According to a UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) study, the effects of armed conflicts on children worldwide reached catastrophic and probably record levels in 2024. According to the report, which was made public on 27 December 2024, a record number of children are having their rights violated, including being murdered or maimed, not receiving life-saving vaccinations and education, and suffering from severe malnutrition. This figure is only predicted to rise. The United Nations Children’s Agency estimates that 473 million children, or more than one in six children, live in conflict regions worldwide. As hostilities simmer around the world, notably in Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine, among other locations, UNICEF released its statement on Saturday.
2024 devastates children in conflict
At least 17,492 youngsters are said to have died in Israel’s horrific war in Gaza, which has lasted for almost 15 months and left much of the territory in ruins. According to UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell, “2024 has been one of the worst years on record for children in conflict in UNICEF’s history, both in terms of the number of children affected and the level of impact on their lives.” Russell claims that compared to children living in areas free of war, children raised in conflict zones are much more likely to be absent from school, undernourished, or evicted from their homes. Since “thousands of children have been killed and injured in Gaza and Ukraine,” the agency stated that the number of severe violations has been on the rise overall and is expected to rise again this year. Malnutrition rates have increased, sexual assault against children has increased, armed conflicts have had a greater negative impact on children’s mental health, and their schooling has been impacted.
A harrowing year for kids in war
According to UNICEF, the percentage of children living in war zones has doubled, rising from roughly 10% in the 1990s to over 19% now. The report estimates that by the end of 2023, 47.2 million children had been relocated as a result of violence and conflict. Due to the escalation of several wars, including those in Haiti, Lebanon, Myanmar, the Palestinian territories, and Sudan, the trends for 2024 point to a further rise in displacement. Furthermore, according to UNICEF, the UN confirmed a record 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children in the most recent data available, from 2023.
This is the greatest number since ?UN Security Council-mandated monitoring started. “These kids are being let down by the world. We need to do more to change the course and preserve and enhance the lives of children as we move into 2025,” Russell stated. At a media briefing last week, UNICEF Communication Specialist Rosalia Bollen claimed that the ongoing battle in Gaza is a “nightmare” for children, where the Israeli force has murdered more women and children in the last year than in any other conflict in a single year, according to a September Oxfam report.
Children in Gaza: Facing cold, sickness, and trauma
Bollen stated on Friday that “Children in Gaza are cold, sick, and traumatized.” She bemoaned the paucity of aid that may reach children in the Strip and stated that around 96% of mothers and children in Gaza are unable to achieve their basic nutritional needs. For humanitarians, Gaza must be among the most tragic locations on the planet. According to Bollen, “severe destruction destroys every tiny attempt to save a child’s life.” Children have been on the brink of this nightmare for more than 14 months. Many children in the besieged area, according to Bollen, lack winter clothing, must scrounge through trash to get food, and suffer from various illnesses. She called for the evacuation of injured children and their parents from Gaza so they could receive medical care in East Jerusalem or elsewhere, using diplomatic and political clout.
There are more conflicts in the world than there have been since World War II, ranging from Palestine to Myanmar, Haiti to Sudan. Over 473 million children, or nearly 19% of the world’s kid population, currently reside in conflict areas, and 47.2 million have been displaced by violence and conflict. Gaza has seen thousands of children dead and injured, while the UN has confirmed that the first nine months of 2024 saw more child casualties in Ukraine than the entire year 2023.
Rape and other forms of sexual assault against women and girls in crises have been widely reported. The number of recorded cases of sexual violence against children in Haiti has increased by 1,000% so far this year. Children with disabilities are also frequently disproportionately exposed to violence and human rights abuses during times of armed conflict. It is estimated that over 52 million youngsters are not attending school in conflict-affected nations.
Millions of children lack access to education in nations like Syria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Ukraine because schools have been damaged, destroyed, or repurposed, while children in the Gaza Strip and a sizable portion of Sudan have missed out on more than a year of education. An already terrible situation has been made worse by the destruction of educational infrastructure and the unrest surrounding schools.
