The United Nations has reported a surge in violations against children in conflict zones, with 2024 witnessing the highest numbers on record. According to the annual report on children and armed conflict released last Thursday, 41,370 grave violations were verified globally in 2024. This tally covers various offenses, including the killing or maiming of 11,967 children.
The findings represent a 25 percent increase compared to violations reported in 2023, marking the third consecutive year of escalating incidents. In addition to the overall increase, there was a 17 percent rise in cases where children were subjected to multiple grave violations, highlighting the compounded dangers faced by young populations in conflict zones. Common forms of violations include killing and maiming, recruitment, abductions, sexual violence, and attacks on schools and hospitals, according to the UN report.
Countries with the highest levels of such violations were identified as Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti. The UN noted that the Israeli military alone was responsible for 7,188 documented violations, including the deaths of 1,259 Palestinian children and injuries to 941 in Gaza. Over the past eighteen months, 658,000 children in Gaza have been deprived of education.
In the DRC, the escalation of conflict since January 2025 has led to a more than twofold increase in sexual violence cases and marked spikes in abductions, killings, and attacks on infrastructures such as schools and hospitals. Details of these disturbing trends were also corroborated by UNICEF.
The UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, emphasized the urgent need for preventive measures, urging the international community to recommit to protecting children from the perils of war. Gamba called on parties to cease ’the war on children’ and adhere to fundamental principles of International Humanitarian Law.
The report’s findings will be discussed in an upcoming open debate at the UN Security Council. Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called for enhanced child protection mandates in peace operations and accountability for violations against children in conflict zones.
As the UN confronts these troubling trends, the Annual Report serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing and complex challenges confronting global child protection efforts.