The past year has seen more children hurt by war than any on record, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
More children than ever are estimated to be either living in conflict zones or forcibly displaced due to conflict and violence.
A record number of children affected by conflict have had their rights violated, been killed or injured, missed out on life-saving vaccines, or are critically malnourished.
Over 473 million children – more than one in six globally – now live in areas affected by conflict, with the world experiencing the highest number of conflicts since World War II, according to UNICEF.
The percentage of the world’s children living in conflict zones has almost doubled from about 10 per cent in the 1990s to about 19 per cent today.
Intensified conflicts in Haiti, Lebanon, Myanmar, Palestine and Sudan have helped drive the increase this year.
Children account for 30 per cent of the global population, yet on average account for roughly 40 per cent of refugee populations and 49 per cent of internally displaced people, according to UNICEF.
“By almost every measure, 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,” UNICEF executive director Catherine Russell said.
“A child growing up in a conflict zone is far more likely to be out of school, malnourished or forced from their home – too often repeatedly – compared to a child living in places of peace.
“This must not be the new normal. We cannot allow a generation of children to become collateral damage to the world’s unchecked wars.”
In the latest available data from 2023, the United Nations verified a record 32,990 grave violations against 22,557 children – the highest number since Security Council-mandated monitoring began.
UNICEF reported that thousands of children have been killed and injured in Gaza, and in Ukraine, the UN verified more child casualties during the first nine months of 2024 than during all of 2023.
The situation for girls and women is particularly desperate, with widespread reports of sexual violence in conflict settings.
The UN found Haiti experienced a 1000 per cent surge in reports of sexual violence against children this year.
Malnutrition, disrupted education, and poor healthcare – including a lack of vaccinations – were also at unprecedented highs.
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“Children in war zones face a daily struggle for survival that deprives them of a childhood,” said Russell.
“Their schools are bombed, homes destroyed, and families torn apart.
“They lose not only their safety and access to basic life-sustaining necessities, but also their chance to play, to learn, and to simply be children.
“The world is failing these children. As we look towards 2025, we must do more to turn the tide and save and improve the lives of children.”
