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Violence against children in armed conflicts surged to record highs in 2024, with the Palestinian territories topping the list, according to a United Nations report released Thursday.
The report documented 41,370 grave violations against children, such as killings, recruitment, kidnappings, and sexual violence, the highest since the UN began monitoring nearly 30 years ago. This represents a 25% increase from 2023, which was already a record year.
More than 4,500 children were killed and 7,000 injured last year amid relentless hostilities and indiscriminate attacks, with 22,495 victims suffering multiple violations.
The Palestinian territories saw the most violations, with over 8,500 serious cases, mostly attributed to Israeli forces, including 1,259 confirmed child deaths in Gaza. The report is still verifying thousands more child casualties following the escalation triggered by Hamas’s attack on Israel in October 2023.
Other countries with high numbers of child rights violations include the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia, Nigeria, and Haiti. The report added new offenders to its “list of shame,” including Haitian gang coalition Viv Ansanm and Colombia’s Clan del Golfo drug cartel, both accused of recruiting and abusing children.
The Sudanese army, paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, Israeli forces, Palestinian militant groups, and the Russian military in Ukraine also remain named for serious violations.
Virginia Gamba, the UN special representative for children and armed conflict, called the findings a “wake-up call,” warning the world is at a “point of no return” in protecting children caught in war zones.
With information from France24.
