a school in Afghanistan, both in August.

The inquiry also looked at recourse to starvation as a weapon of war in Yemen, where millions of children are on the brink of famine.

A number of lawyers, activists and academics have backed the report, including Save the Children chief executive and former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt.

She said: “This is an important and timely contribution to the debate on how to hold perpetrators to account and uphold the rules that are designed to keep children safe.”

More than 75 million children in 35 countries are denied an education as a result of  war, according to the War Child charity, and this puts them at risk of sexual exploitation, child labour and recruitment into armed groups.

Those who attend school face overcrowded classrooms, lack of teachers and resources and violence when travelling to and from school.