According to the United Nations, violence against children in conflict zones soared to “unprecedented levels” in 2024, with a notable rise from the previous year.
The annual report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres indicates, “In 2024, the rate of violence against children in armed conflict experienced an alarming 25 percent increase in grave violations compared to 2023.”
The report confirmed a total of 41,370 grave violations against minors in 2024, including 36,221 occurring that year and 5,149 from prior incidents validated in 2024. This represents the highest count since the monitoring tool was established nearly three decades ago.
With over 4,500 children killed and 7,000 injured, the report highlights that children are enduring “the brunt of ongoing hostilities and indiscriminate attacks.”
Virginia Gamba, the UN Secretary-General’s special representative for children and armed conflict, remarked, “The anguished cries of 22,495 innocent children who should be learning to read or play should instead keep us awake at night. These children are sadly learning how to survive gunfire and bombings.”
“This must act as a wake-up call. We have reached a critical juncture.”
The UN’s annual report tracks rights violations affecting children under 18 across roughly 20 conflict-affected regions worldwide.
The appendix features a “list of shame” that identifies those accountable for these violations. This year, a potent coalition of Haitian gangs was included, responsible for numerous crimes, including child killings, mutilations, recruitment for violence, kidnappings, denial of humanitarian assistance, and sexual violence.
Continuing from last year, the Israeli armed forces and the Palestinian militant group Hamas remain listed.
Conflict Casualties
The Palestinian territories top the list, with over 8,500 serious violations, primarily attributed to Israeli forces, accounting for more than 4,800 in Gaza alone.
This figure includes the confirmation of 1,259 Palestinian children killed in Gaza, with the UN currently verifying information about an additional 4,470 children reported killed in 2024 in the conflict-stricken region.
The report also highlights Israel’s military actions in Lebanon, resulting in over 500 children killed or injured last year.
Following the Palestinian territories, the nations that witnessed the most violence against children in 2024 include the Democratic Republic of the Congo (over 4,000 grave violations), Somalia (over 2,500), Nigeria (nearly 2,500), and Haiti (over 2,200).
New “list of shame” inductees feature the Haitian gang coalition ‘Viv Ansanm’, linked to a staggering 490% rise in violations, including child recruitment, murders, and gang rapes.
Also newly added is the Colombian drug cartel Clan del Golfo, accused of child recruitment activities.
Overall, Colombia reported a marked increase in forced recruitment cases, with 450 children involved in 2024 compared to 262 the year before.
The Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, engaged in conflict in Sudan for over two years, remain on the list as well.
Additionally, the report again cites the Russian army for its actions in Ukraine, documenting a 105% rise in serious violations from 2023 to 2024.
